
November 2, TIFF Lightbox. It’s not often that royalty comes to town (not that we’re bitter, Will and Kate). So when Prince Albert Grimaldi, ruler of Monaco, arrived with his new wife, the South African former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock, Toronto’s peerage class got all dolled up. The couple was here for the launch of Grace Kelly: From Movie Star to Princess, a TIFF exhibit celebrating Prince Albert’s late mom. They toured the exhibit, then repaired to the VIP room, where the prince downed brewskis and the press-shy Wittstock, understated in Dior, chatted quietly with the much less understated Suzannes (Boyd and Rogers). Though the royals departed around 8:30, the rest of the party hit the dance floor to the grooves of a live Motown band, energized as they were by their brush with nobility—the champagne-soaked jelly desserts didn’t hurt, either.
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Camera: Toronto’s peerage class gets dolled up for a royal visit at the TIFF Lightbox
Camera: the $1,500-a-plate fundraiser celebrating the new Marc Chagall exhibit at the AGO

(Image: George Pimentel Photography)
October 15, AGO. If ever there were an event to rouse the city’s tastemaking, power-brokering elite, the $1,500-a-plate fundraiser celebrating the new Marc Chagall exhibit at the AGO was it. Outside, at least nine valets parked Beemers and Bentleys. Inside, ladies dazzled in sequins and feathers while men toed the sartorial line in black tuxedos. Bottles of Stolichnaya took the place of centrepieces, so the crowd was well lubricated by the time the event’s honorary chair, Norman Jewison, rose to speak about the painting (titled The Fiddler) that he donated to the exhibit. He told the story of how he purchased the work at an auction in London, a rollicking tale that involved an overzealous cab driver and a spot-on Cockney accent. When he received a standing ovation, he seemed touched, but astutely credited the Stoli shots for loosening his tongue and the crowd. Read the rest of this entry »
The Loaded List: we catalogue the astronomical salaries of Toronto’s ruling class

It’s not particularly polite to ask rich people what they earn. But tact is overrated, and we wanted to know, so we asked anyway. When they told us to get lost, we got sneaky. We dug up disclosure documents, annual reports and the tax filings of charitable organizations. When those trails went dry, we surveyed industry insiders who know what other people make—headhunters and consultants and analysts and colleagues—and asked for an educated guess. After hundreds of calls and emails and deep-throat meetings in dark alleys, we phoned the high earners back and told them what we found. Again, with feeling, they told us to piss off.
What follows is our shamelessly gawking, as-precise-as-possible examination of the highest-paid people in the city’s top industries. When the information was available, we included bonuses and perks and, in some cases, exercised stock options. Our findings verified that a high earner in finance is almost always on a different plane (a private jet, usually) than a high earner in, for example, the lowly arts. One major discovery: Heather Reisman took a pay cut. One truth reconfirmed: no matter how rich you are, there’s always someone who makes a helluva lot more.
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VIEW BY INDUSTRY » GOLD ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT FUND MANAGERS SPORTS SHOP OWNERS MEDIA LANDLORDS BAY STREET PUBLIC SERVANTS
VIEW BY SALARY » SEE 69 OF THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE CITY’S TOP INDUSTRIES, SORTED BY SALARY FROM HIGHEST TO LOWEST
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.
Festival Music House’s second night is a bluesy, country, rock ’n’ roll affair, with Sam Roberts and more
Yesterday we gave you a play by play of night one at Festival Music House, and last night we were back, ogling the good-looking crowd and dancing to the incredible bands. While night one drew limited numbers until K’naan’s headlining set, night two filled the house early. Perhaps it was the promise of the open bar that drew media and industry patrons to Mod Club last night, but most likely it was the killer Canadian lineup: performing last night were Whitehorse, Ladies of the Canyon, Lights, The Sheepdogs (who recently graced the cover of Rolling Stone, becoming the first unsigned band ever to do so) and the Sam Roberts Band. Check out who was there and how well everyone performed after the jump.
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Apparently, TIFF co-director and CEO Piers Handling isn’t too excited about the state of post-9/11 cinema
We’re pretty sure most of the city is having a good time taking in the hype and hoopla surrounding the 10-day celebrity bonanza that is the Toronto International Film Festival. But apparently, TIFF co-director and CEO Piers Handling isn’t nearly as excited about the state of global cinema as the city is about the film festival. In an intriguing—and surprising—column in the Toronto Star late last week, Handling muses about whether or not the events of 9/11 will have a lasting impact on movies, film and cinema, and what that impact might be.
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Kathleen Turner got people talking at this year’s annual George Christy luncheon
Famed Hollywood reporter George Christy’s annual Four Seasons cocktail party and luncheon saw Toronto’s upper-crustiest hanging with celebs in the Avenue Bar. The ground-floor space felt a bit like a fishbowl, as passers-by leaned on the glass to ogle anyone inside. The tweenyboppers camped outside were probably disappointed that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez didn’t attend, but we did see Kathleen Turner, Geoffrey Rush, directors Norman Jewison and Atom Egoyan, TIFF co-president Piers Handling, Gina Gershon, and the Mulroney family (including Brian—it’s like this year’s TIFF is a prime minister paradise as Stephen Harper has also been spotted around town—his wife Mila, son Ben, and Ben’s twin boys. Guests argued over Turner’s best film role—some thought it was as Joan Wilder in Romancing the Stone, while others preferred her as the matriarch to the troubled Lisbon girls in The Virgin Suicides (we still maintain her best was as Beverly Sutphin in Serial Mom) as they guzzled seemingly bottomless glasses of champagne. The heat in the narrow bar had some complaining (we heard Suzanne Boyd kvetch), but as we understand it, the best solution to a heat wave is to drink excessively, so we felt fine. Check out the scene in our gallery after the jump.
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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Olivia Newton-John, Nelly Furtado and the rest of the cast walk the red carpet at the Score gala

Actress Allie MacDonald walks the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
Reaction to the movie itself may have been mixed, but excitement was universal as TIFF kicked off with the gala premiere of Score: A Hockey Musical. We were there to catch shots of the diverse guest list: Olivia Newton-John, Nelly Furtado, Hawksley Workman and many more.
See our gallery below.
- Sportscaster Ron MacLean attends the red carpet at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- George Stroumboulopoulos, who plays an announcer in Score: A Hockey Musical, with ET Canada’s Rick Campanelli on the red carpet at the musical’s press gala at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)
- George Stroumboulopoulos, who plays an announcer in Score: A Hockey Musical, with ET Canada’s Rick Campanelli on the red carpet at the musical’s press gala at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)
- George Stroumboulopoulos, who plays an announcer in Score: A Hockey Musical, on the red carpet at the musical’s press gala at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)
- Former hockey star Theo Fleury, who has a cameo in Score: A Hockey Musical, with actor Noah Reid on the red carpet at the musical’s press gala at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)
- Jennifer Fleury and her husband, former hockey star Theo Fleury (who has a cameo in Score: A Hockey Musical), walk the red carpet at the musical’s press gala at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)
- Actress Olivia Newton-John walks the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Actress Olivia Newton-John walks the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Olivia Newton John at the Score: A Hockey Musical premiere gives her screaming fans some love (Image: Stefania Yarhi)
- Actress Olivia Newton-John and her husband, John Easterling, walk the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Olivia Newton-John’s daughter Chloe arrives at Roy Thomson Hall for the Score gala (Image: Stefania Yarhi)
- Actress Allie MacDonald walks the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Actress Allie MacDonald walks the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Actress Allie MacDonald walks the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Actress Allie MacDonald walks the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Director Michael McGowan walks the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Journalist Evan Soloman, who has a cameo in Score: A Hockey Musical, walks the red carpet with his wife, Tammy Quinn, at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for the film (Image: Karon Liu)
- Musician Hawksley Workman, who sings in the film, on the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Musician Hawksley Workman, who sings in the film, on the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Actor Noah Reid on the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Actor Noah Reid on the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Walter Gretzky, father of hockey icon Wayne, on the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Walter Gretzky, father of hockey icon Wayne, on the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Walter Gretzky, father of hockey icon Wayne, on the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey walks the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Actor Stephen McHattie walks the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Actor Stephen McHattie walks the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Actor John Pyper-Ferguson walks the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Musician John McDermott, who sings the national anthem in Score: The Hockey Musical, walks the red carpet at the film’s press gala at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)
- Cast members from Battle of the Blades pose with sportscaster Ron MacLean on the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Actor Marc Jordan with his family walk the red carpet at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Walter Gretzky, actresses Olivia Newton-John and Allie MacDonald, and lead actor Noah Reid at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical. Wayne Gretzky’s pop has a cameo in the musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Walter Gretzky, actresses Olivia Newton-John and Allie MacDonald, and lead actor Noah Reid at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical. Wayne Gretzky’s pop has a cameo in the musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Musician Nelly Furtado, who sings in the film, attends the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Musician Nelly Furtado, who sings in the film, attends the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Musicians John McDermott and Nelly Furtado, along with director Michael McGowan and others, at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore gives a speech at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- Director Michael McGowan gives a speech at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
- TIFF co-director Piers Handling at the press gala at Roy Thomson Hall for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Karon Liu)
TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Dan Aykroyd, Jason Reitman at the dedication of Reitman Square

Ivan Reitman at the Reitman Square dedication held at TIFF Bell Lightbox (Image: Sonia Recchia/Getty Images)
Yesterday wasn’t quite TIFF, but it was the perfect occasion to get some buzz for a homegrown project before the celebrities arrive. Piers Handling, Dan Aykroyd and Adam Vaughan were on hand for the dedication of Reitman Square, named after Leslie and Clara Reitman, the parents of Ivan (and grandparents of Jason), who once owned a car wash at this site. Ivan, along with his sisters Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels, donated the $22-million plot of land that now houses the Bell Lightbox.
- Director Jason Reitman, Genevieve Robert-Reitman, director/producer Ivan Reitman, Catherine Sternberg and Philip Sternberg attend the Reitman Square dedication held at TIFF Bell Lightbox just before TIFF kicks off (Image: Sonia Recchia/Getty Images)
- Susan Michaels, director Ivan Reitman and Agi Mandel attend the Reitman Square dedication held at TIFF Bell Lightbox just before TIFF kicks off (Image: Sonia Recchia/Getty Images)
- Dan Aykroyd (a.k.a. Ray Stantz) at the Reitman Square dedication held at TIFF Bell Lightbox just before TIFF kicks off (Image: Sonia Recchia/Getty Images)
- Adam Vaughan speaks at the Reitman Square dedication held at TIFF Bell Lightbox just before TIFF kicks off (Image: Sonia Recchia/Getty Images)
- Director Jason Reitman and director and CEO of TIFF Piers Handling at the Reitman Square dedication held at TIFF Bell Lightbox (Image: Sonia Recchia/Getty Images)
- Ivan Reitman at the Reitman Square dedication held at TIFF Bell Lightbox (Image: Sonia Recchia/Getty Images)
- Signs mark the new name of the urban square near the TIFF Bell Lightbox in downtown Toronto (Image: Sonia Recchia/Getty Images)
King West city block named after Reitman family
Ivan Reitman and his sisters Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels might have been a little emotional when they handed over the $22-million turf where their parents, Leslie and Clara, bought a car wash when they came to Canada after the Second World War, but the Bell Lightbox is looking swell, and to thank the family for their generosity, they’re going to get their own square.
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Quoted: the latest TIFF talk
We’ll update Quoted regularly before and during the festival. Check back often.
“Taking the Toronto Transit Commission’s whisper-quiet subways from one film festival screening to another earlier this week, a Chicagoan couldn’t help but notice that the sound levels are a major shock to the El-conditioned system. The civility is relentless in Toronto. The taxi drivers, whatever their ethnicity or whatever sort of day they’ve had, display a startling lack of aggression behind the wheel.”—critic Michael Phillips [Chicago Tribune]
“King and Queen Streets in Toronto are all by themselves reasons for the city to exist.”—Roger Ebert [Twitter]
“Do I look like Jake Gyllenhaal? If you want, I could tell you his workout regime. I had to hear about it for half an hour—half an hour I’ll never get back.”—Jay Baruchel [CBC]
“Toronto is America’s most important film festival, even though it takes place in Canada.”—Adam Dawtrey [Guardian]
“This city just gets more beautiful all the time.”—Uma Thurman [CTV]
“The reason I’m wearing this jacket is because I’m sweaty and I can’t take it off.”—Nicole Kidman at the Rabbit Hole press conference [Toronto Sun]
“Why would any kid want to come and see thousands cheer their parents? They’d rather see thousands boo their parents!”—Bruce Springsteen on the absence of his kids at his shows [Toronto Star]
“Everybody loves Jon [Hamm]. I was so attracted to him. I had to work with him because he’s so handsome.”—Ben Affleck [Toronto Star]
“TIFF’s wonderful new Bell Lightbox is one swell place to see a movie.”—Roger Ebert [Twitter]
“Each time we told Natalie [Portman] we had to push another three weeks, she’d say, ‘Another three weeks of eating carrot sticks and almonds? I am going to kill you.’”—Darren Aronofsky on filming Black Swan [Globe and Mail]
“The Toronto audience is the festival’s charm. It is smart, open-minded and eager to find the best in films that are seldom perfect but almost always have something to say.”—Michael Cieply [New York Times]
“It’s fucking great.”—Darren Aronofsky on Black Swan [Twitter]
“[Passion Play] is a movie that says, ‘You know what? I have the money to hire Mickey Rourke to play a washed-up saxophonist and Bill Murray to be a New Mexico gangster. I have the cash to have them fight over Megan Fox, who I’ll make an angel—not one of those Victoria’s Secret angels, but, like, one at a carnival freak show. What I don’t have the budget for are effects that make the wings seem real. I know they look like cartoons, but who cares?’”—critic Wesley Morris [Boston Globe]
“I’m a director. You have to do what I say.”—Paul Haggis at the Artists for Peace and Justice Party [The Hype]
“You just made me cry. You are like the Barbara Walters of ET Canada!”—Megan Fox to Rick Campanelli [National Post]
“Barney’s Version film very touching, great performances, shed tears…”—Margaret Atwood [Twitter]
“He looks so good. How old is he?”—a guest at the George Christy luncheon about Anthony Hopkins [The Hype]
“SUPER premiere was a fucking BLAST! I love you, Toronto.”—Rainn Wilson [Twitter]
“This party is so boring.”—guest at the Vanity Fair bash at The Thompson
“Canadians love piercings.”—Rainn Wilson [Twitter]
“We should go to a hip-hop club.”—Steve Nash at the CBC Hazelton Takeover party [The Hype]
“Sure, the glitz of Venice and the reclusive allure of Telluride set the stage, but Toronto is where the art-house armada gathers its fleet to prepare for the invasion of Yankee shores.”—John Lopez [Vanity Fair]
“I have celebrated my birthday here in Toronto for the last 10 years.”—Colin Firth [Hollywood Reporter]
“What do you do when Ben Affleck is in the urinal behind you? Wait and pee I guess? At least he didn’t have security in there.”—critic Mohit Rajhans [Twitter]
“We shouldn’t be making 250 feature films in this country. I don’t think it can sustain. Where are those films going? I mean, are they just home movie productions done on credit cards?”—TIFF co-director Piers Handling [Toronto Star]
“I still send out scripts and get back the response ‘too Canadian,’ though I’m not exactly sure what that means.”—Canadian producer Christine Haebler [Globe and Mail]
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TIFF announces 50 films starring awesome famous people who might come to Toronto

Robin Wright, shown here at TIFF last year, stars in Robert Redford's The Conspirator (Image: James Helmer)
Today’s edition of TIFF celebrity stalking is a little meatier, as co-directors Piers Handling and Cameron Bailey announced 50 films (15 galas, 35 special presentations, including 25 world premieres) and the whackitude of celebrities associated with them. We’ve got two Friends (Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer), the Gilmore Girls (Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel), the Mad Men man himself (Jon Hamm), Office favourite Rainn Wilson, the ever-intriguing Winona Ryder, plus Robert Redford, Woody Allen, Helen Mirren, Natalie Portman, Javier Bardem and more. This year might just top 2009’s Oprah-Clooney juggernaut appearances. Too lazy to go through the list? The lowdown, after the jump.
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