Day 7 was quite slow.

The best moment of day 7 was the 1st celeb encounter. Dexter star Michael C. Hall arrived for a flight that he apparently wasnt booked on. Despite the situation that for most of us, would be infuriating I'm sure, he took a minute to come over to the dozen or so professionals & fans waiting for him & signed 1 autograph per person & took photos with before him & his girlfriend went to their flight.

Next up was several hours later. Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. After being borderline classless earlier this fest, his bodyguard talked to him inside his vehicle & agreed to take 1 item from the mere 3 of us inside the vehicle to get signed. After that was done, his guard & him drove away to the other end of the airport & speed walked through at such a fast pace that even though I knew where he was going, I never managed to get infront of him to get a photo. A couple  blurry distant shots from behind that I took was all anyone got of him, as the only pap there didnt even figure out where he went, and was still looking for him after I told him he was long gone.

I then headed back downtown for 2 premires.

The 1st premiere I got to late because of 1 of the famous TTC trips from hell (how the fuck does a city this size have such a fucked up, inadequate & incomplete system?), so I quickly focused om the 2nd premiere. I got to Isabelle Bader theatre with plenty of time.

With the threat of thunder showers that evening, the dozen or so of us waiting there nervously watched lightning get closer & closer as we waited for each TIFF vehicle showing up at the "Stay" premiere in hopes it was 1 of the people for the premiere, so we could get them before the rains started.

Michael Ironside showed up from somewhere not expected & passed by the crowd before someone spotted him & called out to him. He declined to acknowledge the person calling him as he walked straight into the theatre.

Eventually the films star "Orange Is The New Black" star Taylor Schilling arrived & signed for everyone, just as the 1st little bit of rain started. I realized it was about to pour, and got out of there as fast as I could & headed home.

Day 7 - 4 autographs - 90 total

A  Taylor Schilling
B  Michael C. Hall
B- Daniel Radcliffe
F  Michael Ironside


Day 8 was my last of TIFF 2013

Like the day prior, it was a slow one. However, I didnt expect it to be so slow. A lot of no-shows on the final day  of my festival put a gloomy end to a fairly productive TIFF.

I headed to the Elgin Theatre in hopes of getting Ed Harris at his premiere for "The Face Of Love", but the only person to show was Annette Bening.  I helped my buddy get a photo signed from her. She signed some, but didnt spend a lot of time with the unusually large crowd for a day 8 premiere with no A listers.

After that, I went to a hotel for awhile & got Will Sasso there before he headed off to his premiere. Not long after Catherine O'Hara came out, telling fans (there was 2, maybe 3) she couldnt meet them (note - they are literally standing 6 feet away from the door) because she was "in a hurry", despite the group telling her she wont be going anywhere right away because of the traffic in the drive way, then promptly sat in her vehicle for 5+ minutes doing absolutely nothing & then at the end, finding time to chat to someone she knew for another 3+ minutes. Yep, definitely in a rush she was.

Eventually the people for the Pierce Brosnan film "Love Punch" left in a large posse of vehicles all at once for their pre-premiere dinner. My friend found them & told me where it was. I showed up just moments before Emma Thompson came out. I had nothing with me, so I stood by watching her sign.

Then Pierce Brosnan came out. He was classy & smooth. Just like you would expect from james Bond. He signed everything asked of him before he headed off to his premiere.

At their premiere, I attempted to THEN get Emma Thompson for a friend who left me photos when he had to leave to catch his flight. But the star spent so much time interacting with each fan she signed for, that most people went away without anything from her. The few people she did interact with though, surely had great things to say as she did take plenty of time with each of them.

Pierce would end up being my last autographs of the Fest, as I did not go back on Day 10 for Jennifer Aniston.

Day 8 - 5 autographs. 95 Total (2 short of my record)

A+ Pierce Brosnan
A  Will Sasso
B- Annette Bening
C  Emma Thompson
F  Catherine O'Hara

You can find my "day 5 & 6" report HERE
You can find my "day 4" report HERE
You can find my "day 3" report HERE
You can find my "day 2" report HERE
You can find my "day 1" report HERE
You can find my "day 0" report HERE

My best & worst of TIFF 2013 will come up later this month.

Day 5 started off fast for me.

Getting into Toronto, I immediately went to the press conferences. Once getting there I saw Maria Bello go in & she promised the couple dozen people there she would sign on the way out. Shortly after Richard E. Grant showed up to do press for "Dom Hemingway" & signed for several people asking him. Emilia Clarke, & Jude Law arrived after, neither of them signed. The other star of the film Madalina Diana Ghenea did, and I got 2 photos done that my friend gave me the night before to try & get done. Shortly after, Maria Bello came back outside & signed for everyone before she left. On the way out of the presser, Law again didnt sign, and Clarke did the same thing she always seems to do, ignore everyone. This got a rousing boo from the majority of the fans & regulars that were there who realize its a low class move to not sign & meet fans at an event where your sole job is, promote the film. A TV camera for CP24 was there to catch her getting booed, whether or not they ever showed THAT on the air, I dont know. What I do know is, her people WHINED to TIFF about it, as the next day the security there came over & told some people there was a complaint made about the booing.

A long stretch of bad luck, timing followed me for awhile. I I headed over to the Elgin to get Ralph Fiennes. Unfortunately, I was greeted by 100s of fans waiting there....not for him, but for Taylor "I'm a celebrity mattress" Swift, who was making an unscheduled appearance at a film she had a song in. Instead of a few dozen fans being there for Ralph, there was now 100s, and most had no clue who he was. Ralph didnt exactly make it easy either, as he signed MAYBE 5 autographs total. So, still needing the In Bruges star to finish off an item I got signed the day before by Brendan Gleeson, I went around back in hopes he would duck out earliy, as most stars do. No such luck, 1 thing I didnt take into account, he was directing this film. So he stayed for it all.

This constituted me standing in the same crowded corner for about 3 hours as other autographing opportunities passed by around the city, including right on the other side of the building as the mattress signed for her delusional fans, and then the stars of the 9 PM film that followed Fiennes were showing up as well.

The star of Ralphs film "The Invisible Woman", Felicity Jones came out & happily signed. Short while later, Raph did the same, and I managed to get both photos I wanted done, done. A lot of waiting for 2 autographs, but I felt someone relieved to get him. By the time I left that pit, it was already 8:45 PM & I looked & figured only premiere I MIGHT have a chance at was Scarlett Johansson. But I had a new problem, serious strain in my knee & thigh was making me walk gingerly. So whatusually is a 12-15 minute walk seemed potentially longer. I battled through it, eventually making it there ina  pretty reasonable 25 minutes, and found a spot for ScarJo easily enough, despite the entire street being 2 deep already.

Once Scarlett showed up at the Princess Of Wales Theatre for the premiere of "Under The Skin", she walked to 1 end of the line & started signing & didnt stop till she got almost to the other end. Her guard/handler made things easy for her by constantly grabbing items out of the crowd & holding them for her to sign. This meant each item got a bit more of an autograph than most celebs slap down on red carpets, usually resembling a bastardized version of their initials.

Still sore, and unsure how bad my knee/thigh problem was, I ditched on the rest of the night. Earliest I think I've ever finished a night at TIFF.

Day 5 - 9 autographs - 64 total

A  Scarlett Johansson
A- Maria Bello
B+ Felicity Jones
B- Ralph Fiennes
B- Madalina Diana Ghenea
F  Emilia Clarke
F  Jude Law

Day 6 of TIFF was my 2nd highest total for autographs of any TIFF day ever... and I still feel I didnt do as well as I should have.

It started off in the morning, missing a press conference for a Julia Roberts film. I got there in time though to grab a couple autographs from Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard. She was there promoting "Blood Ties". After that, came a long gap of fail.

It would be several hours before my next autograph opportunity.

After seeing Brendan Gleeson snub several fans at his a hotel that I staked out after a lunch break, after a tip from a buddy telling me that there was a chance to get people there (I knew people stayed there, but assumed from the look of it, it was going to be impossible to get people....turns out, I was wrong)., Friday Night Lights star Taylor Kitsch came out & signed for the people waiting. A bit later, Eli Roth came out & did the same. Nicolas Cage came out twice to to a growing crowd & both times, too the time to sign & meet everyone. I got the Con Air & Kick Ass star to sign several items, although he didnt put much effort into the 2 wavy lines he scrawled on most items. I also saw Keanu Reeves, who didnt sign 1 whole autograph before leaving. His "Man Of Tai Chi" co-star Tiger Hu Chen, who signed everything that was asked of him.

Shortly after, True Blood star Ryan Kwanten signed 1 for me, and I suddenly felt like I should wait there for awhile.... but I had a premiere coming up that I wanted to go to. So I took off from there after seeing the likes of Daniel Radcliffe run in & Michael C. Hall come out & deny the growing crowd.

At the 2 premieres that were starting at the same time across the street from each other, I managed a whopping 0 autographs between them. Michael C. Hall ( I didnt even wait for Daniel Radcliffe) went in without signing anything at his, I then went to a premiere  Scarlett Johansson was at, in her 2nd premiere of the fest. She signed some, but far less than the day before & skipped my item, twice. After ScarJo went in, I went back to the Hall/Radcliffe one & found them deep in the press pit & took a few photos of them working the line before they headed into their premiere of "Kill Your Darlings". Hall may have eluded me this night, but I would get another crack at the "Dexter" star later on in the fest.

Back to the hotel I went to kill a little time, and while there I managed an autograph from Golden Globe winner Jessica Chastain.

I then headed over to the Elgin/Wintergarden theatres for back-to-back premieres.

First up was a "How I Live Now" with Saoirse Ronan, and she signed, a much shorter autograph than the full namers I had gotten from her multiple times before. Some of the regulars took off as soon as she stopped signing the 1st time, and missed her coming back out from the photo pit to sign for fans across the street. I managed a couple more autographs there.

A bit later was the premiere for "Felony" and I managed a handful of autographs from its stars Melissa George & Joel Edgerton. An added bonus was that of Edgerton's "Warrior" co-star Jennifer Morrison, taking a break from filming "Once Upon A Time" in Vancouver to visit Toronto & see some films. I also saw the films other stars Jai Courtney & Tom Wilkinson go in, but I had nothing for them at the time.

I attempted to help a friend get Al Pacino during my downtime at a non-TIFF event, which didnt turn out well. It was, without a doubt, 1 of the craziest, most idiotic displays of fans losing their fucking shit that I've ever seen. Even as a grizzled veteran who has endured crushing mobs against rails & flavour of the minute boyband crowds, Pacino fans had them beat by a mile for being borderline braindead.

The insanity & pure spectacle of seeing grown ups practically wrestling each other for a scribble, and I do mean a scribble, was a sad statement on the celebrity culture, and an even sadder example of humanity. The professionals in the crowd were oddly enough, outdone by regular fans who made the terriblly unprepared exit of Mr. Pacino quite literally, unsafe.

After the Scarface star bolted past me (I was right near the door) I got the fuck out of there in fear of possible physical harm. These were not normal fans. These were mentally damaged wannabe gangsters with the IQ of a bruised turnip literally pushing, shoving & likely elbowing each other for a glimpse of a man they just saw on stage for 2 hours.

After that stupidity, I hung around at the back end of the Felony premiere, and managed a few more autos from Joel, Melissa & their co-star Jai Courtney for a buddy before I headed back to Hamilton for the night.

Day 6 - 22 autographs. Total 86

A+ Melissa George
A+ Marion Cotillard
A+ Tiger Hu Chen
A  Saoirse Ronan
A  Jai Courtenay
A- Al Pacino
A- Jennifer Morrison
A- Jessica Chastain
B+ Nicolas Cage
B  Joel Edgerton
B- Ryan Kwanten
C+ Scarlett Johansson
D  Keanu Reeves
D  Tom Wilkinson
F  Michael C. Hall
F  Daniel Radcliffe
F Brendan Gleeson

You can find my "day 3" report HERE
You can find my "day 4" report HERE

Day 3 started with a torrential downpour that went on well into the evening.

Of course, the 1st premiere of the day "Supermensch" had to be at Roy Thompson Hall, a big, long red carpet....all in the wide open lol. Rock legend Alice Cooper showed up 1st & signed enough that everyone got at least 1, but since they were in the rain, the risk of getting them wet hindered the chance to get lots as everyone took extra measures in putting them away to protect them from getting soaked. Mike Myers did a reasonable amount for the fairly small, but condensed crowd before he headed inside the dry tent for press.

The next premiere everyone seemed to go to was for "You Are Here" at Ryerson theatre, the ONLY venue with any level of cover. Even without the downpour minimizing the places to go, Iw as going to this one solely on the hope Melissa Rauch would show. But she didnt.

Maybe if the crowd knew ahead of time that Zach Galifianakis & Owen Wilson bailed on promoting it (Zack had a good excuse, as his wife was apparently in labour with their first child), the crowd would have been thinner for the only people to show up, Amy Poehler & Laura Ramsey. Amy signed a fair handful, but the autographs were horrendous looking & in many cases, with a dying, dried out marker...like the one I got. Laura was terrific with the crowd & signed for whoever asked.

With the weather not easing up, the next premiere everyone waited on was "Labor Day" with Kate Winslet, James Van Der Beek & Josh Brolin.

James showed up 1st, but few if any people even had stuff for him. Josh showed up next, he signed sparingly, but did a fair amount of the crowd in the dry area. I managed to get 1, in a purple marker, and was happy for it...after I saw some in an abysmal dying green marker he used for most.

While we waited for Kate to arrive, True Blood star Stephen Moyer snuck past most of the crowd & went into the theatre.

Next up was the very pregnant Kate Winslet. Despite being several months pregnant, she was a champ & signed almost as many autographs as she humanly could without holding up her premiere too much. Class act. Only disappointment was, she seemed to be picky on a few photos she didnt like signing...including 1 I had, which I foolishly tried 4-5 times,before I gave up & tried a different one & got it done on the 1st try. What can you do? After seeing her work the carpet despite being several months pregnant, I now dont ever want to hear ANY celeb with ANY excuse on why they "cant". Kate Winslet has just voided all your excuses.

It started to dry out by that point, and I SHOULD have used that time to go ANYWHERE but Ryerson, but, I foolishly got lured into the trap of going for someone I knew was a prick already. Daniel Radcliffe.

To his credit, he did sign a bunch. But he could have done MUCH more, and also came across as a pure cock when he not once, but several times grabbed items, then would put the pen almost on it, then let go of the item & move on. If he hadnt done that, I would have given him nothing but kudos despite me not getting 1. But it was that action, combined with the fact he left a lot of people hanging despite the fact he could have done more, is why he gets a failing mark in my books.

I managed to get 3 autographs from his "The F-Word" co-star Zoe Kazan, 1 myself, two others by handing to people infront who only wanted Daniel. She really was pleasant and probably made a few new fans out there. On the way out of their premiere, Radcliffe & his dwindling career ran by the crowd of mostly teen & 2o-something fans to his car. Didnt even given 1 wave or autograph. Good promotion Daniel.

The last premiere of the night was 1 I was waiting for. The Green Inferno, directed by Eli Roth.

It had a couple of actresses that I wanted to get before in Vancouver, but never managed to cross paths with. Magda Apanowicz (Continuum, Hellcats, Kyle XY) & Lorenza Izzo were both there & both were of course, great. The other girl I had a photo for was Kirby Bliss Blanton, who I wasnt familiar with, was also great. Several people had a photo of her, but didnt know who it was (I had the photo as well, but had it labeled as Skye Ferreira since IMDB said it was). Also there was co-star Ignacia Allamand.

It was a great way to end a so-so day, getting an entire cast on all the items I brought is rare.

Day 3 - 16 autographs, 43 total

A+ Kate Winslet
A+ Magda Apanowicz
A+ Kirby Bliss Blanton
A+ Lorenza Izzo
A  Laura Harris
A  Zoe Kazan
A- Eli Roth
B+ Mike Myers
B  Alice Cooper
C+ Josh Brolin
C- Amy Poehler
D  Daniel Radcliffe

You can find my "day 1" report HERE
You can find my "day 2" report HERE