The A-list

The Toronto Film Festival is known as the good luck charm for potential Oscar nominated movies, so it is only appropriate that the A-list premiere their films at TIFF. And when it comes to A-list Toronto got a taste of the very best: Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney. If the entertainment industry had royalty, these two would be King and Queen. Oprah was in town to promote her movie Precious, and George was in town to promote two flicks, Up in the Air and Men Who Stare at Goats. My sources tell me that after Oprah surprised George at his Up in the Air premiere, the two held a party back at Oprah’s hotel (where she booked an entire floor) and popped bottles until the early morning hours. Oh, the life!

Belles of the Ball

TIFF was not lacking when it came to beautiful women. In attendance were the following jaw-dropping ladies: Megan Fox, Natalie Portman, Penelope Cruz, Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Connelly, Demi Moore, Emily Blunt and Jennifer Garner.

I was standing at the entrance of the Liberty Grand, TIFF Opening Party, when Jennifer Connelly strolled by arm-in-arm with her hunky hubby Paul Bettany. I don’t think I have ever felt so short, fat and unattractive in my entire life. She is phenomenal in person, and her slightly see-through dress made her even more irresistible to every man at the party.

Musicians Take Over TIFF Parties

TIFF was not only about the actors, but also about the musicians. U2 conveniently scheduled their two sold out concerts the week of the film fest. They were spotted partying at One in Yorkville both nights, the first with Colin Farrell and the second with Jonas Brothers, the Kings of Leon and the White Stripes (who were also in town to premiere their movie Under Great White Northern Lights)

Drewmania

Drew Barrymore took every opportunity to promote her new directorial debut Whip-it all across Toronto. First, she had a roller-derby team of hot ladies cause frenzy around town. As well, Drew made appearances on Much Music’s MOD, MTV Live and Live @ eTalk. She spoke about her love for Canadian actress, Ellen Page and their steamy kiss in Marie Claire. Drew’s on and off again boyfriend Justin Long was in town to support her film and the two partied it up all week at Tattoo Rock Parlour and Sweaty Betty’s. Drew also took my best dressed award for her Alexander McQueen dress, which she accessorized with her two-toned blonde with black tips hair-do – that only she can pull off… don’t make this a trend!

Shinan Govani aka. King of Scoop

Shinan Govani is known for getting the best insider scoop at events like TIFF. It was only appropriate for him to launch his book Boldface Names the same week. As entertainment columnist for the National Post, Govani gets to go inside every exclusive party and premiere around the world and always gives us the best dish.

This TIFF his encounters with Tom Ford and Suzanne Somers became world news! When leaning in to whisper something to Tom Ford, the designer stood back and asked Govani, “Are you trying to smell me?”, every fashion blog ran with this hilarious encounter the next day. On the more controversial side, when Govani asked Suzanne Somers about Patrick Swayze’s death, she told him that it was Swayze’s chemotherapy treatments, not pancreatic cancer, which ended his life prematurely.

Twitter = Life Saver

Twitter was a life saver and my celebrity stalking tool this TIFF. The week coming up to the film fest I made sure I was following all the right people: entertainment and lifestyle columnists and bloggers. These were the tweeters who would tell me where the parties were, who was there and what people were wearing. Once I got the tips I was off to the races!
And if I forgot the spelling of someone’s name or who was in which movie, I could always count on a tweet to correct my errors. Plus getting the news to my dedicated Adorned readers was much easier via my twitter account: www.twitter.com/adornedmag

Colin Farrell vs. Joe Alvarez

The red carpet was abuzz after Colin Farrell confronted British photographer, Joe Alvarez, who allegedly was yelling at Farrell’s sister to move along the red carpet at the Triage premiere so he could get a clear shot of the movie star. Farrell shook his finger in Alvarez’ face and held him by the collar until he apologized.

Alvarez later talked to the press and said, “If I had known it was his sister I would not havesaid it or just been more careful.”

Lesson learned!

Nikki Beach

Nikki Beach was the official after party for the film fest. You could spot Megan Fox, Drew Barrymore and many other stars partying at the top of the Hyatt until the early morning hours. I had the opportunity to stop by Nikki Beach a few times during the festival, once at the beginning of the fest and again at the end. By the end of TIFF, Nikki Beach was nearly destroyed. Partygoers were jumping on the furniture, the organizers were being fined for overcrowding, the floor was covered in champagne puddles… but what is a film festival party without a little chaos?

We will see if Nikki Beach decides to open a permanent location in Toronto.

Precious

I would be surprised if Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire did not make it all the way to the Oscars. With Oprah and Tyler Perry pushing this picture, it is not a surprise that it took home Cadillac People’s Choice Award, meaning Toronto audiences rated it more favourably than the rest of the 335 films .
Directed by Lee Daniels, the movie tells a fictional story about a girl named Claireece (Precious) Jones, a teenager living in Harlem in the 80s who can’t read and is pregnant for the second time by her father. Precious finds hope and happiness in an alternative school program. Daniel told reporters at the press conference, “I made this film for every person out there who ever looked in the mirror and felt unsure about the person looking back.”
The cast includes newcomer Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe, Mo’Nique (who critics say is a shoe-in for a best supporting actress nomination), Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz and Sherri Shepherd.