Louis Riel
Louis David Riel (22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. The third Monday in February is “Louis Riel Day”, a statutory holiday in Manitoba.

Montreal Smoked Meat and Montreal Bagels
Mile End Brooklyn is the name of the recently opened Montreal style Jewish delicatessen in Brooklyn. The first of its kind in the five boroughs, Mile End is a welcome addition to the neighborhood for ex-pats and Brooklynites alike, and it’s doubly exciting for me because I can finally get a real (albeit pricey) bagel in New York. The smoked meat sandwiches (which come with a little kick) are excellent too, they come courtesy of owner Noah Bernamoff who researched and developed his own custom spice rub modeled after the iconic Montreal smoked meat outpost Schwarz’s. Keep track of their daily meat supply (which often sells out) over here.

AT&T Nation with CanadaSM
Get the benefits of an AT&T NationSM and/or FamilyTalk Plan, plus no more long distance or roaming charges for voice calls between the U.S. and Canada. See available plans

The Winter Olympics

Alexandre Bilodeau carved his way into Canadian history Sunday at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The 22-year-old from Rosemère, Que., became the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal at home, finishing first in the men’s moguls skiing final at Cypress Mountain. [CBC.ca]

Music
Tegan & Sara at MHOW (02/15/10) SOLD OUT
Daniel Lanois at Bowery Ballroom (02/17/10)
Po’ Girl at The Living Room (02/26/10)
Basia Bulat at The Mercury Lounge (03/27/10)
Jason Collett, Zeus, Bahamas at Union Hall (04/24/10)
Jason Collett at The Mercury Lounge (04/23/10)
Still Life Still at Bowery Ballroom (02/26/10), at MHOW (02/28/10)
The Sadies, Zeus at Mercury Lounge (02/27/10)
Zeus at Knitting Factory (02/26/10)
Cuff The Duke at Knitting Factory (04/30/10)
Broken Social Scene at Webster Hall (05/07/10)
Japandroids at Bowery Ballroom (04/01/10)
Tune-Yards at Bowery Ballroom (04/09/10)
Junior Boys (DJ Set) at Bowery Ballroom (02/27/10)
Woodhands at Brooklyn Bowl (04/03/10)
Owen Pallett at Webster Hall (04/22/10)
Timber Timbre at Bowery Ballroom (04/14/10), The Bell House (04/16/10)
You Say Party, We Say Die! at Knitting Factory (03/26/10)
You Say Party, We Say Die! at Pianos (03/29/10)
Laura Barrett Town Hall (03/10/10)

This one might have flown under some people’s radars; previews start tonight for the NYU Tisch Drama production of The Who’s Tommy at the Abrons Arts Center (Buy Tickets).

NYU TISCH DRAMA STAGE WORKS: THE WHO’S TOMMY
Previews February 4 & 5
February 6-13

The Who’s Tommy is Peter Townshend’s tale of a young boy’s journey from pain to triumph. First produced on Broadway in 1993, its thrilling score and MTV-style storytelling is viewed by many as the seminal musical that brought Broadway into the rock era. Directed by Kent Gash. Presented by New York University’s Tisch Drama Stage Works through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

Previews: $15, $5 students and seniors
General Admission: $20, $10 students and seniors

On the other hand, I’m sure most of you probably know that The Who are the featured entertainers at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. In a recent interview with Billboard, Pete Townshend “leaked” the band’s set list for the big game, here’s what he said:

“We’re kinda doing a mashup of stuff,” the guitarist tells Billboard. “A bit of ‘Baba O’Riley,’ a bit of ‘Pinball Wizard,’ a bit of the close of ‘Tommy,’ a bit of ‘Who Are You,’ and a bit of ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again.’ It works — it’s quite a saga. A lot of the stuff that we do has that kind of celebratory vibe about it — we’ve always tried to make music that allows the audience to go a bit wild if they want to. Hopefully it will hit the spot.” [Billboard.com]

Super Bowl XLIV will air on Sunday, February 7 on CBS.

For the third year in a row (it’s now officially an annual tradition), the NHL is putting on an old fashioned game of shinny on the first day of the year. The 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic will take place at Fenway Park and will feature the Boston Bruins vs. the Phildalephia Flyers in a classic matchup between Eastern Conference rivals. The toughest ticket on New Year’s Day will be broadcast live on NBC, CBC, RDS, The NHL Network, and NHL Game Center Live at 1:00 PM ET on January 1, 2010.

Watch the NHL Winter Classic TV spot after the jump.

PS But more importantly, will Matt Damon and Ben Affleck be there?

UPDATE: So it kind of looks like these tickets are part of the “NBA Cares: Nothing But Nets” campaign, wherein you donate $10 towards the purchase of mosquito nets in Africa and you receive two complimentary tickets to an NBA game. All of these links were publicly available (Google is a powerful thing), but should some of you feel guilty about getting the prize without paying the cost of admission, you can make a donation to the “Nothing But Nets” campaign over here.

UPDATE 2: I had a little bit of a crisis of conscience over this post, it didn’t seem right to me to deny Africans badly needed mosquito netting so I could offer (almost) free basketball tickets to strangers seeking deals over the Internet. You may still, however, enjoy free NJ Nets tickets as part of the LG offer, which is unrelated to the NBA’s “Nothing But Nets” campaign.

New Jersey Nets
Various Dates, Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ
GET FREE TICKETS! (Password: LG)

As the title of this post suggests, because of the service charges, these tickets are not 100% free, but it works out to less than $2.00 $7.20 for two seats, which is still a pretty good deal.

Tickets to the 2010 US Open Tennis Tournament (Aug 30-Sep 12, 2010) are on presale now (December 14 at 9:00 AM) through December 16 at 11:59 PM EST. The presale password is MHOLIDAY (Buy Tickets).

USTA Members can take advantage of this exclusive opportunity to purchase 2010 US Open tickets as a gift for your favorite tennis fan. From December 14th through December 16th USTA members can get access to a limited number of US Open tickets to purchase as a holiday gift. Give your friends and family this exclusive opportunity to experience the greatest sports and entertainment event in the world!

New York Knicks
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
Presale Starts: September 15, 2009 10:00 AM EDT
Presale Ends: September 21, 2009 06:30 PM EDT
Plan Holder Presale Password: PLAN
Buy Tickets

Detroit Pistons
The Palace of Auburn Hills
Auburn Hills, MI
Presale Starts: Tuesday, 09/15/09 09:00 AM EDT
Presale Ends: Thursday, 09/17/09 12:00 PM EDT
TM Presale Password: TMPISTONS
Buy Tickets

Phoenix Suns
US Airways Center
Phoenix, AZ
Presale Starts: September 17, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Presale Ends: September 20, 2009 at 10:00 PM
Presale Password: CH15
Buy Tickets

Minnesota Timberwolves
Target Center
Minneapolis, MN
Presale Starts: September 16, 2009 12:00 PM CDT
Presale Ends: September 25, 2009 11:00 PM CDT
Presale Password: KLOVE
Buy Tickets

Indiana Pacers
Conseco Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN
Presale Starts: September 08, 2009 10:00 AM EDT
Presale Ends: September 14, 2009 09:59 AM EDT
Presale Password: COMPETE
Buy Tickets

I guess the US Open isn’t immune to the recession either.

US Open Tennis Day Sessions
September 8 – 11, 2009
Arthur Ashe Stadium
Flushing Meadows, NY
2 for 1 Password: BTMBLAST
Buy Tickets

PS I would jump on this deal before it sells out.

Tickets to the 2009 US Open Tennis Tournament are on Amex presale now through Saturday, June 6 at 11PM ET (Buy Tickets).

I’ll just reiterate what I said last year about the US Open, if you are anything at all of a tennis fan and want to attend the tournament I highly recommend getting your tickets early. The US Open always sells out, and once these tickets disappear from TM, they tend to be astronomically priced on the secondary market. Get them now, pay face value, then sell them on craigslist if you don’t end up going. Kind of simple right?

Cardmembers can experience the U.S. Open like no one else! Daily Trophy Club Tickets are available to Cardmembers only, with access to the grounds and the exclusive Trophy Club at breathtaking Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California.

2010 U.S. Open Golf Tournament
June 14-20, 2010
Presale Ends: Sunday, June 22 at 12:00AM ET
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach, CA
Buy Tickets Now (Amex Members Only)

2009 US OPEN (TENNIS) CASTING CALL

Do you want to sing at the 2009 US Open Tennis Championships in Flushing Meadows, New York? The United States Tennis Association is looking for talented boys or girls age 12 & under to be among those to audition to sing a musical composition as selected by the USTA at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center prior to a session of the 2009 US Open. Read the Official Rules (PDF).

Where: Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY

When: Monday, June 8, 2009

Time: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

What: You will be asked to sing a cappella (without music) all or a portion of “America the Beautiful”

Open to: Legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia 12 years of age or younger as of September 13, 2009

What to bring: Your singing voice, 2 forms of identification with date of birth, completed Liability and Publicity Release with parent/legal guardian signature, and your parent or legal guardian (those attending through a school program may be accompanied by a school official/chaperone)

Selection: Selection will be at the sole and absolute discretion of the USTA

If you’re a CFL fan and a Coldplay fan, this deal is a no-brainer.

Welcome to the Argonauts single game ticket voucher sale. You can be the first to purchase single game vouchers for the 2009 Argos season. As a limited time bonus, Argos ticket purchasers can buy tickets to an amazing Coldplay concert on July 30th at Rogers Centre before tickets go on sale to the general public. Hurry because pre-sale ticket quantities for the concert are limited.

Click the THIS LINK to purchase Argos single game vouchers WITHOUT PRE-SALE ACCESS for the concert.

Click the THIS LINK to purchase Argos single game vouchers, together WITH PRE-SALE ACCESS for the concert. You will then be asked to select your concert tickets, and your $33 per ticket (plus $5 service charge) Argos vouchers will be waiting for you on the delivery page.

We look forward to seeing you at Rogers Centre for the upcoming 2009 season.

Just like they did last year, the NHL is going to have another old fashioned game of shinny on New Year’s Day, but this time it will be at Wrigley Field in Chicago. This year’s NHL Winter Classic will feature the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings in their 701st matchup. The game will be broadcast live on NBC, CBC, RDS and The NHL Network at 1:00 PM ET on January 1, 2009.

Watch the NHL Winter Classic TV spot after the jump.

Well, it’s not quite as good as it sounds, (though I expect if you’re Bill, you couldn’t care less either way), it’s 2 tickets to any 12 events of your choice in 2009 at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, The Beacon Theatre and/or the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. To enter the contest, sign up for a new account at MSGInsider.com before January 5, 2009 or just log on if you have already an account. MSG Insider actually sends a fair amount of presale codes and it’s a free thing, so I actually would recommend it even if they weren’t offering an incentive.

The highlight came at about 10:05, when everyone in attendance was treated to a tremendous surprise. While the band rocked out to the classic “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” Red Wings forward Darren McCarty drove out on to the stage on a motorcycle. He wasn’t alone, though.

The Stanley Cup — his fourth with the franchise — was riding shotgun.
[NHL.com]

Check out the accompanying “higlight reel” video from the “Face Off Rocks” celebration in Detroit where Joe Elliot of Def Leppard commits a major gaffe with the Stanley Cup.

NHL Face Off Rocks at The Fox

“We’re soccer boys, what do we know.” – Joe Elliot

Dude, just look at the thing! Look at the hundreds of names on the bottom, look at the size of the base vs the size of the bowl on the top, isn’t it obvious which way it goes! You think if they gave Elliot a triangle, he’d try to stand it on its point? Anyway, if that was Canada, he may not have made it out of there alive.

Hey, this is a great deal. This Two-For-One ticket offer is valid for day sessions on September 3, 4 & 5. Buy tickets here, use code BTMBLAST.