“In 1982 the Commodore 64 computer was introduced, Ronald Reagan survived being shot, the Falkland War started and ended, Michael Jackson released Thriller, Canada repatriated its Constitution, and the first compact disc was sold in Germany. And that’s not all. Over the course of 1982, I blossomed from a naïve 14 year-old trying to fit in with the cool kids to something much more: A naïve, eyeliner-wearing 15 year-old trying to fit in with the cool kids.”

So writes Jian Ghomeshi in his debut book 1982. Released in September 2012, 1982 is a literary memoir told across ten intertwined stories of the songs and musical moments that changed Ghomeshi’s life.

In the book, the adolescent Ghomeshi embarks on a Nick Hornby-esque journey to make music the centre of his life. Acceptance meant being cool, and being cool meant being David Bowie. Ghomeshi was obsessed with him.

John Abrams: Remix Moderne

Currently residing at the lovely Evans Contemporary gallery is a juxtaposition of bold yet subtle wood sculptures, alongside a few equally striking oil paintings — all by artist John Abrams.

Curator Paolo Fortin has managed to take works (which have been ignored by Abrams’ stable of galleries) and exhibit them well in this gentle space.

Both the sculptures and painted works are given plenty of breathing room, allowing each piece to be independently stronger.

One of Peterborough’s most prolific and talented artists, Beau Dixon has music and theatre in his soul — they are the passions that define him.

In his early days, Beau was all about music. While he struggled with a love-hate relationship with theatre, he found the audition process terrifying and was defeated by rejection.

Another year, another crop of uninspired Academy Award Nominees.

To say that the Academy draws almost strictly from what Hollywood has crafted for it is hardly a revelation, but this remains a source of potent frustration for audiences that recognize that not all mainstream films play by these rules.

An award-worthy film need not always contain trendy American politics or a cloying starlet’s shorn locks.

My favourite films and performances of the year celebrate fantastical tradition and cultural preservation — two qualities that the Academy should hold in extremely high regard.