Having survived the insane crowds and pure bedlam of the eTalk party, we appreciated the smooth escalator ride down into the Holts Diner and the simple arm gesture required to obtain an Irreverent Grey Goose cocktail. Holts as we know it was unrecognizable, transformed into a classic ’50s-style diner with old-school booths, ice cream sundaes and retro posters of pin-up babes. We went from rubbing shoulders with 905er Tanya Kim clones to rubbing shoulders with strangers from a Norman Rockwell painting. The Rosedale brood and prosperous bohemians stood in huddles, chatting with their backs to the crowd. When Brooklyn-based MGMT took to the stage—all band members carrying stuffed dogs (don’t ask, we didn’t)—the pretty hipsters zoomed in to rock out. Toronto’s creative elite was represented by The Hills After Show co-host Dan Levy, producers Robert and Ari Lantos, The Hour’s George Stroumboulopoulos, hip-hop artist K-OS, Drake Hotel owner Jeff Stober, Amber bar owner Toufik Sarwa and Queen West cool kids Fritz Helder and the Phantoms. Actor Sophia Bush, D Squared, Grace Park (a.k.a. Boomer from Battlestar Gallactica), Jeremy Piven and Gael Garcia Bernal made the A-list—but that didn’t mean they could butt into the washroom line. The steamy Blindness star was stuck in a 20-minute queue for the one downstairs facility, like some regular pedestrian with a troubled bladder. He appeared to take it all in stride. The party, all in all, was a swank and successful piss-up.—Jen McNeely“
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