Soup gets a sell-out September, Rick goes to war, Kathy makes it Official & Suzanne’s still a Knockout

THE DEVIL SELLS TICKETS: Advance tickets for Hot Doc’s Oct 21 Canadian premiere screenings of The September Issue, the doc which reportedlly delivers

WINTOUR: in the Soup

an extraordinary behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the annual September issue of Vogue magazine — and an unprecedented gaze into the life of fashion icon Anna Wintour, the inspiration for Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada – are already sold out, making it the hottest ticket in Doc Soup history …Chita Rivera celebrates the release of her new CD And Now I Swing tonight at famed Manhattan music room Birdland … Daniel Lanois, set to return to The Troubadour in L.A. this Thursday, has a new stream-lined website … and Rick Mercer, who never saw a loaded gun he didn’t want to play with, tries his luck with 19th century weapons tonight when he participates in a re-enactment of the War of 1812 on the Rick Mercer Report at 8 pm on CBC-TV.

MERCER: circa 1812

LITERATI: Writer Ian Brown reads from his riveting, rave-winning Boy In The Moon tonight at McNall-Robinson at the new (and vastly improved) Don Mills Centre …Rex Murphy (Canada And Other Matters Of Opinion) headlines next Sunday’s Ben McNally/Globe & Mail brunch series at the King Eddie … Linden MacIntyre serves up pages from his Giller-nominated Bishop’s Man on Oct 21 at the Bonnie Stern Book Club ($135 includes dinner and recipes) … former PM Paul Martin wades through Hell Or High Water on Oct 27 at the Edward Johnson Building (behind the Planetarium) … glamourous survivor and voice-in-the-wilderness Suzanne Somers launches Knockout, her book of interviews with doctors who are curing cancer – “And How to Prevent Getting It in the First Place” – on Oct 29 at the John Bassett Theatre … most intriguing novel on the immediate horizon: Doug Coupland’s Generation A … and my favourite book title so far this fall?

GRIFFIN: It's official

Official Book Club Selection, a predictably irreverent autobiography by funny girl Kathy Griffin.

CALENDAR JOTTINGS: Industry nights for the upcoming 2009 Gemini Awards are next Monday Oct.19 & Tuesday Oct. 20 … that thumb-happy RIM team (yes, the Canadians who gave us the Crackberry) will be feted at a Design Exchange gala in their honour on Oct. 24 … the seventh annual fund-raising dinner for Pierre Berton’s Writers Retreat is set for Nov. 17 at the Berkeley Church on Queen Street East … Tutored Tastings, the new Gourmet Food & Wine Expo, is set for Nov. 19-22 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre … and outrageous Brit comic Graham Norton is confirmed as host of the 2009 International Emmy Awards honouring Sir David Frost on Nov 23 at the New York Hilton.

TOMORROW:

Ann Landers comes to Broadway.

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Meet m’sieu Sliimy, say hello to the Prada ‘she-devil’ who inspired Meryl’s movie, and welcome back our favourite funny fully-clad comedy babes

WOT’S IN A NAME?: Okay, c’est vrai — French pop stars can be somewhat peculiar. But who is Slimey? And who would actually choose that name?

SLIIMY: Not slimey

Naturally my Manhatan guru, legendary gossip girl Liz Smith, has the goods. Liz says Sliimy (pronounced Slim-ee) is all of 21, and very slim indeed. “He’s French, has a wonderful voice and a delicious, off-the-wall naïve/sexy stage presence. He is not at all the typical pop star. This child is already a big deal in Paree,” she adds, “and his album, Paint Your Face, was reviewed as being so musically yummy that it should be served in a cone.”

Warner Music is releasing his new CD on Perez Hilton’s new label. No, seriously! … also, I’m told his real name is Yanis Sahraoui. And you can see Sliimy”s very animated music video Wake Up by just clicking here.

GREENWOOD, EASTWOOD, DUKE & PAVLINEK: too hot to cool down

HOTTER THAN EVER: And, they are. Fearless female laugh-makers Women Fully Clothed – who just happen to be marquee showstoppers Robin Duke, Jayne Eastwood, Kathryn Greenwood and Teresa Pavlinek (as if you didn’t know!) – start touring their new show, Older & Hotter, this weekend. I’m delighted to report that despite the high bar they set for themselves in their auspicious debut comedy concerts, they’ve managed to find an even richer vein of funny to mine for their fans. First stop on their fall tour is the Empire Theatre in Belleville, Ont.  And you can get more info, and order tickets, just by clicking here.

STREEP: as Anna W?

BUT WHO DOES ANNA WEAR?: It’s official — Hot Docs will open its Doc Soup screening series with the Canadian premiere of The September Issue, the controversial study of the woman who inspired Meryl Streep’s role in The Devil Wears Prada, Vogue magazine fashion icon Anna Wintour. So naturally they’ll screen it during Toronto Fashion Week, on Wednesday October 21 at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. at the Bloor Cinema. For ticket info, click here.

JAMES: crowd-pleaser (photo: Andrew MacNaughtan)

RARIN’ FOR RON: Cape Breton’s most eloquent export, Ron James, shoots his new weekly comedy series in front of a live audience at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto. For free tickets, e-mail tickets@enterthepicture.com and include your first and last name, phone number, e-mail address, number of tickets requested, and first and second choice of show date and time. Ron only has four taping dates next month: Thursday Oct. 8, Friday Oct. 9, Thursday Oct 29, and Friday Oct. 30. Good news is, he usually does two shows a night, at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. So send those email requests without further delay. And good luck!

TOMORROW:

David Steinberg, Madonna and more.

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