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The Weekender: Chromeo, Assassins and six other events on our to-do list

Chromeo's Dave 1, dancer Karen Kaeja and TSO music director Peter Oundjian

1. ASSASSINS
This musical—with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, based on the book by John Weidman—opens in the midst of a carnival shooting gallery, a device that’s used to tell the stories of nine different people who attempted to assassinate the U.S. President (and sometimes succeeded). Far from being totally depressing, Assassins prompts the audience to think about the would-be killers’ motivations. It’s also a really good show—which is probably why it cleaned up at 2004’s Tony Awards. To Feb. 20. $35. The Theatre Centre, 1087 Queen St. W., 416-504-7529, artsboxoffice.ca.

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The Informer

Cityscape

October 1, 2010 | 5:32 pm

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The Bell Lightbox is also a giant money box

The numbers are in. Not surprisingly, credit card spending was up in the Entertainment District, while Yorkville saw a slight decrease during TIFF, but it doesn’t necessarily mean Yorkville is officially dead. The Globe reports (yes, the paper has a non-redesign story today) that credit card purchases at restaurants and bars went up 9.1 per cent on King West while going down 5.2 per cent in Yorkville. The same pattern applies to retail stores.

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The Hype

From the Print Edition

September 30, 2010 | 1:00 pm

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Amped up: seven must-see fall concerts

K’naan and Shad
Forget Drake (just for a moment). No other artist has been as successful at popularizing Canadian hip hop as these two dynamos. A joint tour is more than fitting: both are having a huge year, with triumphs on the national scale (Shad earned a Polaris Music Prize nod for his awesomely daffy third disc, TSOL) and the international (thanks to Coke and the World Cup, K’naan’s “Wavin’ Flag” has been heard in every nook of the globe).
Oct. 1. Kool Haus.

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The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 20, 2010 | 12:52 pm

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Harvey Keitel and company walk out on producer’s speech at gala for A Beginner’s Guide to Endings

Director Jonathan Sobol and the cast of A Beginner's Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

No one likes to sit through a thank-you speech that lasts more than 30 seconds, so when the cast and director of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings had to stand on the stage while producer Nicholas Tabarrok went off on his second tangent behind the podium, Harvey Keitel threw his hands in the air and walked off the stage—followed by director Jonathan Sobol and the rest of the attending cast members, including Tricia Helfer, Paulo Costanzo and Jason Jones. The audience inside Roy Thomson Hall erupted in gasps and laughter as Tabarrok continued with his speech, which even drove TIFF co-director Piers Handling to walk out on him as a follow-up gag.

: Director Jonathan Sobol at the premiere of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Harvey Keitel at the premiere of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Harvey Keitel at the premiere of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Harvey Keitel at the premiere of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Harvey Keitel and Daphna Kastner at the premiere of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: The cast of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Jason Jones at the premiere of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Director Jonathan Sobol and the cast of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Producer Nicholas Tabarrok at the premiere of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Paulo Costanzo at the premiere of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Paulo Costanzo at the premiere of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Tricia Helfer at the premiere of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Tricia Helfer at the premiere of A Beginner’s Guide to Endings at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 20, 2010 | 11:32 am

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: At the closing gala with Eva Mendes and Sam Worthington (who spent a whopping 35 minutes signing autographs)

Sam Worthington at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

Last year, we gave the title of most fan-friendly TIFF celebrity to George Clooney. This year, it has to go to Avatar and Last Night star Sam Worthington, who spent more than half an hour going down the barricade at Roy Thomson Hall last night, posing for photos and signing autographs. He even had security guards take pictures of him with the fans. Co-star Eva Mendes, who arrived 15 minutes later, was almost as generous with her time, spending about 20 minutes with the cheering hordes before walking the red carpet.

: Sam Worthington at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Sam Worthington at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Sam Worthington at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Sam Worthington at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Sam Worthington at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Sam Worthington and Eva Mendes at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Eva Mendes at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Eva Mendes at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Eva Mendes at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Eva Mendes at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Eva Mendes at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Eva Mendes at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Director Massy Tadjedin at the gala premiere of Last Night at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

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The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 17, 2010 | 11:52 am

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Aidan Quinn and Kristin Scott Thomas at the premiere of Sarah’s Key

Kristin Scott Thomas and Aidan Quinn at the premiere of Sarah's Key at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

This is Kristin Scott Thomas’s second TIFF visit for a French-language film. In 2008, the bilingual beauty was in Toronto to plug Il y a longtemps que je t’aime (I’ve Loved You so Long)—see her walking the 2008 red carpet here—and now she’s in town to promote Elle s’appelait Sarah (Sarah’s Key). Also on the red carpet last night were Aidan Quinn (remember him?) and the film’s director, Gilles Paquet-Brenner.

: Kristin Scott Thomas at the premiere of Sarah’s Key at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Director Gilles Paquet-Brenne at the premiere of Sarah’s Key at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Kristin Scott Thomas and Aidan Quinn at the premiere of Sarah’s Key at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Aidan Quinn at the premiere of Sarah’s Key at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 16, 2010 | 12:25 pm

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Michael C. Hall and Sarah Silverman at the Peep World premiere

Peep World, Barry Blaustein’s comedy about a dysfunctional family at risk of having the skeletons publicly removed from its closet, premiered last night at Roy Thomson Hall. The cast, including Dexter star Michael C. Hall, comedian Sarah Silverman and Judy Greer, walked the red carpet, and we were there to snap photos. See them in our gallery below.

: Michael C. Hall at Roy Thomson Hall for the Toronto premiere of Peep World (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Michael C. Hall at Roy Thomson Hall for the Toronto premiere of Peep World (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Director Barry Blaustein at Roy Thomson Hall for the Toronto premiere of Peep World (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Ron Rifkin at Roy Thomson Hall for the Toronto premiere of Peep World (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Taraji Henson at Roy Thomson Hall for the Toronto premiere of Peep World (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Sarah Silverman at Roy Thomson Hall for the Toronto premiere of Peep World (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Sarah Silverman at Roy Thomson Hall for the Toronto premiere of Peep World (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Sarah Silverman at Roy Thomson Hall for the Toronto premiere of Peep World (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Judy Greer at Roy Thomson Hall for the Toronto premiere of Peep World (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 16, 2010 | 10:50 am

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Ryan Phillippe and Malin Akerman walk the red carpet at the premiere of The Bang Bang Club

Actors Malin Akerman and Ryan Phillippe arrive for the premiere of The Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

At last night’s premiere of The Bang Bang Club—a Canadian–South African collaboration about real-life war photographers Kevin Carter, Joao Silva, Greg Marinovich and Ken Oosterbroek’s experiences in South Africa during the late Apartheid period—fans raved over hottie headliners Ryan Phillippe (who plays Marinovich) and local girl Malin Akerman (who plays a photo editor based on the real-life Times picture editor Robin Comley). The only problem was that the crowd couldn’t quite get Akerman’s name right. We heard “May-lin,” “Maa-lin” and a few “Marlins” as the crowd attempted to lure the former York University psych student away from the cameras to sign autographs. Finally, one of the red carpet organizers yelled out, “She’ll probably come back if you say her name correctly!” Akerman never did return to the fan pit.

For the record, it’s “Mall-in.”

: Ryan Phillippe (actor), Malin Akerman (actor), Steven Silver (director) and Frank Rautenbach (actor) arrive for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actor Ryan Phillippe arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actor Ryan Phillippe arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actor Ryan Phillippe arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actor Ryan Phillippe arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actor Ryan Phillippe arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actors Malin Akerman amd Ryan Phillippe arrive for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actor Malin Akerman arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actor Malin Akerman arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actor Malin Akerman arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actor Malin Akerman arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actor Malin Akerman arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actor Malin Akerman arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actor Frank Rautenbach arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Actor Frank Rautenbach arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

: Director Steven Silver arrives for the premiere of the Bang Bang Club at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Karon Liu)

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 16, 2010 | 8:00 am

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Today at TIFF: Casino Jack, Master Kev, Louis and Anane Vega and more

Our daily roundup of opening galas, parties and screenings.

• 6:30 p.m. Casino Jack world premiere gala at Roy Thomson Hall
• 10 p.m. Music mixed by Louis and Anane Vega at Ame
• 10:30 p.m. Uncle Bonmee Who Can Recall His Lives Past North American premiere at Isabel Bader Theatre
• Master Kev with Nitin, Dirty Dale and Morgan Shim at Cobra

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 15, 2010 | 2:53 pm

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Bruce Springsteen at The Promise premiere

Bruce Springsteen at the world premiere of The Promise (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

The Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band documentary, The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town, premiered last night at Roy Thomson Hall, and we snapped photos of The Boss on the red carpet. See them in our slide show below.

: Rock icon Bruce Springsteen at the world premiere of The Promise at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Rock icon Bruce Springsteen at the world premiere of The Promise at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: The Boss puts fear into the eyes of the paps (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Rock icon Bruce Springsteen at the world premiere of The Promise at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: A fan’s copy of the Bruce Springsteen album Darkness on the Edge of the Town, the inspiration behind the documentary The Promise (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Director Thom Zimny at the world premiere of The Promise at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 15, 2010 | 2:16 pm

1 Comment

TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington and Jessica Chastain at The Debt premiere

(Image: Stefania Yarhi)

Helen Mirren’s second film at TIFF, The Debt (the other is Brighton Rock), premiered yesterday at Roy Thomson Hall. Below, photos of Mirren along with castmates Sam Worthington and Jessica Chastain on the red carpet.

: Actor Helen Mirren walks the red carpet at The Debt’s gala premiere at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Helen Mirren walks the red carpet at The Debt’s gala premiere at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Cast members from The Debt at the gala premiere at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actors Sam Worthington and Helen Mirren share a moment at The Debt’s gala premiere at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Sam Worthington walks the red carpet at The Debt’s gala premiere at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Sam Worthington walks the red carpet at The Debt’s gala premiere at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Sam Worthington and director John Madden walk the red carpet at The Debt’s gala premiere at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Director John Madden walks the red carpet at The Debt’s gala premiere at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Jessica Chastain walks the red carpet at The Debt’s gala premiere at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 15, 2010 | 8:00 am

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Today at TIFF: What’s Wrong With Virginia, the Bang Bang Club, DJ set by AL P. and more

Our daily roundup of opening galas, parties and screenings.

• 4 p.m. What’s Wrong With Virginia Party at Swarovski Gallery Store
• 6 p.m. What’s Wrong With Virginia international premiere at Visa Screening Room (Elgin)
• 6:30 p.m. Peep World international premiere gala at Roy Thomson Hall
• 7 p.m. Jaloux North American premiere at Jackman Hall (AGO)
• 9 p.m. Route Irish North American premiere at Visa Screening Room (Elgin)
• 9:15 p.m. Kaboom North American premiere at Ryerson Theatre
• 9:30 p.m. The Bang Bang Club international premiere gala at Roy Thomson Hall
• 10 p.m. DJ set by AL P. (MSTRKRFT) at Ultra
• 10 p.m. LMFAO at Tattoo Rock Parlour
• 11 p.m. The Bang Bang Club After-Party at 78 The Bridle Path
• Peep World After-Party at Brant House

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 14, 2010 | 3:12 pm

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Catherine Deneuve and François Ozon at the Potiche screening

Actor Catherine Deneuve attends the gala premiere of Potiche at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

With all the TIFF stories flying around, it’s a shame that most media outlets have forgotten that there are two pillars of French cinema in Toronto right now to screen their new comic film Potiche. Director François Ozon (Huit Femmes, Swimming Pool) and actor Catherine Deneuve (Belle de Jour, Dancer in the Dark) graced the red carpet last night at Roy Thomson Hall. The only person missing here was the movie’s other major French cinematic star: Gérard Depardieu.

: Actor Catherine Deneuve attends the gala premiere of Potiche at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Catherine Deneuve attends the gala premiere of Potiche at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Judith Godreche attends the gala premiere of Potiche at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Catherine Deneuve, director Francois Ozon and actor Judith Godreche attend the gala premiere of Potiche at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: An excitable fan remembers Catherine Deneuve from earlier years (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 14, 2010 | 10:30 am

2 Comments

TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Natalie Portman and the cast of Black Swan at the premiere

Natalie Portman at the North American premiere of Black Swan (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan was one of the most anticipated films at TIFF, being the director’s follow-up to The Wrestler and boasting a sex scene between stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. The stars (save Kunis) came out last night for the premiere at Roy Thomson Hall. Below, our red carpet photos from the gala.

: Actor Natalie Portman attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Natalie Portman attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Natalie Portman attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Natalie Portman attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Vincent Cassel attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Vincent Cassel attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Vincent Cassel attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Winona Ryder attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Winona Ryder attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Emmanuelle Chriqui attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Emmanuelle Chriqui attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Barbara Hershey attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Barbara Hershey attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Actor Dominic Cooper attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

: Fashion model Biko Beauttah attends the North American premiere of Black Swan at Roy Thomson Hall (Image: Stefania Yarhi)

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