• Comrade Miller finally won in his quest to introduce two new taxes to the citizens of Toronto this week, making it 1% more expensive to buy a new house (unless you’re a first-time buyer), $60 more expensive to register for your car, and 64% easier for me to justify staying north of Steeles. He is mum on any additional taxes down the road, but I fondly remember him musing about a levy on regional highway tolls, and apparently I’m not the only one who’s suspicious:

“[Long-time city councillor Case] Ootes is now warning citizens to prepare for even more taxes. He thinks Miller will find it irresistible to introduce new alcohol, tobacco and amusement taxes.

Miller said that’s not being contemplated at the moment, but he refused to rule out a new tax on alcohol next year.”

  • Hugh Jackman’s song-and-dance crime drama Viva Laughlin got cancelled already, after its second episode. This begs two questions from me: first, why does television insist on re-making Cop Rock every five years or so; second, Hugh Jackman had a song-and-dance crime drama called Viva Laughlin?
  • Halle Berry continues to prove what a moron she is, joking on The Tonight Show that a picture of her with a distorted nose “looks like [her] Jewish cousin”. Everyone makes dumb jokes, but when she goes on to explain that it was one she stole from her team of Jewish assistants? Yeah.
  • I always thought tampon marketing was vaguely offensive (blue fluid? I mean, come on), but as a male I never felt entitled to make fun of it. Thank God others have stepped up to the plate. (via Pamie)
  • …and to conclude, I give you possibly my favorite Star Wars parody (the part where Darth Vader’s tuning the radio is particularly choice), in an ever-more-crowded market. Produced by AKJAK, a film studio who clearly understands the value of a hilarious viral video: