We would have expected the Vanity Fair party, at the Hazelton Hotel’s One, to be ripe with top-tier talent but instead there was only a white-haired Graydon Carter, the Canadian editor-in-chief of the magazine, and bushy eyebrowed Michael Budman, founder of Roots. Tweets tell us that Amy Poehler was there earlier. The DJ had an impressive set list but everyone was too blasé or depleted to dance. Most impressive part of the event? A 15-litre bottle of Moet and Chandon chilling on ice.
Read the rest of this entry »
The comprehensive index of every blog post, magazine story and restaurant review that appears on Torontolife.com
All stories relating to Park Hyatt
TIFF weekend round-up: the top 10 stories from the Toronto International Film Festival, September 11 to 13
Photo by Karon Liu
1. We chat with George Clooney at the Men Who Stare at Goats after party on the Bridle Path
2. Jennifer Connelly is torn apart by bigwig exec but exacts her revenge flawlessly
3. Of all places: was George Clooney dining at Jack Astor’s?
4. Michael Douglas watches sports more than movies; is not a fan of ‘MyFace’ or Twitter
6. Q&A with Hugh Hefner: the patron saint of Viagra is featured in a new Canadian documentary
7. “Anti-TIFF” party at Lo’La delivers old-time Hollywood with flair
8. Mena Suvari spent most of the Vitamin Water party playing with goats
We don’t care about the young folks: the Park Hyatt is overrun with stargazing 20-somethings
Bored of the dance: many seemed exasperated with the deluge of short-skirted 20-somethings in Yorkville (Photo by Jen McNeely)
Did Gossip Girl put out an APB directing all 19-year-old girls from the GTA to the Park Hyatt roof? The hotel has been so inundated with stargazers that metal fences are required to block the driveway at night and elevators are crammed with intoxicated 20-somethings vying for a lewd stare from any Hollywood hunk. We managed to squeeze through the human wall (thanks to National Post’s Shinan Govani) and bypass the party crashers to get a glimpse of the hoopla at the Hyatt’s Nikki Beach. Drew Barrymore was sitting pretty on the patio, but a somewhat stunned Elijah Wood was seemingly scared off by the masses of miniskirts and lipstick-stained teeth.
Read the rest of this entry »
Getting a TIFF drink: a complete list of establishments open until 4 a.m. during the film festival
Drake of dawn: the Queen Street hotel is one of many spots open until 4 a.m.
Stalking celebs at TIFF takes a lot out of us—and, we imagine, avoiding us takes a lot out of celebs. The best way to soothe those festival blues or celebrate festival triumphs is with a few cocktails around dawn. Luckily, more bars than ever are serving late this year.
Why so many licences this year? David Brown, bar manager at the Drake Hotel, posits a theory: “The economy is a little tight in general, regardless of what the Bank of Canada says. Giving licences earlier is a benefit to the city and businesses.” He notes that the crowd typically thins out a bit around 2 a.m., with a fresh round of TIFFers coming in around 2:30 a.m. Richard Lambert, owner of The Social, echoes Brown’s sentiment: “We will see a good turnover in the crowds, with a second wave coming around 1:30.” Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
The sweetest thing: Where to get dessert late
For night owls with sweet teeth (Photo by 3liz4)
Toronto sometimes seems short on late-night noshables, but some of the city’s restaurants serve dessert well into the wee hours. After the jump, our compendium of places that can satisfy a sweet tooth after 11 p.m.
Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Conga line at Park Hyatt goes absolutely nowhere (or, come back, celebrities, we miss you already)
“Where are we going?” said the messy conga line on the Park Hyatt rooftop last night. The response? “Where aren’t we going!” Apparently, someone in the financial district got wind that there was a festival happening in Toronto—who knew?—and brought all their broker buddies to the top of the Hyatt to hang with the celebrities. The minute the celebs left, the classiest joint in town reverted to a deteriorating Copacabana of bottom feeders who thought they had dodged security and made it to the VIP. After the jump, our sad, hilarious collisions with two of them.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Wrestler after party: Marilyn falls, Weinstein bustles, Aniston disappoints
The Park Hyatt rooftop was crammed on Sunday night for The Wrestler after party. Again, barrelling through the scene was broad-shouldered Harvey Weinstein. Hey, Harv: just because it’s The Wrestler doesn’t mean you have to be so aggressive! Bad boy Sean Penn accompanied his wife, Robin Wright Penn. They were joined by No Country for Old Men’s Josh Brolin and Jennifer Aniston, whose reviews in Management are just so-so. Looks like over-sensitive and bubbly Rachel was your calling, honey, ’cause we haven’t been impressed with anything since your fab mid-’90s haircut. Although Evan Rachel Wood, who will forever be 13 in our mind, was loitering in the lobby, we did not see her when boyfriend (and, yes, that still makes us choke) Marilyn Manson was falling against, and sliding down, a wall. He’s just too skinny. Maybe if he hadn’t removed his rib cage he might be able to sustain a night of heavy drinking like The Wrestler star Mickey Rourke. That said, perhaps not—Rourke did get mighty sauced at TIFF ’02 at the Bovine Sex Club, where, following some naughty lap dances, he reportedly dropped his pants. When is someone going to make a film about celebrities behaving badly at a festival, Mr. Weinstein? That’s your cue.—Jen McNeely
Read the rest of this entry »
Hoffman, Kaufman and Keener drink up at The Drake
Although the Park Hyatt rooftop is a “secret” retreat for A-listers, they have, apparently, been flocking west for late-night revelry. Seen last night at the Drake Hotel were Charlie Kaufman, Catherine Keener and Philip Seymour Hoffman—no doubt a more civilized meeting of the minds than the hussies who wailed at Paris Hilton down the street at Ultra Supper Club. Maybe Paris’s hair smells better, but we want to pick the minds of Hoffman and Kaufman forever.—Jen McNeely
Read the rest of this entry »
Ultra Supper Club may welcome Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke and Amanda Peet this Wednesday
Mark Ruffalo was spotted checking into the Park Hyatt at about 8:45 Thursday night. He was as short and soulfully handsome as expected. Ruffalo is at TIFF for three movies: Blindness, The Brothers Bloom and What Doesn’t Kill You—in the latter, he co-stars with Ethan Hawke as “two part-time bad guys trying to negotiate petty gigs.” The after party for What Doesn’t Kill You is on Wednesday at Ultra Supper Club. Hawke’s attendance is confirmed, and we hear that Ruffalo just might follow. Amanda Peet, their blue-eyed, still-so-hot-at-36 bombshell co-star, is also rumoured to be on the VIP guest list. —Melita Kuburas
Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
Where Viggo and Brad are sleeping tonight
The A-list quotient just went up in Yorkville: Viggo Mortensen checked into the Park Hyatt last night, and Brad Pitt arrives there this afternoon—sans Angelina, who is rumoured to be staying home to mind their flock. Rachel Getting Married star Anne Hathaway touches down at the Hyatt this evening, scoring a celebrity hat trick for the posh downtown hotel.
Read the rest of this entry »
Day one dawns in Yorkville
Empty tables at Sassafraz—this won’t last long. Admittedly, we were jogging through Yorkville at dawn this morning when we took this picture. Why dawn? There is no better time to count the cube vans (two at the Four Seasons unloading bars and tables for an unknown shindig) and security guys (two outside the eTalk tent at Avenue and Cumberland), and scope out the perfect perch for Park Hyatt snooping (if we told you, we’d have to kill you).—Katy P“
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
