LETTERS ........................................................................................................................................................................................10 CONTRIBUTORS ............................................................................................................................................................................12 PURSUITS caroline dhavernas; not-so-nice christmas flicks; skiing in poland ......................................................15-30 COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE it?s a good time of year to be a man .................................................................................33 SPORTS michael grange works overtime with toronto raptors coach kevin o?neill .................40 TEST DRIVE mike randolph?s blood turns blue in the 2004 range rover hse ....................................44 ARTS & LETTERS kent nussey explains why he?ll never write another novel ..................................46 SEX bebe o?shea melts the polar ice cap with a spicy letter to santa ...............................................50 MEAT zsuzsi gartner takes a trip to the fat farm ...........................................................................................52 DRINKS mark kingwell and walt whitman sing out for manhattans ....................................................55 TELEVISION douglas bell gets apoplectic on ken finkleman?s newsroom ............................................56 DAMAGE CONTROL advice for guys in sticky situations ...................................................................................61 STYLE miranda purves loves a man in uniform .................................................................................................62 EXPEDITION shawn blore goes to the dogs in tajikistan ...............................................................................64 VISUAL ARTS lee henderson probes the ?intestinal? art of graham gillmore ................................68 IN OTHER WORDS curtis gillespie on the dmz of war talk .............................................................................70 FEATURES canada ?s magazine for men WINTER 2003 MELISSA AUF DER MAUR by mark lepage | She?s the biggest thing to happen to bass guitar since Geddy Lee ? and a whole lot easier to look at ........................................................................................................................................................72 IS SIDNEY CROSBY ?THE NEXT ONE?? by gare joyce | Wayne Gretzky says Sidney Crosby will be the greatest hockey player the world has ever seen. His former coach thinks he was ready to play in the NHL this season. What?s holding him back? He?s only sixteen .........................................................................................................................................80 TALKING TO DAVID BOWIE | The chameleon of pop is launching his biggest world tour in thirteen years. David Bowie speaks with Mark Lepage about Neil Young, fatherhood, and living in America .............................................................88 COLD COMFORT photographs by jeff riedel | The coastal village of Mabou, Nova Scotia, is the perfect place to break in winter?s best clothes ................................................................................................................................................90 THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS by craig silverman | What happens when you cross Canadian Idol with Little Oral Annie? You get Pornstar Académie, Quebec?s X-rated take on reality TV ................................................................100 POWDER TOOLS | The latest in snowboards, skis, and outerwear .....................................................................................110 TORO TWO-FOUR | 24 New Year?s resolutions that?ll be really, really easy to keep ........................................................114 on the cover: photograph of melissa auf der maur by anette aurell; sweater by stella mccartney Editorial Director: WILLIAM MORASSUTTI Editor: DEREK FINKLE Managing Editor: MELANIE MORASSUTTI Associate Editor: HEIDI SOPINKA Editorial Assistant: DAVID FIELDING Proofreader: CORINNE AESCHELMANN Writers at Large: DAVE BIDINI, SHAWN BLORE, CURTIS GILLESPIE, GARE JOYCE, RUSSELL SMITH, TIMOTHY TAYLOR Contributing Writers: DAVID EDDIE, ZSUZSI GARTNER, MARK KINGWELL, BEBE O?SHEA Creative Director: CAMERON WILLIAMSON Art Director: ALICIA KOWALEWSKI Photo Editor: CATHERINE DEAN Creative Assistant: ALON FREEMAN Art Intern: TIYANA GRULOVIC Publisher: DINAH QUATTRIN National Account Managers: BENJAMIN BRIGGS, DAVID CARINGI, TOM FERGUSON Marketing and Production Co-ordinator: JULIA HENDERSON Communications Director: ANNE O?HAGAN Print-Production Consultant: WALTER J. MISHKO Marketing Interns: METZTI BRYAN, PAOLA GUARNIERI, RENEE PAPEO TORO IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR BY TORO PUBLISHING INC. EDITORIAL AND SALES OFFICE: 119 SPADINA AVENUE, SUITE 502, TORONTO, ONTARIO, M5V 2L1. TELEPHONE: 416-785-9446 OR 1-888-443-4425; FACSIMILE: 416-785-9434. TORO IS DISTRIBUTED TO SUBSCRIBERS OF THE GLOBE AND MAIL ACROSS CANADA; ON NEWSSTANDS; AND BY SUBSCRIPTION. FOR SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES, CALL 416-785-9446, FAX 416-785-9434, OR VISIT WWW.TOROMAGAZINE.CA. SUBSCRIPTION RATE FOR ONE YEAR: $19.95 (GST INCLUDED). SINGLE-COPY PRICE: $5.95. CONTENTS © 2003 TORO PUBLISHING INC. MAY NOT BE REPRINTED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT 40796548.