The Rocker With The Kittens

ChartAttack sponsored the Canadian premiere of The Rocker on Tuesday evening. The film about a drummer who had his dreams of stardom crushed 20 years earlier, only to be revived by joining his high school student nephew's fledgling band, stars Rainn Wilson, who people tell me is very funny in The Office. He had some good moments in the film, too. There will be no Oscar nominations forthcoming, but it wasn't bad way to spend 102 minutes. I had a few laughs and enjoyed picking out the Toronto locations. The film was shot here, and Wilson was spotted club-hopping during North By Northeast while he was in town in June.

I received an "I Only Drum Naked" T-shirt after the movie, and I'm wearing it now. I like free things, so thanks should also go out to the folks behind Oh Henry's "What feeds your hunger?" promotion for delivering a big box of chocolate bars to our office on Monday.

After the movie, my friend Jeff and I were going to drop into the Horsehsoe Tavern for some pints and to check out The Stills and Dog Day. But there was a big lineup out front and neither of us were that excited about seeing the bands to pull rank and use our connections to go to the front of the line and get in.

Instead, we walked a block west to The Cameron House and planted ourselves at the bar with a number of delicious pints of St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout. (Speaking of beer, I was drinking on the Horseshoe patio on Sunday night and met a cool guy from Norway who was returning home the next day. I dubbed him "Bjorn Too Rock" and he told me of a popular drink in his homeland where you add a shot of Campari to a pint of lager. I'm not a Campari fan, but I had a couple of them and they weren't bad.)

We caught Run With The Kittens, who have a Tuesday residency at The Cameron until Oct. 28. They're an eclectic, humorous and talented band who I've seen a few other times. While I won't say that I like all their stuff, they're entertaining, and they did a pirate song. It's hard to go wrong with pirate songs.

International Talk Like A Pirate Day is on Sept. 19.