The curtain falls on another star-studded TIFF week.
Glamorous Hollywood A-listers. A blur of hot, heavyweight films. Whoa! Where did Toronto's 34th annual International Film Festival go?
Journos, publicists and TIFF volunteers are breathing big sighs of relief now that Toronto's celebrated film festival is finally over.
Full of fun, fast-paced stargazing, TIFF's been a glam ride even for these tough economic times. Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Megan Fox, Mariah Carey...This year's stars were big. The buzz they churned for their new films was huge. The red carpet craziness. The early Oscar buzz.
Not every festival is perfect, of course. This whirlwind week was no exception.
"All these lineups! And the overlapping screenings. It's impossible to see every film you want," said one U.S. reporter during a screening of Werner Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans."
Covering TIFF for more than a decade, the TIFF veteran gave this year's festival a seven out of 10. Not bad at all considering the ups and downs every festival inevitably owns up to.
Lineups were so long he missed the start of films. That was a big problem. "I'd never insult a director by not seeing their movie from start to finish," the journo told me. "That's what we're often forced to do."
Annoying? Sure? Unavoidable? Absolutely. Yet even these irritations couldn't wipe the smile off my face. No way!
Even now I can't stop thinking about wonderful new films like "The Road," "Bright Star," "A Single Man" and others, as well as the awesome celebrity encounters that made this festival so memorable.
From the smart comic fare served up by George Clooney and Ewan McGregor in "Men Who Stare at Goats" to Pedro Almod�var's juicy melodrama "Broken Embraces," TIFF's headlining films delivered no end of "Wow!" moments.
Ditto for TIFF's guest stars.
Oprah Winfrey, Penelope Cruz, Mariah, Colin Farrell...From directorial legends like Jane Campion and Werner Herzog to fortuitous sightings of the foxy Megan Fox, my TIFF 09 memories may still be a blur. But I'll be thinking of these fine TIFF times long after this year's starry limelight has faded.
1. Ben Barnes: TIFF's down-to-earth heartthrob
There's no denying it. is one of the most gorgeous men you'll ever see on screen or off. But don't let that pretty face fool you.
"I was the skinniest, geekiest kid back in school," the star of "Dorian Gray" told me during TIFF week. "We spend way too much time in this society judging people by their exteriors."
Barnes gave a new, evil twist to Oscar Wilde's tale about a youth who pays for his unchanging beauty with his soul.
"Wilde's story is still extremely relevant. It really proves how little we've learned I think," said Barnes. "We put so much emphasis on aesthetics and the power of staying young and all this Botox crap. It's nonsense."
A surprising grasp on reality from a real Hollywood heartthrob.
2. And TIFF's nice guy award goes to...Viggo Mortensen
TIFF journos lined up at the Intercontinental Hotel for hours to interview , the star of Oscar contender "The Road." Yet this Academy Award nominee's kindness made up for the two-hour-plus wait.
"We're behind schedule. We won't get everyone in." Worries from press reps filled the air of Mortensen's camera-packed interview suite at Toronto's Intercontinental Hotel.
"There's enough time for everyone," the soft-spoken actor replied before our interview began. "No one's going to get turned away."
Who says nice guys don't make it in Hollywood.
3. Patricia Clarkson rocks TIFF's red carpet
American actress knows how to make a big TIFF entrance. That she did for the opening of "Cairo Time" at Toronto's Winter Garden Theatre.
Wearing a black, oriental-inspired dress with a thigh-high slit, Clarkson earned gasps from TIFF crowds as she walked onto the Winter Garden's stage. Ditto for the yellow, Liz Taylor-ish sundress and blue gown the New Orleans-born actress wore in movie, by Canadian director Ruba Nadda.
"Patricia will never be in 'Transformers.' She'll never be a blockbuster queen. But it doesn't matter. She gets all the best parts," says "Cairo Time" co-star Alexander Siddig.
Don't forget the tops marks we gladly give Clarkson for rocking TIFF's red carpet in style.
4. The two Colins: Colin Farrell and Colin Firth
Lady-killing Irishman Colin Farrell ("Ondine," "Triage") and the sexy, sophisticated ("Dorian Gray," "A Single Man") gave reporters at Toronto's Sutton Place Hotel a buzz that doesn't come from a vat of Starbucks coffee. Sure, TIFF was all about George Clooney -- at least when the 34th annual festival began. Not to worry George. Colin and Colin carried Hollywood's hunk torch at TIFF just fine without you.
5. Roger and Oprah: The 'Precious' press conference
Topping Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and the other stars of wasn't easy. But film critic Roger Ebert did just last Saturday at Toronto's Four Seasons Hotel.
On hand to promote their moving new drama, Oprah and company gave TIFF journos a great show, hurling jokes, insights and the occasional "Don't you go there, bitch!" from director Lee Daniels into the air.
The levity was a welcome contrast to this intense story about an illiterate African-American teen who is raped twice yet still finds happiness in her dismal life.
Then a woman stood up and said, "Roger Ebert would like to ask a question." There across the room sat the famed film critic, his appearance visibly ravaged by his battle with thyroid cancer. Unable to speak, Ebert's question was read out to Oprah's panel.
Oprah's "Precious" was an inspiration for this TIFF audience.
So, too, was the sight of undaunted reporter Ebert busy at his job.
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