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Toronto International Film Festival 2009

September 19, 2009 | 5:35 pm

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The Tastemakers’ Lounge: generous to the famous

Swagger: Kat Denning at the Tastemakers' Lounge (Photo courtesy of Rok-It PR)

Where’s a TIFF-goer to head for a semblance of home when they are miles before sleep? To the Tastemakers Lounge, of course. In its tenth year at the InterContinental, the gifting suite to the stars has gotten comfortable, feeling more like a super-yuppie condo than swag showroom.

Upon entrance to the airy, livable room, things soothed and wafted: neutral decor by Croma Design and PC Home, faintly spiced almonds mingling with inoffensive fragrances from D&G (most popular? L’Imperatrice; it translates to “The Star”). Box sets of AMC shows Mad Men and Breaking Bad went over big with the cast of Defendor—Woody Harrelson and Kat Dennings—while bamboo tees by Guats went out on the backs of Colin Firth and Agora’s Oscar Isaac. Ally Sheedy got good hair from a Chiggy’s Touch stylist with Rowenta tools. Amanda Schull (danced most famously in Centre Stage, now more credibly in Mao’s Last Dancer) primped with Joe Fresh Beauty. And Ben Barnes, the wasted anti-hero of Dorian Gray, can now recover with the aid of his new PC Home personal water-filter bottle.

As for us, we just wanted to steal a silky pillow for our hollowed-out heads.

Toronto International Film Festival 2009

September 19, 2009 | 2:32 pm

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Precious wins People’s Choice Award, screens free tonight

Oprah Winfrey at the premiere of Precious (Photo by Karon Liu)

You get a free screening of my movie! You get a free screening of my movie! And YOU get a free screening of my movie!

Yep, the Oprah-produced, clunkily titled Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire won the Cadillac People’s Choice Award this afternoon during a ceremony at the InterContinental Hotel Ballroom. That means that anyone can turn up for a free screening of the film tonight at 9 p.m. at the Visa Screening Room, right after the closing gala, The Young Victoria.

Toronto International Film Festival 2009

September 15, 2009 | 5:09 pm

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Danny Glover is a no-show at the Down For Life party

Why is it, again, that our city is nicknamed Toronto the Good? Because based on everything we’ve seen so far at TIFF, we’re officially petitioning to rename this town Toronto the Trying To Get Laid.

We’ve already dished on the short-skirted antics of 20-something girls in star-studded Yorkville. But things got even more desperate at the decidedly un-star-studded Down For Life opening night party at Maro supper club last Saturday. From the hairspray-intensive preening sesh going on in the women’s washroom to the two ladies in Saran wrap-like outfits (they stationed themselves around the corner from the red carpet entrance and teetered crazily on their high heels, spying on anyone and everyone coming in the door), the whole night was downright libidinous. And yet, not a single person we asked knew what film the party was celebrating. Well done, Hogtown.

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The Dish

Bottoms Up Toronto International Film Festival 2009

August 18, 2009 | 4:06 pm

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TIFF turf wars: eTalk and ET Canada have started to mark their territory and announce parties

Park party: ET Canada's TIFF HQ is moving from Casa Loma to a Hazelton Hotel–adjacent parking structure

Broadcast stations are starting to claim their territory for the 10 days of TIFF, mostly setting up headquarters from where they will navigate the circus of galas, schmoozing, parties and possible Oprah sightings.

The folks at ET Canada, Global’s major entertainment show, have claimed a parking lot rooftop in Yorkville, directly across from the Hazelton Hotel, where all of the show’s interviews will be held. A temporary floor is being installed, and the space is being decorated completely in white and accented with crystal chandeliers and an elevated DJ booth. The location is quite a departure from ET Canada’s Casa Loma headquarters in 2007 and 2008—it’s a smart move from a logistical standpoint (Austin Terrace isn’t exactly party central) but could potentially take the grandeur down a notch.

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

May 22, 2009 | 4:23 pm

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The InterContinental’s SkyLounge patio is now open (and serving a recession-busting grill menu)

Hot off the grill: steak burgers, chorizo hotdogs and pulled pork sammies (Photo by Karon Liu)

When the publicist said the biggest name who had RSVP’d for the InterContinental’s SkyLounge patio opening last night was Rick Campenelli, we expected it to be a long evening—especially when said ET Canada host failed to show up.

No matter. The shindig gave us (along with a bevy of networking industry types and unnaturally tanned, unnaturally blonde recession/fashion/style-istas) the opportunity to sample the TIFF hotspot’s new recession-friendly Thursday grill menu.

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

May 4, 2009 | 1:50 pm

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Where to eat: Mother’s Day brunch 2009

Deliciously forgiving (Photo by mattscoggin)

Mother’s Day is that one special Sunday when sons and daughters take their beloved parent to a lovely restaurant in the hope that she’ll feel loved, absorb their appreciation, and maybe forgive them for any childhood misdeeds. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best places in Toronto to treat a matriarch, organized by the severity of offences committed.

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The Dish

Weekly Lunch Pick

February 9, 2009 | 4:34 pm

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Weekly lunch pick: Signatures

Signatures' Crunch Lunch chicken club (Photo by Matthew Fox)

The second pick in our weekly search for Toronto’s standout lunch deals is the Crunch Lunch promotion at Signatures restaurant in the InterContinental Hotel Yorkville. The meal promises gourmet taste in under an hour for $20, but does it deliver? Read the review here.

Peanut Gallery

September 15, 2008 | 4:51 pm

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THE BEST & WORST OF TIFF ’08: Our Scene & Herd reporters list their most desperate moments, most exciting celebrity encounters and most hostile starlet

Most unexpected confession from a celebrity: “I mean, I have sex…and my sex is very, very boring. Very sloppy. I mean, I’m a total bottom and don’t get up on top,” said Kevin Smith, director of Zack and Miri Make a Porno.

Most frustrating “look but don’t touch” moment: The cake buffet at the Holt Renfrew bash was for your eyes only. And once, Brad Pitt was 20 feet away, giving us a raised-eyebrow stare-down, but he remained totally off limits. Many more best and worsts, after the jump.

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This Just In

September 9, 2008 | 10:22 am

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Danny Glover makes a splash at InterContinental

Danny Glover reportedly arrived at the InterContinental on Saturday wearing a wetsuit underneath his real suit. The Blindness star is apparently a fish at heart, and following his hectic day of press was relieved to rip off his outer layer and dive into the InterContinental pool.—Jen McNeely

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Stargazing

September 8, 2008 | 12:20 pm

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A peek inside Kate Hudson’s swag bag

Though we can’t imagine Kate Hudson getting as excited for swag as Michael Scott did when he went to the office supplies convention in The Office, perhaps her son, four-year-old Ryder, will be. Baby fever headlines have allowed family wholesomeness to infiltrate even the swanky Tastemakers Lounge at the InterContinental (which has outfitted Canadian stars Joris Jarsky and Kristin Booth). For this TIFF, swag givers are keeping guests’ kids in mind when assembling gift baskets. Joe Fresh Style put together outfits for Hudson’s son, Julianne Moore’s kids, all of Brad Pitt’s six (and counting) children, and Guy Ritchie’s brood (Lourdes, Rocco and David).

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The InterContinental pours an awfully strong Benicio del Toro

If you’re a mere mortal camped outside the revolving doors at theInterContinental, you may be wondering what it’s like inside. Well, we’re not gonna lie (even if the most famous person we saw there this afternoon was Rick Campanelli): it’s pretty great. The staff is polite, the floors are shiny and it smells like lavender.

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More venues approved for extended liquor licences

On Wednesday, we reported on nine venues that have been given permission to serve booze until 4 a.m. during the film festival. Over the last two days, many more have been granted the special licence. Here’s the full updated list, just in time for the weekend.

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The modern-day rickshaw will spirit celebrities away from feral fans

Perhaps it’s because David Suzuki has been wagging his finger at us all year, or maybe it’s because the world as we know it is doomed, but in TIFF’s 33rd year, we are spotting flashes of green between the red carpets.

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Where to get a drink after 2 a.m.

Many of the city’s swankiest bars and clubs are jockeying for extended liquor licences, which will allow them to serve until 4 a.m. during festival week. An extended licence is a golden ticket to a mention in the next day’s gossip columns, given that it herds A-listers and their entourages through the doors.

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Industry Standard

September 3, 2008 | 9:33 am

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Inside the InterContinental Hotel: deep in the trenches of TIFF, where publicists, celebrities and journalists collide

The celebs may rest their weary heads at the Four Seasons, but in the daytime they are marched through Yorkville by irate L.A. agents and no-bull Toronto publicists to endless media interviews at the InterContinental Hotel. Once hidden behind closed hotel room doors, the famous begin an onslaught of demands and exasperated complaints: • “I’m parched like an overworked mule, and I am experiencing tingling on my entire left side!” • “Don’t you have a vegan menu? I’m lactose intolerant.” • “Is there no way we can make this room feel less like a prostitute’s lair?”

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