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This is the news: January 2nd, 2004 Well folks, it's been a while hasn't it? Due to some real unfortunate technical difficulties which liberated all Bedsprings related materials from my computer, as well as the questionable success of the last major Bedsprings, Ontario project, this organization has been inactive for several months. And this will be the last month of Bedsprings activity for a rather long time. But it'll be a doosie, as long as everyone participates. There will be one last, final Bedsprings Talent Show on the 22nd and 23rd of January. That's Saturday as well as Sunday. This will be a new kind of Talent Show, it will be an all night brainstorm of fabulous creative minds resulting in the creation of a performance to be performed throughout the day on Sunday. All the usual folks will be required to attend. That would be: The smartest, most cleverest, funniest, musical and wonderful people I know, and who know me. THIS MEANS YOU!! Please RSVP to this invitation in order to create. We will need to come up with a story. We will need to build sets. We will need to compose music. We will need actors. We will need an audience. We will need documentation. The date may change slightly, but as it stands the brainstorming process will begin at 7pm on Saturday, January 22, 2005 and the first performance of the play will start at 12noon on Sunday, January 23, 2005 I suggest that you stay up very late on Friday night, and then sleep until 5pm on Saturday. That what I’m planning to do. Bring a friend! Don’t be shy! Never forget that nothing happens when you aren’t making it happen!! Make it happen! So telephone Matt Alexander at 416-535-9571, or email [email protected] or find me in person in order to convey your enthusiasm for this project!! I don't care if something else really cool is happening that weekend, this will be much more cool!! Just COUNT all the exclamation marks in this email if you don't believe me!!! - Matt Alexander Bedsprings, Ontario http://www.bedsprings.cjb.net   November 9th, 2004 This is a long update, here's the contents: 1 - Bedsprings Special First Anniversary Compilation needs your brain! 2 - Minus Ball may continue through the winter! 3 - Toronto Arts Yearbook needs support!   1 - First Anniversary in December! ------------------------------------------- This December will mark the 1st Anniversary of The Bedsprings Talent Show and in celebration of this we will be putting together a special best of, year in review edition of the Talent Show Compendium.  This special compilation of Bedsprings recordings will include never-before-seen drawings which didn't make it into previous Talent Show booklets as well as songs and other recorded material which for one reason or another was never included in past compendia.  But this special collection is not merely to be a product of the past, I would like anyone who holds fond feelings for Bedsprings in their hearts to please write about your favourite Bedsprings moments in 200 words or less. That would be lovely.  So please email [email protected] The deadline is November 20th. 2 - Minus Ball! ------------------- The idea of minus ball (the three team sport with two balls) has been a fantastic success, though the physical sport has yet to be played in full configuration. And now it's cold out, and it'll only get colder, but Minus Ball is a sport played by running around, and that tends to warm folks up, so let's try to keep on playing! If you'd like to join us for a game, please email [email protected] and let me know if you're interested. Visit http://www.bedsprings.cjb.net/minusball.html for rules and regulations. 3 - Toronto Arts Yearbook! --------------------------------- Tell me if this sounds like something that's already underway: Each year hundreds of fantastic cultural arts events take place in Toronto and I'd like to put together a book or magazine to celebrate the best and most exciting events and the people involved.  This book would include photos of and writings about concerts, plays, art shows, demonstrations, festivals and other inescapable phenomenon which have taken place in the GTA between August 2004 and July 2005. The format would follow something similar to your highschool year book, including small portraits of everyone involved in the arts community in Toronto (that'd be creators AND supporters), group photos of bands and other affiliations and pages in the front and back for signatures from all your favourite friends! So if no one else is doing this, I want to do this and I want you to help! Email me [email protected] and we'll make something.   So there's some things that I've been doing and want to do. So if you'd like to help, let me know. The next Talent Show will be in December and the line-up hasn't yet been solidified, so if you'd like to make us giddy with your creative stuff, please email or telephone and let's do exciting things, because otherwise, why get out of bed? Thanks to everyone who's ever helped, - Matt Alexander [email protected] http://www.bedsprings.cjb.net 416-535-9571 October 30th, 2004 The items produced by Bedsprings, Ontario are now available for purchase online at The Blue House.   The Blue House is a great site where musicians, artists and other creative sorts come together to sell their (often) home produced books, cds and so ons. At the moment each Bedsprings Talent Show Compendium is available through the site as well as the Full Colour catalogue for Zombie! An Art Exhumation. The Compendia are $8.00 each, and the Zombie! book is $15 and worth every undead cent. Tomorrow (Sunday, October 31st, 2004) is the last day to see the Zombie! Art Exhumation in full, in person, but certain parts will continue to be for sale at Off The Wall (450 Queen St. West) a while longer. The book will always be available. Incidentally, the book is just $10.00 if you buy it in person. The next Bedsprings Talent Show will be in December. We have a strong maybe on one particularly amazing performer, but as always we're looking for other incredible entertainers of all kinds to thrill and amaze us. Just email [email protected] to propose a performance. - Matt Alexander (head co-ordinator - Bedsprings, Ontario) http://www.bedsprings.cjb.net [email protected] September 29th, 2004 September 21st, 2004 The Zombie! page has been updated with artist biographies and soon-to-be-added samples of their artwork. The next Bedsprings Talent Show will take place October 9th, 2004. Mark Meeks will be singing the blues (and greens) of the undead, and Razzle and Dazzle will be returning to conduct a seance. A second, and no-doubt more successful, Minus Ball meet will take place on Sunday, September 26th, 2004. Meet us at 6pm at Trinity Bellwoods Park between the baseball diamonds on the eastern side of the park. And as always: If you would like to perform at the Bedsprings Talent Show, let us know! [email protected] Thanks, and good luck in all you do. - Matt Alexander September 10th, 2004 The Film Festival is on in neighbouring Toronto, so keep an eye out for Matt Alexander handing out flyers for Zombie! An Art Exhumation. It looks like this: Also: The first meeting of Minus Ball enthusiasts will be taking place this Sunday, September 12th at 6pm at Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto. We'll meet between the two baseball diamonds on the east side of the park, and if it's raining we'll go to a bar to discuss Minus Ball in preparation for the week after that. If you'd like to get on the Minus Ball, or Zombie! email lists, or even just the general Bedsprings email list, email us at [email protected] and let us know you're interested. September 1st, 2004 The Talent Show in Review - August 21st, 2004. I am just barely drinked at the moment, and therefore only barely qualified to tell you anything about the Bedsprings Talent Show of August 21st, 2004. You see, I barely even managed to enjoy the show due to the antics of three poor, drunken fools. Instead of sitting back and enjoying the music of Sarah Greene, and Uns (featuring Chris Wright, Eugene Slominerov and a drummer named Nick) I had to deal with things such as soaked tea towels in my freezer, shaving cream calling for my death in the bathroom, and various foods being shoved in my mouth against my will. Speaking to people after the show however, it seemed that most of this went by unnoticed by the crowd. So most of the 25 or so people present at the August 21st, 2004 Bedsprings Talent Show drew pictures peacefully and enjoyed Phil's Tale of Midnight Marauders and Jason's play about a Robot and a Ghost, as well as the music, without much concern. Apparently it was a good time, and I'm glad it happened, though much of what happened was unpleasant for me. But, this is no place for personal angst, or blame. No! This is a place for thanks! And I thank with all my heart those who made interesting things happen at the August 21st, 2004 Bedsprings Talent Show: - Thanks to Jason for writing an impossible play, and to Phil and myself for performing it almost flawlessly. - Thanks go to Sarah, Kristine (or Christine) and Chris for playing Sarah's songs and a few more, plus Eugene and Nick for playing their songs. It was incredibly loud, but the upstairs neighbours were gone! So thank them too! - MOST OF ALL, I thank Thom Baxter for doing all the difficult work. He recorded the evening's performances, and will be compiling them onto a CD for us all to enjoy in the future. He also managed to rein in the yelling and carrying on of the drunken fools for a moment. - and of course, I thank everyone who came to the Talent Show and filled Bedsprings, Ontario with curiosity and warm bodies, if not just love and encouragement. Thanks for coming, thanks for drawing and thanks for being civil. Now, keep in mind that there is a guestbook on this website, so if you feel like something more should be said about the event, or the performances, or the compendia, please leave a message here. Or you can send a private email to [email protected] The Bedsprings Talent Show Compendium for August 21st, 2004 should be available somewhere near the middle of September. And remember that Bedsprings, Ontario will be represented at this year's Canzine at the Gladstone Hotel on October 17th, 2003. Visit the Broken Pencil site for details. The next Talent Show will be in October, and we're always looking for performers, especially non-musical performers. Thanks again to everyone and good luck in all you do.  - Matt Alexander Director of Operations - Bedsprings, Ontario

If you would like to perform at the Bedsprings Talent Show, please contact us at [email protected] Keep in mind that the stage is 4' x 8', there is little headroom and there are people who live upstairs. We are interested in seeing musicians, magicians, jugglers, contortionists, ventriloquists and other puppeteers, sketch comedy and story tellers. We have no interest in hearing from poets, "performance artists", stand-up comedians, or political candidates. All acts should be primarily fun, and should encourage audience participation whenever possible.