Tonight, Penner is in town to play a show at Artesian on 13th (show at 8 p.m., tickets $12 advance and $15 door). To close, here’s video of Penner performing “Driftwood” with guitarist John Wood:

Doors are at 7 p.m., and tickets are $17 advance and $20 door. To get you pumped up for the show here’s  video of the band’s drummer playing along to tracks laid down by other band members for the song “In Pursuit Of”:

As you may have heard, Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto, smokes crack cocaine. We’ve seen a video of him smoking crack cocaine, and the people who have the video would like to sell it. Through the miracle of crowdfunding, you can help. Please consider donating to the Rob Ford Crackstarter.

How Much Do We Need? $200,000. That’s what the owners of the video want. That sounds like a lot of money. The good people at Indiegogo believe that, with the appropriate amount ofvirality, that goal is achievable.

Christ, That’s a Lot of Money. Yes, it is. But they’ve got the video! And it’s not all about greed, though of course most of it is. The owners of this video fear for their safety, and want enough money to pay for a chance to get out of Toronto and set up in a new town. Their fear is not entirely unwarranted. Rob Ford is a powerful if buffoonish man, and he was wrapped up in a drug scene that purportedly involved many other prominent Toronto figures.

What Will We Get? A crystal clear, well-lit video of the mayor of Toronto smoking crack cocaine, published on Gawker for the world to see. We will also be throwing in some perks, for specific donation amounts. But the main thing is the video of the mayor of Toronto smoking crack cocaine.

This is going to end with Ford fighting biplanes at the top of the CN tower, isn’t it? Oh Gawker. Oh Internet. Oh Rob Ford.

Today, we received an e-mail at our office announcing that the Rage will be holding a tryout camp at O’Neill High School (136 Argyle St.) on May 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. To de-emphasize the sport’s more salacious aspects the league’s name has been changed to the Legends Football League although when the 2013 season starts in September I believe the players will still be outfitted in lingerie-type uniforms.

The Riot, by the way, are off to a 2W-0L start to their season after wins over the Manitoba Fearless (35-0) and Saskatoon Valkyries (15-7). On Sunday, they’ll play their first road game of 2013 against the Nomads in Winnipeg.

2 EARTHQUAKE IN EASTERN CANADA! And it isn’t even the top news story thanks to Hurricane Ford.

3 R.I.P. ELIJAH HARPER The Manitoba politician and First Nations leader passes away at the too-young age of 64.

4 MIKE DUFFY QUITS CONSERVATIVES The Canadian senator who accepted a $90,000 loan/gift/whatever from Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of staff has resigned from his caucus and will sit as an independent. There’s also a chance his controversial travel expenses could get a second audit.

5 MEANWHILE IN THE MIDDLE EAST Russia sends modern weapons to Syria, dozens of people were killed in a mosque bombing and Iran says it’s unconstitutional for women to be president.

6 THE POTHOLE TOUR 2013 Regina Mayor Michael Fougere inspects road holes.

MANDATORY NEW STAR TREK MOVIE DAY VIDEO Ding!

I couldn’t find much in the way of good quality video, but here’s a performance of “Something to Live For” from a 2011 concert in Stanley Park:

“I forgot to change the oil!”

(It’s hard to write about Star Trek Into Darkness without revealing something. While I’ll stay away from the bigger reveals, beware of some mild spoilers ahead.)

The main difference between previous Star Trek incarnations and the current one is not content, but concentration. J.J. Abrams is extremely respectful of the material, to the point he hasn’t negated the existence of the original saga, but created a parallel timeline so he can develop his own.

Star Trek Into Darkness follows the same pattern established by the reboot from four years ago: Abrams takes a hefty portion of the mythology and repackages it into a tension-heavy rollicking good time.  Even though the action is front and center, the ethical and moral dilemmas that set the Star Trek universe apart (ahead of Star Wars, some would say) provide the poignant background.

True to form, the film kicks into high gear when Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) openly defies the Prime Directive that guides Starfleet operations to save Spock (Zachary Quinto): There can be no interference with the development of alien civilizations, even if that means to leave somebody behind. Kirk is demoted to First Officer, and Spock, reassigned to another ship.

The estrangement doesn’t last long. A disgruntled Starfleet officer named John Harrison (yeah, right) goes on a rampage and the hotheaded Kirk is conveniently appointed to catch him. The Enterprise tracks him down to enemy territory. While passions run high, any false move could cause a major conflict between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. Will Kirk keep his cool? (maybe… if he was Shatner)

The villain du jour, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbach), is smarter and stronger than his pursuers, and his grudge is somewhat justifiable. For most of the movie he is three or four steps ahead of everyone else and that makes him a thrill to watch. He is also Kirk’s polar opposite, not a detrimental feature given the captain’s tendency to shoot first and ask questions later.

Star Trek Into Darkness is at its best whenever dealing with the formidable rival and his motivations. It takes a nosedive every time it focuses on Kirk and Spock’s friendship. The subject was dealt with adequately in the first movie, there is no need to revisit without something new to add. As any good Gene Roddenberry creation Kirk learns a lesson, over and over again, until it sticks. This doesn’t translate well and makes the captain of the Enterprise look like a fool.

Because of the time dedicated to John Harrison’s vendetta and all the new characters (Alice Eve, Kirk’s love interest, is the most superfluous), Sulu and Chekov get the short shrift. Also, as likable as Simon Pegg is, there is way too much Scotty. I get the feeling Pegg and Zoe Saldana (as Uhura) are using their higher profiles as leverage to increase their screen time.

While most of the old throwbacks work, at moments it seems as In Darkness doesn’t have any original ideas of its own. Even the extended climax, in which it seems the film may pull the ballsiest move ever attempted in a summer blockbuster, has a referent in Star Trek checkered backstory.

In Darkness is a handsome movie. The production design alone justifies a trip to the multiplex. Even the 3-D format is put to good use. Because J.J. Abrams never takes his foot off the accelerator, the audience may get the impression the film is better than it actually is. That said, this saga could be great if those involved were to serve the story and not the other way around.

Three and a half red-shirt prairie dogs.