Best Bets for Nuit Blanche #267,899

Oh, I feel for the general media audiences of Toronto right now... being bombarded with Nuit Blanche recommendations from all sides in what seems like all possible newspapers, magazines and blogs. I think in the end it might be more confusing than it is helpful? In any case, I'll keep the faith for the moment and let you know that my best bets for Nuit Blanche are out in today's National Post. Here's an excerpt:

ZONE B
The economy and its downturn get the focus here, appropriately sited in the financial district. Here are the works worth investing in:

Wild Ride by Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan
Bay and King Streets
The stock market rollercoaster comes to life in an offering from witty Winnipeg duo Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan: Two midway rides run free to the public whilst staffed with recently downsized business people. Hold on to your hedge fund/hat!

Skry-Pod by FASTWURMS
Sheraton Centre Hotel, Waterfall Garden, 123 Queen St. W.
FASTWURMS, a wacky Wiccan pair from Creemore, reliably create some of the most wonderfully out-there artworks in Canada. Here, they’re aiming for rock-and-roll-styled divination, complete with crystals and tarot cards. If only Bear Stearns had consulted them.

Vodka Pool by Dan Mihaltianu
Commerce Court West, Lobby, 25 King St. W.
Early in his career, Romanian-born Berlin-based Mihaltianu distilled scents into liquor bottles. Now he’s gone large-scale, piling alcohol and other illicit, valuable liquids into intoxicatingly distorted reflecting pools.

Gone Indian by Rebecca Belmore
Streets throughout the Financial District
Vancouver’s Belmore scored a hit at the 2006 Nuit Blanche with her icy tribute to Neil Stonechild. For ’09, she shines a light in a similar direction, reclaiming the financial district for First Nations creditors with drumming, dress and dance.

How to Win the Lottery by Melissa Brown
First Canadian Place, Lower Level, 100 King St. W.
Who wants to win the 6/49? Everyone. Who’s here to tell us how? Brooklyn-based artist-cum-lottery-ticket-financier Melissa Brown. BYO office pool to split the note-taking, all night long.

In that zone, I'd also recommend Iain Baxter's Monopoly with Real Money, especially now that the players list has been released: creative class figurehead Richard Florida, Owen-Pallett-slammed condo mogul Brad Lamb, Art Gallery of Ontario curator (who I criticized the other day) David Moos, supermodel Yasmin Warsame and more. Seriously, this attendees list is just as good as the real-money idea--really ups the stakes. (For a full list of players go to the NB media room and open the press release for September 23)

Readers with a more contemporary-arty bent might also want to check out the top-10-to-tour list I put helped together for my weekly gig at Canadianart.ca - note that this is where a recommendation for Santiago Sierra turns up... was a bit cautious about directing art newbies in his depressing/dangerous/dire direction but it will definitely be a stop-by for me and other regular gallery-haunters, I think.

Image of Kyohei Sakaguchi prepping his Nuit Blanche installation from the National Post