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Interview magazine and Joe Fresh host a rooftop party for Like Crazy’s Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin

Anton Yelchin (Image: Sam Santos/Wireimage)

Interview magazine, Joe Fresh and Paramount Productions hosted an invite-only soiree last night at the Spoke Club rooftop, where the Joe Fresh–orange cocktails were flowing and everyone was loose, including Like Crazy cast members Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin. It was a party without George Clooney and Ryan Gosling, or other faces we’ve grown tired of this week, yet it grew larger by the second and saw Jason Reitman and Jessica Chastain pass through—even Kimberley Newport-Mimran, fresh off a plane after a Pink Tartan show at New York Fashion Week, was seen laughing with husband Joe (or Mr. Fresh to his closest friends). Newport-Mimran gave us the scoop on her menswear line Black Tartan, which will be debuting in her Yorkville store very soon. That’s an actual fact— something there aren’t many of in the typical “Toronto is so much friendlier than New York” responses that journalists usually get from interviews during TIFF. Pics of the party guests and their thoughts about Toronto after the jump.

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TIFF Talk

September 14, 2011 | 12:33 pm

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Venice vs. TIFF fashion showdown, Jessica Chastain edition

Jessica Chastain is about to be everywhere—she recently starred in The Debt, Terrence Malick’s visual masterpiece Tree of Life and The Help, and her upcoming projects include another Malick film, as well as Texas Killing Fields, due out this year (and several more in various stages of production). Chastain looked ethereal on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival on September 4, attending the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker award ceremony and Wilde Salome premiere in a nude Elie Saab full-length gown with beautiful lace detailing. And proving that redheads really can wear any colour, Chastain chose a bright canary-yellow Viktor and Rolf dress for the TIFF premiere of Coriolanus on September 12. We honestly can’t decide which we like better, the delicate Saab or the edgy Viktor & Rolf gown. Which dress do you think is best?

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The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 13, 2011 | 5:09 pm

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Kathy Griffin swears a lot and Kim Cattrall sells the clothes off her back at this year’s Cinema Against AIDS gala

Kim Cattrall at the Cinema Against AIDS gala (Image: courtesy of amfAR)

Last night, The Carlu played host to the third annual Cinema Against AIDS event in support of amfAR and Dignitas International. Though the star wattage wasn’t overly bright by TIFF standards, it didn’t stop a throng of gawkers from taking over the Yonge Street median to get a glimpse of celebs like 30 Rock guest star Cheyenne Jackson, Kim Cattrall, designer Kenneth Cole, the evening’s emcee Kathy Griffin and singer John Legend. We learned the phrase “swears like a sailor” is an understatement in the presence of Griffin, who dropped F-bombs at every opportunity (we stopped counting around number 30)—the self-styled D-list star blew our evening of curses with Susie Essman at the Astral party out of the water. Find out how Cattrall raised more money at this year’s Cinema Against AIDS gala after the jump.

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The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 13, 2011 | 4:26 pm

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Channing Tatum carries his wife up a flight of stairs and Justin Long gets fashion help from a hotel concierge

Channing Tatum and Scott Porter (Image: Alexandra Wyman)

The Ten Year dinner at the Grey Goose Soho House may have started at the early-bird time of 5:30 p.m., but it didn’t stop the film’s stars Channing Tatum, Kate Mara, Scott Porter and Justin Long from showing up. Tatum carried wife Jenna Dewan up the first flight of stairs—An Officer and a Gentleman style—because her fuchsia Zac Posen dress was too tight. Tatum didn’t dig into the spread of prosciutto, risotto (served in the biggest Parmesan wheel we’ve ever seen) and roast beef, or even take in any of the generously poured drinks—instead he drank from an enormous water bottle (hey, he’s got to keep in shape in case he ever makes another Step Up movie). Find out who else showed up to the party after the jump.

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The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 13, 2011 | 3:13 pm

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On night one of Festival Music House, Toronto’s indie musicians come out to support their friends

Hannah Georgas (Image: Courtesy of Festival Music House)

Every year TIFF seems to get bigger and better. Case in point: for the second year running, in addition to an overwhelming number of films screening across the city, the festival is offering a heavy-hitting Canadian lineup at its Festival Music House. Located inside Mod Club on College Street, Festival Music House is just removed from the downtown star-spotting radius but aims to provide industry and media types with an alternative TIFF experience—one that’s more relaxed than say, the screaming crowd outside of Grey Goose Soho House every night. We attended the first of three nights at the venue, so check out who besides K’naan made a splash last night after the jump.

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TIFF Talk

September 13, 2011 | 1:24 pm

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A brief conversation with Gerard Butler in the washroom at Grey Goose Soho House

Andrea Riseborough and Gerard Butler (Image: Alexandra Wyman)

Before Harvey Weinstein’s crazy shindig sent Grey Goose Soho House guests into full-on serious party mode, the Coriolanus after-party warmed the place up, with stars Ralph Fiennes (the director), Gerard Butler and Brian Cox all in attendance. Butler seemed grateful for the reception, mingling and high-fiving guests. He, like Susie Essman before him, dropped many F-bombs in his deep Scottish brogue, telling us his character in Machine Gun Preacher “is so fucking serious—I’m more bubbly” before muttering that he “fucking love[s] Toronto.” When we ran into him in the bathroom, he admitted he “wasn’t even sure which party he was there for until minutes before”—thank God for handlers and wranglers who keep celebs in the loop.

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The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 13, 2011 | 12:32 pm

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Ethan Hawke makes a quick appearance at the Woman in the Fifth party, but Dave Matthews sticks around

David Rocco and Ethan Hawke (Image: Oscar Mach/Photagonist.ca)

It’s day four of TIFF and events are slowing down (okay, maybe we’re just slowing down), but we managed to make it out to the Roosevelt Room to catch Ethan Hawke, Colin Farrell and director Pawel Pawlikowski at the party for The Woman in the Fifth. We were informed that the film’s other lead, Kristin Scott Thomas, wouldn’t be attending since she’s apparently in South America, but another unpredictable star sighting made up for her absence: festival socialite extraordinaire Dave Matthews stopped by the party, having attended the screening earlier in the day, and he had only good things to say about the film and his time at TIFF (he’s a producer for the film).

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September 13, 2011 | 12:24 pm

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Venice vs. TIFF fashion showdown, Sarah Gadon edition

Venice vs. Toronto

Toronto’s own Sarah Gadon is certainly one to watch—she’s recently starred in The Moth Diaries and David Cronenberg’s TIFF hit A Dangerous Method, as well as having shot Cosmopolis, another Cronenberg flick, in the city with Robert Pattinson earlier this summer. Gadon is also one of the lucky up-and-coming actresses to walk red carpets at both the Venice Film Festival and TIFF this year, but we’ve got to hand it to her for stepping up the glamour at her hometown festival. Gadon attended the September 2 premiere of A Dangerous Method in Venice wearing a simple deep blue dress with a peep cutout and dramatic red lips. While we think Gadon looks beautiful (and a bit like Portia de Rossi) in Venice, we have to say that Gadon really oozed glamour at the Toronto premiere of A Dangerous Method in a full-length Jason Wu gown. She’s definitely bringing the red carpet vibe back to TIFF, and we love her for it.

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(Images: Venice, Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage/Getty Images Entertainment; Toronto, Christopher Drost)

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 13, 2011 | 11:18 am

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Madonna bails on her after-party, but that doesn’t stop Harvey Weinstein from throwing a great one at Grey Goose Soho House

Michael Fassbender swings and misses. (Image: Alexandra Wyman)

For the fourth and final evening, Grey Goose Soho House was the celebrity venue of choice, with back-to-back-to-back parties for Ten Year (starring Channing Tatum, Kate Mara, Rosario Dawson and Justin Long), Coriolanus (starring Gerard Butler, Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain), and a star-studded, multi-floor party hosted by legendary Hollywood hitmaker Harvey Weinstein. Earlier in the evening, Madonna, the hydrangea hater herself, joined a very select group of people for a private dinner celebrating W.E., but she slipped out the back door before things got crazy (does this surprise anyone?). Butler stayed for the entire night (in excess of five consecutive hours) and was never too far from a bevy of unknown models and one Megan Fox lookalike. Coriolanus castmate Fiennes dipped out early, refusing autographs as he made his exit. No sweat off our backs—the room was beginning to fill with so many recognizable faces we could barely keep up. Find out who and what they were wearing in a gallery after the jump.

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The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 12, 2011 | 5:27 pm

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SPOTTED: James Franco, fan art collector

James Franco collage by Macy Armstrong (Image: Macy Armstrong)

James Franco was in town yesterday to promote Memories of Idaho, an art installation presented in collaboration with Gus Van Sant at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. The installation is a meditation on Van Sant’s My Private Idaho, featuring a reassemblage of excised scenes and alternate takes from the 1991 film. But while Franco was playing artist at TIFF, it was a 13-year-old fan, Macy Armstrong, who stole the show, with three of her own artistic pieces created in tribute to Franco. Franco spotted the pieces in the crowd at the Memories of Idaho exhibition and proceeded to purchase them from Armstrong. No, we aren’t kidding: Franco asked to purchase a portrait of himself made out of yarn, a collage made from newspaper clippings and a canvas inspired by the poster for 127 Hours created by Armstrong. Franco insisted, “I saw that one on the Internet, someone sent it to me. I wanna buy those.” Armstrong, a mega Franco fan, happily obliged, immediately taking to her Tumblr account to exclaim, “He looked at me, he spoke to me, and I’m pretty sure we mentally got married!”

• James Franco tells teen he wants to buy her fan art [The Canadian Press]

Find this story on our Star Spotting Map, where we plot the locations of celebrities spotted around Toronto. Send us your tips: tips@torontolife.com

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 12, 2011 | 5:10 pm

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The cast of Killer Elite (but not Robert De Niro) had a party at Maison Mercer’s rooftop deck

Jason Statham and Yvonne Strahovski (Oscar Mach/Photagonist.ca)

Not only did Robert De Niro not stay for his post-screening Q&A, he also bailed on the after-party at Maison Mercer on Saturday night. Arriving at the Mercer Street rooftop was like entering a world that only Bret Easton Ellis could cook up: areas were sectioned off for people of varying importance, including one gentleman who was double-dipping with women at least half his age. In another bottle-serviced area, we overheard two suits waxing poetic about their preferred type of sexual partner (note: she’s Asian, and on one occasion, one of the gents somehow confused a “Norwegian chick [in L.A.] for an Asian woman and it just wasn’t the same.” The same gentleman later remarked that “there just aren’t any Asian chicks in Toronto.” It was an undeniably classy affair, and we can’t imagine why De Niro wouldn’t want to attend, but thanks to a darkly lit VIP section, castmates Clive Owen, Jason Statham and Yvonne Strahovski were able to chat freely—Strahovski was even able to let loose and rub boyfriend Tim Loden affectionately until the next photo opportunity. Find out what else happened at the party after the jump.

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September 12, 2011 | 3:18 pm

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SmartWater and Bungalow 8 threw a party that was tough to get into at the Burroughes building

Juno Temple and Emile Hirsch (Image: Jerod Harris)

Last night’s Creative Artists Agency jam at the Burroughes building, sponsored by Smart Water and hosted by Bungalow 8, seemed to be where every celeb ended up after their various screenings and parties. It’s no wonder, because the CAA reps some of the world’s biggest stars. Michael Fassbender (whose exposed penis in Shame seems to be the talk of the town) finally showed up in Toronto after rumours he wouldn’t be coming, and James Franco, Jessica Chastain, Gerard Butler, Emile Hirsch, Glenn Close, Ethan Hawke, Colin Farrell, Dave Matthews and Emily Blunt were all in attendance in between any number of stops—Franco was feted by Bad Day magazine at the Hoxton with Gus Van Sant earlier Sunday night, and Blunt was spotted with Ewan McGregor at the Your Sister’s Sister dinner. Of course, we couldn’t see any of them, since they, like the cool kids in high school, spent the evening smoking on the rooftop, if they themselves could even get upstairs. Check out the scene after the jump.

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The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 12, 2011 | 2:28 pm

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SPOTTED: Jon Hamm drinks old-fashioneds at Goodnight Gansevoort

Jennifer Westfeldt and Jon Hamm (Image: David Lee)

We figure men and women alike who want to model their future alcoholism after Mad Men’s Don Draper might be interested to know that Jon Hamm was sipping old-fashioneds at Goodnight Gansevoort on Saturday night. The after-party for The Oranges was a private two-hour affair with Jennifer Westfeldt, Oliver Platt, Leighton Meester, Taryn Manning, Hugh Laurie and Alia Shawkat. Laurie got hammed on vodka.

Find this story on our Star Spotting Map, where we plot the locations of celebrities spotted around Toronto. Send us your tips: tips@torontolife.com

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 12, 2011 | 1:39 pm

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Rachel Weisz is a consummate professional at the Deep Blue Sea dinner at Grey Goose Soho House

Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston should know better than to stare. (Image: Alexandra Wyman)

By now, Soho House’s once discreet location is known by all to be home to the hottest celebs at TIFF, but at last night’s The Deep Blue Sea dinner, the mega-wattage of stars had been toned down. The second floor space hosted the casual dinner prior to the special presentation of Deep Blue Sea, but it was mainly filled out by in-town Soho House members who had RSVP-ed for an opportunity to nosh on a main of salmon, strip steak or mushroom risotto with the film’s stars. By the time our table was cleared of our shared platter of appetizers, there was nary a sign of cast members Rachel Weisz or Tom Hiddleston. Moments later, just as we received our main, both Weisz and Hiddleston arrived and, like anyone would for a good friend, dashed over to the director and writer of the film, Terence Davies, and spoke by the bar. Check out the scene at The Deep Blue Sea dinner after the jump.

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The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 12, 2011 | 11:57 am

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The Independent Filmmaker Project party at the Thompson Rooftop was packed with thieves and pretty young things

Chloe Moretz and Selma Blair (Image: Aaron Harris)

The Calvin Klein–sponsored Young Filmmakers celebration on the Thompson Rooftop wasn’t the hotel’s hottest ticket—that honour went to the Vanity Fair party held in Scarpetta downstairs. It may not have been the splashiest (the pool was off-limits), but it still brought Selma Blair, Chloe Moretz, Elisha Cuthbert and Dion Phaneuf upstairs. We heard that Moretz, only 14 years old, snuck off to steal a cigarette break near the pool, while Blair and her handler chuckled at us when we meekly tried to get off the packed elevator with a sheepish “We’d like to get off, please.” Though guests were gifted with bags including a Calvin Klein Euphoria perfume, that didn’t stop some from using the five-finger discount in the bathrooms—one guest was overheard boasting, “I’ve stuffed eight bottles in my bag already!”—and we caught another gentleman in the act, shoving a bottle into his back pocket. Perhaps the free Veuve Cliquot wasn’t enough. Check out the party in a gallery after the jump.

UPDATE: We have since learned that contrary to what we originally reported Chloe Moretz did not sneak off to steal a cigarette. She does not smoke, and only joined friends outside to get some air. Torontolife.com regrets the error.

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