Getting divorced? Sex shop can help

SPOTTED AT SMITTEN SEX SHOP: The Divorced Divas' "Ex-Husband Pinata" with pull strings (instead of a bat) that say things like 'He Goes Bald,' 'You Get the House', 'He Loses His Teeth,' 'His Girlfriend Cheats On Him.' Smitten now hosts divorce party celebrations, where girlfriends can get together and shop at the Osborne Village sex shop behind closed doors. Directions suggest the pinata be filled with confetti, condoms and Mardi Gras beads. Are the new divorce parties popular? "We've only had a few, but they've already been the craziest," said a staffer.

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FRINGE FEST GAB: Certain Fringe comedians with their own shows quietly slipped over to The Cheer for host Ben Walker's weekly Wednesday night stand-up comedy show. Yours truly caught stage acts with Toronto comic Bob Banks from The PB&J Sketchprov Show, Shelby Bond from People Pleaser (I Wish I Hadn't Dated that Coke Addict) and Adam Schwartz, who did some of his Asperger shtick from Fringe with his offering of a A Tale of a Social Misfit. Before the show, I spoke with Shelby Bond from L.A., who was celebrating his 10th year at this Fringe. Bond confessed his bio-dad really was a Hells Angel (not a made-up part of his act) — a biker who roared off into the sunset when he was little. He got his sense of humour from his playwright mom and his stepdad. The man was so funny his mother would write scripts and hand them to her husband to insert bits in the places marked "something funny here." Bond, who's Mr. Nice Guy, says, "My stepdad was great. He was a lot like Steve Martin, who was one of my big influences." Meanwhile, down the street on Wednesday night, Dungeons & Dragons players turned up in front of the Gas Station Theatre and challenged fans waiting in the lineup to play a game of Dominion with them. Cast member Geoffrey Hughes looked on with great satisfaction as 250 people thronged the courtyard to get in to fill the D&D Improv Show, many in costume.

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"STRINGS" WRAP PARTY: Cast and crew for the Strings indie movie filmed in the SSRqPeg are meeting for a big wrap party at Rudy's Eat and Drink at 7 p.m. on Monday in the Manitoba Hydro Building. That's Josh Duhamel, Lucas Sill, Maria Bello, Lucas Till, Kherington Payne plus many other actors, extras and Winnipeg supporters of the film's creation. The plot follows a young, drug-addicted DJ (Till) who gets into trouble with the law and is forced to live in the custody of his estranged father. Duhamel stars as a counsellor who treats Till's character and makes a surprising discovery. The cast loved their stay in Winnipeg, says Jason Syvixay of Downtown Winnipeg BIZ. In fact, Duhamel posted a pic of himself in front of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on Twitter. When not shooting, cast members hit a lot of fun spots like Canada Day celebrations at The Forks, the Fox and Fiddle bar, the new Brazilian restaurant Carnaval, and they shopped SSRqtil they dropped at Portage Place. Some cast were living on Waterfront Drive, and it doesn't get much sweeter than that. By the way, this wrap party is anything but a casual beer box bash; it's hosted by Downtown BIZ and sponsored by Rudy's Eat and Drink, Guppy Graphic Design, Cake-ology, Lights Unlimited and Loka Boutique.

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DATE NIGHT: Ghostbusters, the first outdoor movie showing in Memorial Park this season, will run Tuesday, Aug. 6, sponsored by the Downtown BIZ. Other outdoor films in the series: Aug. 13, Ferris Bueller's Day Off; Aug. 20, double feature of Planes, Trains and Automobiles and The Great Outdoors; Aug. 27, double feature of Pretty in Pink & The Breakfast Club.

Hot Tip: People start gathering about 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Park. Pack a cooler and bring a blanket and stake out a great spot early. Part of the fun is watching the 40-foot blow-up screen inflating in front of you. Pre-movie activities include costumes — think jumpsuits, backpacks, green jello slime — plus there are trivia contests and prizes. Virgin 103 will be booming out tunes. Movies start before dusk. Concessions, with popcorn and drinks, make it a real deal movie. With the moon rising, the backdrop of the Legislative Building and the Golden Boy, it's a sweet summer evening experience in Winnipeg.

BOOKEND RAD RACERS: Marcia Desmedt, 47, and her niece from Lugano, Switzerland — 11-year-old Katie Coppola — think they might have been the oldest and youngest to do the paint-splattering Color Me Rad 5K run at Red River Exhibiterion Park on July 20. "We were tired, exhilarated and very proud of ourselves at the end. We were a bit nervous starting because we are both not runners, but it was made up of runners, walkers, whole families with babies in strollers!" said Desmedt. Katie plans to come back from Switzerland next year and run again with her Canadian aunt, sister and cousins. And why not? "At every kilometre, we got bombed with a new colour to add to the canvas that was our skin and clothing! Everyone was laughing and dancing," says Desmedt. "It was awesome being part of the huge group of people and knowing proceeds went to Camp Manitou."

 

Call Maureen's tip line at 204-474-1116, email maureen.scurfield@winnipegfreepress.com, or send letters to: Maureen Scurfield c/o The Insider, 1355 Mountain Ave., R2X 3B6