Materialists director Celine Song used to be a matchmaker — but she had to quit
After receiving critical acclaim for her debut film Past Lives, Canadian filmmaker Celine Song has returned with Materialists, a new movie that takes a candid look at the inhumanity of matchmaking and modern dating. As it turns out, Song used to be a matchmaker herself. She sits down with guest host Gill Deacon to talk about her experiences in the field, why she says her "drug of choice is people," and how our weight, height, salaries and hairlines all contribute to the blunt math of dating.
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Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
Pro squash gets studio treatment in Toronto ahead of Olympic debut at '28 Games
Much has changed on the pro squash scene since Lee Beachill was last in Toronto as a tour player nearly two decades ago. The broadcast product has improved exponentially. Replay challenges have helped match flow and cut down on player-referee interaction. And the biggie, of course, is squash can finally be called an Olympic sport. The SmartCentres PSA Tour Finals, which started Monday at the Revival Film Studios in the city's east end, are serving as a dress rehearsal of sorts for the Los Angeles Games in 2028. 'I just think the tie-in with the whole film side of it and the fact that we're going to be on the 'Back to the Future' lot in Universal (Studios) in three years time is just quite a nice tie-in,' said Beachill, now the Pro Squash Association's chief operating officer. The Toronto studio, which lists Good Will Hunting, Cinderella Man and Pixels among the 200-plus films on its credit list, is hosting the five-day competition. With limited invites to the top eight men's and women's players in the world, the all-glass showcourt shines brightly in the heart of the 12,000-square foot Stage 3, complete with a backcourt grandstand with theatrical touches throughout. A set that mimicked the Harrow School – a facility near London, England where squash was born nearly two centuries ago – has been erected behind the court. Photos of the sport's greats adorn the walls inside the doors – Hashim Khan, Nicol David and Canada's Jonathon Power to name a few – along with an Olympic poster featuring the L.A. Games logo. 'I think we'll be the talk of LA28 in terms of the venue being so unique,' Beachill said. 'I think it'll be one of those tickets that people will want to get their hands on to come and watch. 'Not just necessarily because it's squash but just the experience of going to watch an Olympic sport at Universal Studios is probably a once-in-a-lifetime (opportunity).' Beachill, a former world No. 1, made several appearances as a player in Toronto when the city hosted the YMG Capital Classic (later called the Pace Canadian Squash Classic) at nearby Brookfield Place. Cathal Kelly: Summer McIntosh's star set to soar with Olympics still three years away Opinion: Eight months out from the Milan Olympics, is Canada ready to go to war? When plans to hold the 2004-25 Tour Finals in Bellevue, Wash., fell apart, the Ontario capital moved to the forefront as a host city. Beachill said it helped that Toronto has always been a solid squash market. 'I want to continue to try and bring this level of event and this level of athlete back here year after year,' he said. 'So that's what we're going to be working on, hopefully we can have a few conversations this week and see where we go for next year and the years to come.' An image of Power's diving frame is imprinted on the top of the 'Power Court' that's being used for the US$635,000 tournament. Each eight-player field is split into two pools for group play with competition continuing through the finals on Friday. In afternoon play Monday, top-ranked Mostafa Asal of Egypt dumped England's Marwan ElShorbagy 11-1, 11-3 and Joel Makin of Wales defeated Egypt's Youssef Soliman 11-5, 11-8. In the women's draw, Japan's Satomi Watanabe outlasted Egypt's Fayrouz Aboelkheir 11-7, 9-11, 13-11 and American Olivia Weaver topped Malaysia's Sivasangari Subramaniam 11-9, 11-9. In evening matches, top-ranked Nouran Gohar of Egypt beat American Amanda Sobhy 11-6, 10-11, 11-6 and England's Georgina Kennedy defeated Belgium's Tinne Gilis 11-10, 6-11, 11-3. Toronto-based Diego Elias of Peru defeated Egypt's Karim Abdel Gawad 3-11, 11-6, 11-6 and New Zealand's Paul Coll posted a 11-10, 11-4 win over England's Mohamed ElShorbagy. Toronto has a rich history with pro squash. In addition to the YMG/Canadian Classic era, legendary rivals Jansher Khan and Jahangir Khan met in a memorable match at the 1990 Mennen Cup. The city has hosted several editions of the national championships. Squash was also played at Exhibition Place in west-end Toronto when the city hosted the 2015 Pan Am Games. The Canadian Women's Open was added to the tour in 2023 and rose to silver status last year.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Pro squash gets studio treatment in Toronto ahead of Olympic debut in 2028
Much has changed on the pro squash scene since Lee Beachill was last in Toronto as a tour player nearly two decades ago. Article content The broadcast product has improved exponentially. Replay challenges have helped match flow and cut down on player-referee interaction. And the biggie, of course, is squash can finally be called an Olympic sport. Article content Article content The SmartCentres PSA Tour Finals, which started Monday at the Revival Film Studios in the city's east end, are serving as a dress rehearsal of sorts for the Los Angeles Games in 2028. Article content 'I just think the tie-in with the whole film side of it and the fact that we're going to be on the Back to the Future lot in Universal (Studios) in three years time is just quite a nice tie-in,' said Beachill, now the Pro Squash Association's chief operating officer. Article content The Toronto studio, which lists Good Will Hunting, Cinderella Man and Pixels among the 200-plus films on its credit list, is hosting the five-day competition. Article content With limited invites to the top eight men's and women's players in the world, the all-glass showcourt shines brightly in the heart of the 12,000-square-foot Stage 3, complete with a backcourt grandstand with theatrical touches throughout. Article content A set that mimicked the Harrow School — a facility near London where squash was born nearly two centuries ago — has been erected behind the court. Article content Photos of the sport's greats adorn the walls inside the doors — Hashim Khan, Nicol David and Canada's Jonathon Power, to name a few — along with an Olympic poster featuring the L.A. Games logo. Article content Article content 'I think we'll be the talk of LA28 in terms of the venue being so unique,' Beachill said. 'I think it'll be one of those tickets that people will want to get their hands on to come and watch. Article content 'Not just necessarily because it's squash but just the experience of going to watch an Olympic sport at Universal Studios is probably a once-in-a-lifetime (opportunity).' Article content Beachill, a former world No. 1, made several appearances as a player in Toronto when the city hosted the YMG Capital Classic (later called the Pace Canadian Squash Classic) at nearby Brookfield Place. Article content When plans to hold the 2004-25 Tour Finals in Bellevue, Wash., fell apart, the Ontario capital moved to the forefront as a host city. Beachill said it helped that Toronto has always been a solid squash market. Article content 'I want to continue to try and bring this level of event and this level of athlete back here year after year,' he said. 'So that's what we're going to be working on, hopefully we can have a few conversations this week and see where we go for next year and the years to come.'
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Natalie Sue wins for $25K Leacock Medal for Canadian humour writing
Social Sharing Calgary writer Natalie Sue has won the 2025 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour for her novel I Hope This Finds You Well. The $25,000 prize is one of the oldest of its kind, established in 1947 to support the growth of Canadian humour writing. I Hope This Finds You Well follows Jolene, an anxious admin for Supershops, Inc., as she navigates a workplace of unsatisfactory colleagues. Jolene copes with the frustrations of her office job through passive aggressive messages in emails that are never meant to be seen. Calgary author Natalie Sue revels in the humour of errant work emails and office rivalries in debut novel When she is caught and reprimanded, an IT mishap results in her having access to the confidential messages of her superiors. Can Jolene use this to the advantage of her career? Sue is a Calgary-based writer of Iranian and British descent. I Hope This Finds You Well is her debut novel and was also nominated for the 2025 Amazon First Novel Award. The shortlisted authors, Greg Kearney, for An Evening With Birdy O'Day, and Patricia J. Parsons, for We Came From Away, each receive $5,000. The winners were selected from a Canada-wide panel of judges. The prize is named in honour of Ontario writer Stephen Leacock, a humorist and popular author in the first half of the 20th century. His books include Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, published in 1912, and Literary Lapses, published in 1910. The prize has been funded by the Dunkley Charitable Foundation since the fall of 2020. The organization is based in Orillia, Ont., the town that inspired the fictional community of Mariposa in Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. Leacock had a summer estate there. Last year's winner was Patrick deWitt for The Librarianist.
