The Toronto International Film Festival will take place from September 4-14, 2014 this year & includes films like
THE EQUALIZER (Antoine Fuqua) Denzel Washington, Chloe Moretz, Marton Csokas
THE JUDGE (director - David Dubkin) starring Al Pacino & Robert Downey Jr.
A LITTLE CHAOS (Alan Rickman) Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Stanley Tucci
MAPS TO THE STARS (David Cronenberg) Robert Pattinson, Julianne Moore, John Cusack, Sarah Gadon
THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU (Shawn Levy) Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, jane Fonda
FOXCATCHER (Bennett Miller) Anthony Michael Hall, Mark Ruffalo, Steve Carell, Channing Tatum
ROSEWATER (Jon Stewart) Gael Garcia Bernal, Jason Jones

Plus 100s more. I will try to have blogs on each days adventures like I did past years. But due to the intense schedule of the event, they likely will not go up every day.

My 2013 TIFF saw me go 14/25 (got my technical #1 Benedict Cumberbatch... my original #1 Melissa Rauch did not come)
My 2012 TIFF saw me go 10/25 (got my #1 Johnny Depp)
My 2011 TIFF saw me go 9/30 (got my #1 Chloe Moretz though)
My 2010 TIFF saw me go 8/20 (got my #1 Michael C. Hall)


Who do YOU hope I will get at TIFF? Vote here, leave comments below if your choice is not there.

September is a monumental month for autograph hounds in Canada. Its the start of the NHL pre-season, our most popular sport across the country, as well, the Toronto International Film Festival takes
place.

TIFF 2013, the 38th annual festival, takes place from Sept 5-15 & as usual, I'll be there taking in the opportunities to get autographs from some of the largest names of TV & movies. As always, there is a lengthy list of notable names with films there.  Academy Award winners like Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Jessica Lange, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet, Sandra Bullock, Nicolas Cage, William Hurt, Adrien Brody, Colin Firth, Kevin Kline, Robin Williams, Jim Broadbent, George Clooney, Juliet Binoche, Judi Dench, Marcia Gay Harden & Tilda Swinton are all in 1 or more films at this years festival. Popular stars of this generation like Daniel Radcliffe, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Emilia Clarke, Ralph Fiennes & Dakota Fanning also have films at the festival. Theres then an even longer list of "hey, I know them from something" names.

With so many names, so many shows going on over only 10 days, you need to prioritize if you are planning to catch celebs...and that means picking & chosing who is most important to you. Whether as a fan, or a seller, you need to generate a list of who you want to get the most, because you simply cant get everyone.
(please vote on the poll below for who you most want me to see at TIFF)

So here is my list of my top 20 for TIFF 13. Its a mixture of who I want to get for myself, or just want to get to say I got them or for financial benefits.
(note - not all names are guaranteed to be at the festival, so please dont take my list as a guarantee of their arrival... it is merely who I would like to get if they are there)

1- Melissa Rauch (The last 3 years in a row I have gotten my #1 on my list. Johnny Depp, Michael C. Hall & Chloe Moretz. This year, I am picking someone that was not on the initial guest list... so theres a good chance getting my #1 wont even be an option. )
2- Benedict Cumberbatch (If Ms. Rauch doesnt show,
Benedict, the man who brings Sherlock Holmes to life, will be my #1)
3- Michael C. Hall (Former #1 target of 2011 is still high on my list since the last season of Dexter is under way)
4- Emilia Clarke (Hot girl who walks around naked 1/3 of the time on Game Of Thrones? Yeah, like I wasnt going to have her on the list)
5- Chris Hemsworth (As Thor, hes become a household
name.)
6- Jessica Chastain (back-to-back Academy Award Nominations. Shes gonna win 1 sometime in the next 5 years)
7- Brad Pitt (If he comes, he will be sought after target for no other reason than to right the fact I haven't gotten him the 1st 2 times I saw him)
8- Hailee Steinfeld (Always some newcomers to my list every year, this year, Hailey has grabbed my attention as someone to nab, 2010 Academy Award nominated actress)
9- Meg Tilly (This Golden Globe winning recluse was most recently on the hit Bomb Girls. She is making a rare public appearance this festival for the 30th anniversary of The Big Chill)
10-  Magda Apanowicz (My crush of her character on Hellcats not withstanding, I've quite liked her work on everything I have seen her in, most recently the Canadian sci-fi hit Continuum)
11- Lorenzo Izzo (Saw her a couple years ago at TIFF & was so taken aback by how gorgeous she was, I had to find out who she was. Now that I know, time to get her autograph.)
12- Karen Gillan ( I may not watch Doctor Who, but I know enough to know I'd be a fool not to go for her)
13- Scarlett Johansson (A household name now adays.
ScarJo will be on most peoples list, regardless if they ae fans of her work or not.)
14- Kurt Russell (Grindhouse & Miracle. Thats all)
14- Julia Roberts (Academy Award Winner should be enough to make the list...but I just want to get her really because of Pretty Woman)
15- Joel Edgerton (I've met Tom Hardy, I've met Jennifer Morrison, I've met Nick Nolte. So obviously I need to meet the final piece of the "Warrior" main cast)
16- Brendan Gleeson (Huge In Bruges fan, so excited that 2 of the 3 are at the fest)
17- Ralph Fiennes (see Brendan Gleeson)
18- Meryl Streep (when a legend this big is at any event, even if you dont care for them...you go for them)
19- Jennifer Aniston (met her once many many years ago & had nothing of note to get signed, now I will.)
20- Hugo Weaving (V For Vendetta, that about says it
all)
21- Liam Neeson (even though hes a prick, still love most of his work)
22- Marcia Gay Harden (kind of an off the map 1. Really only want to meet her because of the amazing job shes done this year on The Newsroom)
23- Mke Myers (met him several times, but still always excited to meet him again)
24- Kate Winslet (Titanic is all I really know her from. But isn't that enough reason to go for her?)
25- Daniel Radcliffe (I loathe the Harry Potter franchise. But that said, I like money. So I will go for this stiff)

Honourable mention
- Nicole Kidman, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael Fassbender, Mila Kunis, Olivia Wilde, Judi Dench, Tom Welling, Keanu Reeves, Tobey Maguire, Pierce Brosnan, Jude Law, Katheryn Winnick, Peter Sarsgaard, Alia Shawkat, James Van Der Beek, Metallica, Alice Cooper, Hugh Jackman, Sandra Bullock

Notables not on my list
- Reese Witherspoon ( she isnt going to sign more
than 2 or 3 autographs anyways...just long enough for the cameras to get pictures of her interacting with the "common folk" so why waste my time. Shes a bitch, thats the nicest thing anyone who has ever met her can say about her)
- Glenn Close (got her 2 years ago. I really am not impressed enough by her work to care to chase this fairly elusive signer)
- Jake Gyllenhaal (the lesser talented of the Gyllenhaal siblings, hes a douchebag. I'd rather ask homeless people for their autograph than giving him the satisfaction of ignoring me)
- Zack Galifinakis (outside of the Hangover, has he done ANYTHING to warrant such a big ego? No? Thats what I thought. When he comes back down to reality, maybe I'll care. Till then, his self importance of himself makes him irrelevant to me)
- Owen Wilson (really untalented, terribly unfunny, and a
bit of a prick. Cant be bothered)
- Keira Knightley (I got her last year & was really underwhelmed by her. Maybe once her ego comes down to reality I'll place more value on her. For now, shes a mediocre actress with too much of an ego & an abysmal autograph.)

My 2012 TIFF saw me go 10/25 (got my #1 Johnny Depp)
My 2011 TIFF saw me go 9/30 (got my #1 Chloe Moretz though)
My 2010 TIFF saw me go 8/20 (got my #1 Michael C. Hall)

How will TIFF 2013 go? Who will I get? Who will I miss? Will Ms. Rauch show up? Will my 3 year streak of getting my #1 continue to 4 years?

I will update this blog as the festival goes on. I will TRY to do it everyday, but as those of you who read my previous years blogs know, it will probably be more of every 2-3 days.

On Saturday, after my grueling, fairly unsuccessful TIFF was wrapped, I traveled most of the way across Hamilton in the hopes of catching filming for the 2nd time during my trip here. This time, a film series I was familiar with & excited about, KICK ASS 2 was doing scenes at Sir Winston Churchill High School. The Canadian school was playing the part of Millard Fillmore High School in New York somewhere.

On set that day were several notable & smaller role cast members. When I first got there I saw several areas blocked off to traffic, so I set up near the Pat Quinn Arena (I really didnt know he had an arena in Hamilton) and took a few shots. I soon realized, I was a little TOO far away. I shot a couple frames, and couldnt at the time even tell what I was shooting but knew to follow the cameras, and sure enough, caught a couple partial frames of Chloe Moretz & Aaron Taylor Johnson doing a scene as Mindy Macready & Dave Lizewski, the non-superhero everyday high schoolers that are of course Hit Girl & Kick Ass. This was Chloe's 1st day on set, so I knew these were sure to be probably the 1st pics of her.

As I ventured closer to the set I saw several "please no photos" signs around. After discussing with the cop on how legal it was, which he of course told me what I already knew, it was really, just a request, not an order.... I decided to do my shooting from a distance as to not make an international incident about it.

So for a couple hours I would stay low key, and was sneaking a quick pic here or there of the set when there was a chance, but wasnt shooting with a blatant intent to disrupt or be noticed.

The scene was mostly of Mindy & Dave walking, then Mindy essentially snubbing Dave & getting into an SUV that Marcus, Mindy's guardian was driving.

As lunch time closed in, I learned the "Marcus" character from the 1st movie had been re-cast & the man I saw playing him (which I instantly knew wasnt the original one) was Morris Chestnut who I know from his time in Vancouver filming "V". Funny part was, I asked a crew member if she knew the 1st film & she said she did. so I asked "is that guy supposed to be the character Marcus?" She said yes. I replied "they recast him?" & she said no, its the same actor.  Guess she didnt pay THAT close of attention to the original.

I saw a character dressed in a grey hoodie that I never got a clear look at, and who was seemingly not in the later scenes. I dont know who it was, or what his importance, if any was. May have just been a background character, but he seemed to hang around the tent the talent was at during breaks sometimes..... so, unsure who it might be. I never actually had a chance to shoot any frames of him, so its a mystery to me who it is, if anyone notable at all. I also cant even recall what he did in the scenes. It was sort of odd. I wondered if it was Christopher Mintz-Plasse for awhile, but convinced myself it probably wasnt.

Eventually lunch was called and I attempted to get an autograph, but my timing was just a couple seconds too late and Moretz & Johnson had gone inside the school and away from the set.

In no time I found their trailers on the other side of the school & amused myself with games & internet on my blackberry as I waited for lunch to end. Soon, I saw Chestnut go back to set & I knew that Moretz & Johnson would soon follow. I moved as close as I was really allowed to, and called out to Chloe as she went by, but she either didnt hear me, or chose not to, as I didnt even get a partial head turn in my direction.  Moments later Aaron came by & I spoke up a bit louder, he saw me & thought for a moment about going right in, but came over, signed 2 items for me & hurried to set. I am sure Aaron didnt know, or frankly cares, but he is the 1st celeb I have ever gotten IN Hamilton. I've gotten AHL autographs here before, but never any TV or Movie autographs. A couple weeks earlier, Lily Collins COULD have been the 1st, but she opted to deny me. So the honour now instead goes to Aaron Taylor Johnson.

After lunch they had more scenes with Dave & Mindy having discussions in front of the school. It seemed to be the theme of the day, this wasnt the only scene where there seemed to be long discussions going on between the pair.

During an extended break after lunch I went & hung not far from the tent the talent waited in during breaks. Aaron saw me there & told Chloe & her handler I wanted an autograph. Instantly she got up, walked over with her handler and willingly signed a couple items for me. I was pleased to have that out of the way, then I could focus on trying to take a few more pics of the shoot.

After a couple more set changes for different angles, I moved along from where I was standing most of the day. I found by fluke a little driveway that was not seen by crew & was being used by a couple background extras to sit on between takes. It was out of sight of the crew during takes, so I sat back, out of the way, then once the extras would move on to do their walk thru, I moved to the end of the small driveway area & would shoot off a few frames of Chloe just standing alone on the sidewalk.

Shortly after a couple takes of that, i felt I had enough & headed home with what I felt was a decent take from the set.

My interpretation of things I saw & heard at set were... they shot scenes of Mindy getting picked up by Marcus, then dropped off by Marcus & her then waiting for Marcus to drive off before hailing a cab. Mindy would have a couple discussions with Dave, 1 ending with her essentially leaving him looking upset/sorry as she got into Marcus's truck. The other, which I heard better implied that Dave was asking Mind to "train" him & her eventually caving in & agreeing to do it.

Another scene they shot simply had Mindy on the sidewalk, with kids walking by her & a well dressed blonde girl in all blue who I found out thru reading reports about this shoot is Claudia Lee, her character "Brooke" is essentially Mindys school nemesis. Since this was Chloes 1st day on set, I would have to believe, this was 1 of the 1st scenes these 2 would have done together. There wasnt much to it that I recall, just Brooke walking past Mindy as she waited for a cab.

I know, you have likely seen some of these shots already on Just Jared or Perez Hilton, but here is an extended set of the photos from this shoot, including Chloe, Aaron, Morris & Claudia.