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Toronto Life - The Wire

The comprehensive index of every blog post, magazine story and restaurant review that appears on Torontolife.com

All stories by Lia Grainger

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Wherein we get the story behind the rogue autograph-seeker at the Madonna press conference

Madonna walks the red carpet at TIFF 2011 (Image: Christopher Drost)

The rumour mill has been constantly churning regarding the Material Girl’s behavior at TIFF, ever since a rogue fan somehow broke into her press conference last week and asked for her John Hancock (not to mention that whole mess around Madge telling a group of TIFF volunteers to turn their backs to the wall as she passed by). We have the real story (hint: the autograph seeker wasn’t the orange-clad volunteer she pretended to be) after the jump.

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Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now? wins the Cadillac People’s Choice Award—but will it be Oscar bait?

(Image: Christopher Drost)

And that’s a wrap.

The official closing ceremony for the 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival took place at the Four Seasons Hotel yesterday. TIFF 2011 co-directors Cameron Bailey and Piers Handling hosted the affair, and the attendees sipped mimosas and munched on egg souffle, spinach-and-flower petal salad, roast potatoes and crème brûlée (note: festival food is yum). Where Do We Go Now?, a dramatic comedy set in war-torn Lebanon that follows the lives of several women trying to keep their husbands out of the conflict, received the Cadillac People’s Choice Award, which in past years has been a sign of Oscar-y things to come (but we’re not so sure about this one). The Cadillac People’s Choice Documentary Award went to Jon Shenk’s political documentary The Island President and Gareth Evans took home the Cadillac People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award for The Raid.

Full list of winners here.

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Maggie Gyllenhaal talks about the female experience at the press conference for Hysteria

The press conference for Hysteria, which chronicles the invention of the vibrator, elicited giggles, guffaws, awkward pauses and perhaps even a gleeful sense of empowerment for many of the women in the room. Director Tanya Wexler sounded raspy, and she noted the irony in the fact that the director of a film about female empowerment had lost her voice. “What were you doing down there?” was a common inquiry of actors Hugh Dancy and Jonathan Pryce, who play the doctors who must pleasure women to relieve them of their “hysteria.” Dancy’s curt answer: “Acting.” Pryce revealed that he got a stress injury in his hand and lost the skin on a finger from all of the rubbing, and that he wasn’t touching an actual woman but rather a “modesty sandbag.” Dancy also revealed he visited a sex museum in Shanghai in preparation for the role. “You really had to take their word [that the artifact was a sex toy]. You look at it and think, that’s just a rock.”

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: James Gandolfini, Saoirse Ronan and Alexis Bledel on the red carpet for the gala presentation of Violet and Daisy

When James Gandolfini walks the red carpet, he does so like Tony Soprano: he gets in, gets the job done and gets out (but he still makes his presence felt—when an older woman asked for a photo, he responded, “Get in here, Momma!”). Also making their presence felt as they walked the red carpet for Violet and Daisy were a pair of young starlets—Saoirse Ronan and Alexis Bledel—who play teenage assassins in the film. The duo complemented each other splendidly—Ronan in a seafoam knee-length pleated dress and Bledel in a black and gold number strangely reminiscent of a ’70s Star Trek uniform (we still think it worked).

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy on the red carpet for the gala presentation of Hysteria

Considering Hysteria is a film about vibrators, the premiere’s red carpet last night at Roy Thompson Hall was a surprisingly modest affair. Director Tanya Wexler appeared uncomfortable in front of the cameras and was rushed inside without signing any autographs (although she did wave to fans, yelling, “Hi Canada!” and “Sorry” as her PR people ushered her out of the spotlight). Hugh Dancy, whose immaculate beard has been getting rave reviews, arrived with a smile. Jonathan Pryce gave one of the most dignified and professional red carpet performances we’ve seen so far at the festival, gazing directly into each camera and laughing it off when a cheeky photographer accidentally called him “Vincent.” Then, of course, there was Maggie Gyllenhaal, elegantly dressed head to toe in white. She did have to be prompted to remove a long black blazer, but in her defense it was freezing. Under the shining spotlights of CityTV’s cameras, subtle streaks of grey were visible in her up-do. Gyllenhaal lets her greys show! She’s the real deal, and we love her for it. See our photo gallery, after the jump.

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Nicolas Cage has the assembled media eating out of his hand at the press conference for Joel Schumacher’s Trespass

When Nicolas Cage is in the room, it’s impossible to look anywhere else (really). From the moment he sat down, answering questions about Joel Schumacher’s Trespass with a degree of intensity and thoughtfulness that we’re sure surprised many, all eyes were fixed on the actor. He delivered lines from the film in character, did his best impression of Werner Herzog and playfully shared the story the film is predicated upon: “I woke up and there was a naked man wearing my leather jacket and eating a Fudgsicle at the foot of my bed. It sounds funny, but it wasn’t.”

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Jennifer Garner and Olivia Wilde walk the red carpet for Butter

The gala presentation of Butter at Roy Thomson Hall last night was all about the ladies. Little Yara Shahidi kicked off the proceeds at the most packed and frenetic red carpet since Madge walked here on Monday, and she was downright adorable, giggling at the barrage of flashes and the demands of fans who claimed to have been lining the barricades since 5 a.m. Ashley Greene came next in a swish knee-length silver number, but was—dare we say it—outshone by Olivia Wilde, who was stunning in a floor-length white and gold gown (we’re not sure if it was intentional, but she did appear to be channelling Diane Krugers character in Troy). The only fellas worth mentioning at this affair were director Jim Field Smith and writer Jason Micallef. Sadly, Hugh Jackman couldn’t make it to the Big Smoke for this year’s festival, but Alicia Silverstone helped make up for it, although we figure it must be annoying to still be signing eight-by-10s of herself as Cher Horowitz from Clueless. Of course, Jennifer Garner also graced the red carpet, sporting two of this year’s most popular accessories: epically high heels and a baby bump. See our photo gallery, after the jump.

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Adam Brody, Greta Gerwig and Analeigh Tipton join Whit Stillman at the red carpet for Damsels in Distress

Adam Brody, Greta Gerwig, Analeigh Tipton and Carrie MacLemore on the red carpet for Whit Stillman’s new film (Image: Lia Grainger)

The wind whipping down Yonge Street yesterday afternoon wreaked havoc on the hemlines of the Damsels in Distress ladies, in the most delightful way. Carrie MacLemore was the first to arrive, her flouncy grey knee-length frock bouncing in the breeze, and seemed quite tickled to be walking the carpet for her feature film debut. Mumblecore queen Greta Gerwig strolled by in black and didn’t pose for a single solo shot (earning a few enemies in the photo pit) while a very slender Analeigh Tipton playfully blew kisses at the cameras in a long, sheer number. Adam Brody cut a dashing figure in a skinny black suit with a matching tie and curls, and the man of the hour, director Whit Stillman—this is his first film since The Last Days of Disco in 1998—played down the buzz by posing only briefly for a group photo. But if anything says a film is one to watch, it’s the arrival of Roger Ebert and his wife Chaz at the premiere. Ebert, who has undergone many serious surgeries for thyroid cancer over the past decade, seemed in good spirits, smiling for photographers, who for once didn’t yell for eye contact, but rather whispered hushed thank-yous to the legendary critic.

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick at the 50/50 red carpet gala

He may have been conspicuously absent from the 50/50 press conference yesterday afternoon (apparently, he was stuck in traffic on the way from the airport), but Joseph Gordon-Levitt was all smiles and trademark squints at the film’s red carpet presentation at Ryerson Theatre later that evening. Director Jonathan Levine took his time in front of the cameras, instructing photographers to “make me look good, I need a good shot for my IMDB.” Writer Will Reiser brought his mom, and Bryce Dallas Howard wore a long, flowing blue and white number over a very pregnant belly (yes, she was glowing). Seth Rogen and fiancée Lauren Miller were adorable together, even kissing in front of the TIFF backdrop. And Anna Kendrick is just the tiniest most adorable little pixie of a thing. In a poofy turquoise frock and absurdly high heels, she tottered back and forth signing autographs for fans, charming the pants off of just about everyone. Finally, and inexplicably, came…Kathy Griffin? Perhaps she trying to bring her life on the D-list up to an A, or at least a B+. See our photo gallery, after the jump.

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: the Ten Year red carpet gala features a lot of pretty young things posing for the camera

We learned something last night at the gala presentation for Ten Year at the Ryerson Theatre: ensemble cast movies about high school reunions deliver very crowded red carpets. Shining young face after shining young face glided by, stopping only briefly to do some intense posing. Seriously, these guys were posers. Cast member Beth Whitson came first. She’s modelled for Vogue, and in an elegant floor-length gown she looked like, well, a Vogue model. She was followed by Kelly Noonan (note: saucy neckline) and director Jamie Linden. Scott Porter dressed like he was coming straight from class, and Aaron Yoo spiced things up with a plaid shirt and vest combo. And oh, look at Oscar Isaac: that hair, those eyes, that…velour blazer? Ari Graynor went a tad overboard with the whole pouting for the camera thing. Then, finally, the (sort of) big guns: Jenna Dewan-Tatum, wife to Channing, strolled by in fuchsia, followed by Max Minghella in his second carpet appearance of the festival (he’s also in The Ides of March). We barely noticed Kate Mara, but only because Channing Tatum was hot on her heels, eliciting shrill shrieks from the audience. Last but not least came Justin Long, whom you may recognize as a Mac (not a PC). See our photo gallery, after the jump.

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Seth Rogen, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anna Kendrick at the 50/50 press conference

The unmistakable and infectious chuckle of Seth Rogen could be heard from backstage a full 10 minutes before yesterday’s press conference for 50/50 began, and it didn’t stop until the show was over a half hour later. We can say this of Rogen: he’s a happy guy. Though he kept the laughs coming, we’ve noticed that he’s had zero tolerance for superficial questions throughout the festival. He refused to respond to an inquiry about his beauty regime in the Take This Waltz presser on Sunday, and he excused Anna Kendrick and Bryce Dallas Howard from answering an admittedly patronizing question about pickup lines. Writer Will Reiser, on whose battle with cancer the film is based, admitted it was tricky walking the fine line between humour and tragedy, and Rogen agreed: “It might be our goal to make jokes that offend some people, but not all people,” he said. Seeing as the flick includes a scene in which Joseph Gordon-Levitt uses cancer to pick up chicks, we think it’s safe to say, “Mission accomplished.” See our photo gallery, after the jump.

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Ethan Hawke—and, yes, Dave Matthews—at The Woman in the Fifth red carpet

The absence of Kristin Scott Thomas from the gala presentation of The Woman in the Fifth made for a pretty thin red carpet at the Winter Garden Theatre yesterday evening. Thankfully, Ethan Hawke showed his handsomely creased faced—and for some reason Dave Matthews got in on the action here too, even posing for a photo with Hawke and director Pawel Pawlikowski. This isn’t the first unexplained TIFF red carpet appearance for Matthews—he’s already flashed his pearly whites at the opening of The Ides of March and a number of exclusive parties. We still don’t know why exactly he’s in town, but he appears to be having a rollicking good time. See our photo gallery, after the jump.

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Rachel Weisz looks gorgeous on the red carpet for The Deep Blue Sea

The Brits took to the red carpet at the TIFF Bell Lightbox yesterday for the gala presentation of The Deep Blue Sea. Director Terence Davies seemed quite tickled by the attention, but got discombobulated by the camera flashes, exclaiming, “I’m frightened!” Tom Hiddleston was dashing in classic black and sported unusually dark locks to match the look. He seemed genuinely surprised when a chunk of fans shouted in unison: “We love you, Tom!” And Rachel, ah, Rachel. With her dark curls tumbling loosely over bare white shoulders, what can we say about Rachel Weisz other than simply stunning? See our photo gallery, after the jump.

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Gerard Butler delights his fans with ridiculous antics at the Machine Gun Preacher red carpet gala

The premiere of Machine Gun Preacher yesterday at Roy Thomson Hall turned out to be a roisterous affair, as Gerard Butler pulled out all the stops to please fans and press alike. Michael Shannon and Michelle Monaghan’s arrival naturally elicited its fair share of shrieks from the crowd, but the fans totally lost it when Butler emerged from a Cadillac SUV (which he promptly jumped upon before running the length of the partition, offering high fives for all). Before Butler there was Sam Childers, the man on whose incredible life the film is based, sporting a Harley Davidson jacket, a killer ’stache and a steely gaze that silenced even the most gregarious photographers. Young Madeline Carroll was an absolute charmer, wearing some of the hottest shoes at the festival so far, and director Marc Forster played it cool, rocking the classic hipster uniform: a hoodie under a blazer and Chuck Taylor kicks. Chris Cornell was there too (for some reason). Weird. See our photo gallery, after the jump.

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Francis Ford Coppola and Val Kilmer (and Val Kilmer’s hair) at the red carpet gala for Twixt

Sometimes it can be a touch awkward when a man used to being behind the camera gets out in front of it. Case in point: Francis Ford Coppola at the premiere of Twixt yesterday afternoon. Luckily for the legendary director, Val Kilmer’s hair—it’s long and streaked and generally not good—took some of the pressure off. Remember when Kilmer was hot? We know Tom Cruise, for one, sure does. See our gallery, after the jump.

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