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Dan Wheldon emerged the unlikely winner at the Indianopolis 500 after the leader crashed with a lap to go. Rookie JR Hildebrand had more than three seconds on Wheldon with a lap to go when he moved to the outside to pass another car. He got caught in the rough patch and lost control, allowing the Wheldon to bypass him. Hildebrand had taken the lead after Belgian driver Bertrand Baguette ran out of fuel.

Wheldon is the 2005 Indy 500 winner. However, despite his success at the Indy 500, he had been unable to find a full-time ride this season. He lost his ride at Panther Racing to Hildebrand. Wheldon then signed a one-ride deal with Bryan Herta Autosport.

Sunday’s race was also disappointing for Montrealers as pole sitter Alex Tagliani and rookie James Hinchcliffe both crashed. Tagliani was a leader for the first half of the race, but had to deal with problems handling his car.

I am not sure if I am the ideal person to be writing a review on Lykke Li, but I went to see her on May 21st for the purpose of this review and I guess I should tell you all what I thought of it. To tell the truth, the beautiful weather and several other shows happening at the same time of Lykke Li seemed to make going down to Metropolis that evening more of a burden than something to look forward to. It had also come to my attention from some peers of mine that the Swedish pop artist was not the best performer, and my expectations of the night dwindled quickly. Yet, I held onto some hope for the night as I looked forward to the opening act and to judge Lykke Li’s performance abilities for myself.

First, the supporting act, Montreal’s own Grimes (Claire Boucher,) from the grass-roots pop label Arbutus Records, recently received the pleasure of joining Lykke Li for her North American tour. I have seen Grimes several times in the past, but only in front of crowds ranging from a dismal 12 (back at Jale in Saskatoon, SK), to 200 some at her and d’Eon’s album launch for the recent 12” split, Darkbloom, at La Sala Rossa this past April. Seeing her play in a venue capable of holding more than 2,300 was certainly something, and it helped me get excited for the rest of the night.

Typical for a Metropolis show, the opening act was finished well before 9PM, and the venue began to fill up quickly as the stage was being set up for the headlining act. Around 9:30PM, the lights began to dim as throbbing bass and synthesizer, excessive strobe lights, and smoke began to fill the venue for close to five minutes. The intro peaked my interest at first, but I grew rather tired from the wait. Lykke Li and her supporting band finally arrived, assumed their places on the stage and started the show.

Opening with "Jerome" from her sophomore album, Wounded Rhymes, Lykke Li set the stage for what we would be experiencing during the next hour and half. While I may come off as rather negative, I must admit that Lykke Li won me over with her performance and, on top of her allure and playful dancing, she put on an exciting show. If you have read my previous reviews before, you know that I am a fan of balancing old and new material for these sorts of shows. She touched upon a few notable songs from her 2008 debut album, Youth Novels, and she even graced her audience with a few B-sides, such as "Paris Blue" and "Until We Bleed", which are not available on either of her albums and were new to me and, I can only assume, many attendees that night.

Honestly, it is difficult for me to say whether I enjoyed the show or consider it a bit of a waste of time. Overall, Grimes was great as usual, Lykke Li’s performing was above what I had been warned of beforehand, and the crowd was well receiving (but unfortunately could not sustain a clap along for more than thirty seconds). If I were to criticize the show in any way, if I have not seemingly done so already, I would have to say that the accompanying band made the performance awkward to watch as they swayed in and out of the audience’s attention. This would be something to pick on, but the reality of the show is that no one was there to watch them; they were paying to watch this dreamy Swede sing and dance.

-Mason W hosts Midnight Love Affair on Sunday's from 11pm-12am

NDP Leader Jack Layton avoided the heated topic of separation when questioned yesterday. Pressed for details Layton said, “What constitutes a majority is 50 per cent plus one.”

Since the NDP nearly swept the province of Quebec in the last election, Layton knew the issue would come up.

Yesterday at a news conference held to announce the members of Layton’s shadow cabinet, it did. His ambiguity towards the topic has irked some politicians. PQ Leader Pauline Marois accused Layton of turning back on promises. Specifically, the Sherbrooke declaration that states 50 per cent plus one is enough to secede.

When asked what the affect personal views on secession by members of his caucus would have, Layton replied they were a federalist party, and would look to create “winning conditions for Canada in Quebec.”

The Cree people of Northern Quebec are signing a deal with the province Friday. The Native American group is regaining control over certain parts of the province.

The deal indicates the creation of a regional Cree governement on their ancestral land of Eeyou Istchee. This will give them control of over 65,000 square kms of land.

Premier Jean Charest is making the announcement Friday, along with Matthew Coon Come, the grand chief of the Crees of Quebec. Negotations began over two years ago, when an independent study revealed Quebec’s failure in honoring its obligations towards the Cree nation. 

The cree are one of the largest groups of First Nation people in North America with, over two hundred thousand members living in Canada alone. There are 18,000 Crees living in Northern Quebec.