The streets of Hollywood must have been a dull place for the last 10 days. No one was there, at least no one worth photographing.
The stars have been in Hollywood North, a.k.a. Toronto. The city was booming with the activity of the Toronto International Film Festival. Star sightings, movie premieres, and parties galore have been the running theme.
Last Saturday afternoon Jessica Vigars, who lives just outside Yorkvillle, the hub of celebrity activity, was on her way home and talking to her roommate on the phone when she heard the screams.
"I think I just saw Brad Pitt," she yelled over the high-pitched screams.
Sometimes it's easier to see the stars on the streets than it is at the exclusive VIP parties. Holt Renfrew's annual gala event was full of fantastic fashion, but the big names seemed to be missing. In truth they weren't missing, they were just hiding behind a thick red velvet curtain.
The elusive Sean Penn was in the main room for a cool 20 minutes before he slipped into the hidden one. Even the event's host, Sienna Miller, made just a brief appearance with the common folk before she entered the secret room.
Some stars are easier to get to than others. Reese Witherspoon pulled the old one-two switch on paparazzi. The black SUV she was thought to be in pulled in front of The Fifth restaurant last Tuesday with no one in it. She quickly slipped in undetected by the confused photographers.
But Mexican heartthrobs Diego Luna and Gael Garc�a Bernal were not so stealthy in their entry and exit tactics.
Garc�a Bernal and Luna were catapulted into the spotlight after the success of their 2001 film "Y tu mam� tambi�n", which made its debut at TIFF in 2001.
Luna walked into the ScotiaBank Theatre last Wednesday night among the other moviegoers. He was more than happy to smile and say hello to those that recognized him.
Later that night he and Garc�a Bernal sat among the audience to watch the screening of Garc�a Bernal's directorial debut "D�ficit." Luna was also an executive producer on the film.
Celebrities often refer to TIFF as a favourite festival because they can choose whether to see and be seen or not. But there is more to TIFF than the glitz and glamour of celebrities. TIFF is a celebration of film. Three-hundred-forty-nine films from 55 different countries were shown over the 10 days, and over 340, 000 tickets were sold.
It is all comes to a close today but not before the city had its businesses had a chance to benefit from the approximately $60 million of revenue TIFF brings in.
Bistro 990 has been a TIFF host for 20 of the 32 years the festival has been running. The service, food and discretion of the staff, has made it a favourite stop for many of Toronto's visiting celebrities.
"Everyday someone famous is here, one of the big days was when Sienna Miller, Helen Hunt and Tom Bosley were here. But the girls really loved Viggo Mortensen, loved him to bits. The servers even got star struck, but he's such a sweet guy," said general manager Fernando Temudo.
Bistro 990 does anywhere between eight to 12 per cent of its annual business during TIFF.
"I'd say we've have over 5,000 people come through the restaurant in the last 10 days," said Temudo.
But not all money goes to businesses in Toronto when TIFF is in full swing. Colin Farrell showed Toronto that celebrities have hearts too. He took a homeless man he met four years ago to an outdoor sporting goods store, bought him over $2,000 worth of goods, and then took him to an ATM and gave him enough cash to cover the first and last month's rent for a room.
But if you didn't get a chance to spot some stars during TIFF, don't fret. There is a reason Toronto is called Hollywood North. At any given time, movies being shot here. There are 11 right now, so keep your eyes peeled.
With a report from CTV's Scott Laurie
