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.

Day 6 for me started in the evening at Roy Thompson again. This time, the premiere of "Inescapable". My goal was Marisa Tomei. Oded Fehr showed up 1st, shockingly, I dont recall him coming over to the fans at all (or for a very short time). Alexander Siddig arrived next, and he was quite good with meeting fans. He signed for several minutes, and was doing his best to make sure everyone got him. Next to show up was "Fringe" star Joshua Jackson, along with his girlfriend Diane Kruger. both of the stars signed autographs along the carpet, of course, I was not in need of Mr. Jackson as I see him all the time in Vancouver. However, I was shocked to learn from those there that he seemed to avoid signing 8x10 photos all together there. A little while after that, Marisa Tomei showed up, and while she did sign some, she didnt sign too much, and I went away shut out by the "My Cousin Vinny" star.

As soon as that ended, I rushed across the street to POW to try & Jason Bateman & Paula Patton at the premiere of "Disconnected". I failed with Bateman, as the massive crowds were once again, impossible to navigate, but managed to find a good spot for Patton & got an autograph from her before she went in for her premiere.

I went back across the street to wait on In Bruges star Ralph Fiennes at the premiere of "Great expectations". Also there were co-stars Jeremy Irvine & Holliday Grainger. Grainger was 1st to arrive & didnt spend much time interacting with fans, and was booed by many for her lack of interaction despite being the 1st to get there. Jeremy Irvine was a bit better, signing for most of the people who wanted him, I managed 1. Next up was Ralph. I was in a good spot, and just like Will Smith a couple days earlier, I got burned despite having an amazing spot. Ralph signed off to 1 side of me, but never got as far as where I was, he then moved 40 ft in the other direction, completely bypassing me & several others. A group of fans from Venezuela in front of me called out to him several times "Ralph, Ralph" but he didnt acknowledge them. They then yelled at him "Voldemort, Voldemort" (some character he played in a movie I wont watch) and sure enough it got the stars attention and he came over, signed for them, and a couple others, missed me, and moved on. After Fiennes went in, Grainger came back out & signed for most everyone there, the boo birds had again coerced someone into signing. Funny part is, fans scolded those that booed, yet, fact is, it more often than not, works... and at a fest where so many celebs were ignoring the fans, it certainly was not unjust.

After my Fiennes disappointment, I went over to Ryerson for Midnight Madness premiere of "Aftershock". Immediately upon his arrival, i got Eli Roth, and a few minutes later I got the last 2 photos I had for him done. I was out, they a guy I had met at previous fests from Hamilton showed up, I told him Eli already had signed for the fairly small crowd but "probably will come over again" and then proceeded in watching eli deny him & 1 other guy, not once, or twice, but 3 or 4 times saying things like "I got to get inside for the movie" despite me reminding him it still didnt start for 11 minutes. Hard to believe a guy went from an A+ to an F attitude in literally 3 minutes. I also snapped a couple pics of his co-star in the movie, the incredibly gorgeous Lorenza Izzo, who I previously had not heard of, but now know of. She happily signed for the few people that had TIFF books.

Day 6 total - 7 autographs (51 total)

A  Alexander Siddig
A  Paula Patton
A  Lorenza Izzo
A- Holliday Grainger
B+ Jeremy Irvine
B  Joshua Jackson
B  Diane Kruger
C+ Ralph Fiennes
C  Eli Roth
C  Marisa Tomei
E  Oded Fehr

Day 7 was a short one.

My day started with the press conference for "Rhino Season" with Monica Bellucci. I managed 1 autograph from her going in, and another leaving the press junket.

I headed over then to the premiere at Ryerson for "Smashed" featuring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul & Nick Offerman. Unfortunately the latter 2 did not show, only Winstead showed of the 3 I wanted, along with Oscar award winning actress Octavia Spencer. Mary signed up a storm, despite the fact some of her autographs looked more like random short road maps, I still managed 5 or 6 decent enough autographs from the Death Proof star. My very short day ended with me getting a photo with the star.

Day 7 total - 10 autographs (61 total)

A+ Mary Elizabeth Winstead
B- Monica Bellucci

My final day of the fest started with the early afternoon premiere of "Son Of The Clouds" with Javier Bardem. The Oscar winning actor started off signing several out on the street before he got moderately annoyed by the same several people asking him over & over again. I did manage to get 1 from the star later on the carpet, but he really did seem disinterested in signing for awhile & was not terribly generous with his autographs.

After a long lunch break, I spent a little time around the Ritz Carlton Hotel. I wasnt expecting autographs there, but was more there just to kill time. While I was there I saw Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton & Javier Bardem returning from various places.

Next up was "Jayne Mansfields Car" premiere at RTH. I was hoping Kevin Bacon & his wife Kyra Sedgwick might come, but instead it was Robert Duvall & Billy Bob Thornton were the only stars to come. I managed 1 autograph from each of the stars, as well as a quite unjust accusation of "pushing" from the very rude fans who all too often make these claims simply based on whether or not you have an 8x10 or not. In this particular instance, the visually impaired idiot was telling the TIFF security "we got 5 of them right here" and felt the need to lump me in with others who may or may not have pushed. Since I wasnt pushing & frankly, cant even recall the others he fingered for being excessively pushy, I didnt take his claim seriously.... this didnt stop the TIFF people however from deciding to take it seriously. Later on after Mr. Thornton finished his press, 1 of the security people came over to talk to me, and we both discussed each others points of view, and I felt that he at least listened with an open mind to my point of view...even if if walked away going "whatever" in his head, he at least was professional enough to listen & acknowledge that the person making the claim may have been wrong. EVERY TIFF it seems theres at least 1 person who over reacts to the seemingly over aggressive hounds there, and somehow I get lumped in by association with them for no other reason than having 8x10s & a binder. Unfortunately, thats just part of TIFF that isnt ever going to change...dealing with the inexperienced public who are under some impression if you have a binder or a photo, you must be the 1 who pushed you. The amount of times I am pushed by NON-pros grossly outweighs being pushed by pros, but you dont hear me whining about it. The entitlement that some fans feel they have at these things is absurd.

After that idiocy, I went and met up for dinner with my buddy from www.outlaw-autographs.com and another Vancouver hound. I ended my TIFF with 1 last autograph, again with an over reaction from the bored TIFF security people, as Zac Efron came thru & signed 1 each for the whopping 3 of us that the 6+ security & volunteers encircled. making a calm enough situation, into a mildly annoying & hectic situation of course.

Day 8 total - 4 autographs (65 total)

B- Billy Bob Thornton
C+ Robert Duvall
C+ Javier Bardem
C  Zac Efron

Day 4 started for me a bit late. I wanted to be in Toronto 1/2 hr earlier than I was, but luckily it didnt really cost me.

I 1st went to Roy Thompson Hall for the premiere of "Free Angela Davis & All Political Prisoners". Despite getting there later than I had hoped, I managed a pretty decent spot in row "1A" (thats what I call it when you are partially in the front row, but not completely there). The big draw at this showing was Men In Black star Will Smith & his family. The Smith family was invited as guests to the premiere & graced the carpet with their presence. First to show up was "Lethal Weapon" star Danny glover. After some fumbling by me to get out a photo on no notice, I got him to sign for me on a very unique photo, a still from his episode on the TV show "Psych". A bit later, I was in prime spot, and sure enough Will got out right in front of where I was. He even came right to me. However, instead of taking the sharpie & photo I had outstretched, he simply grabbed the hand my sharpie was in & shook it, then moved on. He proceeded to sign about 10 ft further away, then came back & signed about 3 ft to the other side of me. Completely missing me on both sides. I was pissed. A short while later he signed again, further down the line, and I again was shut out. It simply was just not meant to be I guess.  All the regulars took off right after Will went into the tent with Jada, Willow & Jaden. I decideed "what do I have to lose at this point" & tried on the end of the tent area, a space about 5 ft wide that you can (generally without success) yell out at the celeb as they leave the press area to go into the theatre. Its about a 50 ft walk from the tent to the area the fans can wait at, and MOST celebs dont bother. But, we saw Will come, made the plea for him to come over, and he actually did. Signed about 5 or so autographs for the 10-15 fans waiting there & I managed to get 1. Righting the wrong of earlier, Will Smith managed to help be go 3 for 3 on my top 3 of TIFF 12.

My next target was the impossible. I foolishly went for crotchety miserable "House" star Hugh Laurie. As expected, the grumpy notorious non-signer stiffed everyone, despite literally being 2 ft from items & taking about a minute to stand there, look at them & then casually walk over to the carpet.

Next up was the premiere of "Writers" at Ryerson. This was a duo redemption premiere for me. I had printed for Liana Liberato 2 years earlier, but failed to go for her, then last year she was a no show. 3rd time the charm? Her castmate Lily Collins, recently had snubbed me at the set of her recent film project "The Mortal Instruments : City Of Bones". First to show up was the TMI star Lily, with her boyfriend, former Twilight Saga star Jamie Campbell-Bower, JCB hid behind the photo-op drop while Lily posed for photographers. There was 3 people there who noticed him hiding back there. A girl who was VERY aware who he was, kept asking him to look up & he eventually did, a boy of maybe 11 or 12 who only had an autograph book & a pen & me. When the woman standing on the planter finally got JCB's attention, the boy with the book asked him for his autograph. Jamie came over to him, was about to sign, then said to the boy "do you even know who I am?" and the boy with confusion & shock didnt answer immediately & Jamie denied the boys request about 1 second later & moved on. I managed an autograph from Lily FINALLY. A short time later Liana Liberato arrived and I managed 2 autographs from her, but felt I should have got more...but the publicists (as they have done all too often in recent years) rushed them into the theatre instead of acknowledging all the fans as they should. In typical diva style, the last person to show up for the premiere was the incredibly rude & cocky Logan Lerman. I have had the displeasure of dealing with this little twerp in recent months when he was filming the follow up to his only leading role, the box office flop "Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief". For someone who seems on the fast track to being an unemployed adult actor soon, he sure acts like he has 7 Academy Awards already. He hurried past the group of fans that waited to meet him giving them barely a half assed attempt at a wave as he speed walked down the carpet, past the press and into the theatre. He also ignored the fans leaving...no shock. That being said, so did all the cast.

A bit later another Ryerson premiere for "Byzantium" saw another up & coming young actress. Oscar nominated Saoirse Ronan arroved & signed quite a few out on the street for people before she was hurried in to do press. A short time later Gemma Arterton arrived. I managed 1 autograph from each of them, but there should have been more as again, as often was the case, the publicists disrespected the fans, the actual paying public who can make or break films, in favour of media who all ask the same 8 questions over & over again. Gemma promised the fans she would come over and sign, but OF COURSE, was led away from the fans into the theatre by the overzealous career damaging publicists that TIFF used this year. Her dispresect of the fans angered many, just like earlier in the fest when Greta Gerwig did a similar thing. After the premiere, Saoirse signed a handful again, barefoot, while Gemma hurried along signing only a few. I rushed to the car door after she skipped my area & pleaded with her, reminding her of her promise on the red carpet, which was met with a very large, unenthused sigh & a quick scribble before she hopped in her car.
More than once this festival I made tweets similar to this https://twitter.com/canadagraphs/status/245009927108706304 as my frustration with people who have nothing to lose tell those who do what to do.

Day 4 - 8 autographs (31 total)

A  Danny Glover
B+ Saoirse Ronan
B+ Will Smith
B- Liana Liberato
C+ Lily Collins
C- Gemma Arterton
D  Jamie Campbell-Bower
F- Hugh Laurie
F- Logan Lerman

Day 5 started at the Elgin Theatre for the premiere of "Arthur Newman". Emily Blunt was 1st to show up & signed ONE total autograph & it was for a person who snuck inside the secured area. So basically, she would have signed NOTHING if someone hadnt got right up to her. Shortly after, celebrating his 52nd birthday that afternoon was Oscar Award winner Colin Firth. As a bagpiper played "happy birthday" out in front, Colin happily came down the line & signed for everyone. In 5 seconds, I got more autographs (2) from Mr. Firth than Ms. Blunt signed for everyone total. All class Colin.

My next venture was my 1st crack at the press conference circuit this fest. I went for "The Iceman" press conference. Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Winona "the thief" Ryder & Ray Liotta arrived for it. None of them signed on the way in, but promises were made by Evans & Shannon for departures.  Chris Evans came out 1st and the "Captain America" star was terrific, going down the whole line. Shortly after Michael Shannon came out & signed so many that most people left there with nothing left for the "Man Of Steel" star. Winona Ryder of course snubbed everyone, she really is 1 of the most classless bitches in Hollywood. I mean hey, your career is in shambles, your constantly mocked for being a shoplifter, you have basically 0 pull with directors, producers or casting directors now... so why not alienate the public too while you are at it. Seems smart. I dont recall when Liotta came out, but I did manage to get a couple pics of him going in, waving to the fans.

Shortly after that I tried the premiere of "To The Wonder" in front of the incredibly tough Princess Of Wales theatre (the hardest event to get autographs at IMO). Hometown star Rachel McAdams did what she does best now, snubbed everyone. How can someone in their hometown be so disrespectful of fans? I dont get it. Her co-star Olga Kurylenko stopped however & the "Quantum Of Solace" hottie signed several autographs before going in. I then waited for the premiere to end, and on the way out, I managed 2 more autographs from Olga. Rachel did sign SOME when leaving, but not many & was being pretty picky on when & what she signed. More disrespectful was the fact she opted to ignore the people people who waited the longest & went across the street and signed for the people who just showed up.

My next try was back at Ryerson for another Toronto actress, Sarah Gadon. With only THREE people waiting for the actress to leave the premiere of "AntiViral" she signed, but seemed sincerely unimpressed to be doing it, and refused to do more than 1 each despite the practically non-existent crowd. A year ago when I saw her at TIFF she was overjoyed to be asked, now, she acted like its a chore....what has she done again in the past year that won her an Oscar?

I ended my night at the Midnight Madness premiere of "The Lords Of Salem". I managed multiple autographs from both Rob & Sheri Moon Zombie. For how small the crowd was there,, they were quite loud & boisterous.

Day 5 - 13 autographs (44 total)


A+ Michael Shannon
A  Colin Firth
A  Sheri Moon Zombie
B+ Rob Zombie
B+ Olga Kurylenko
B+ Chris Evans
C  Sarah Gadon
D-  Ray Liotta
D- Rachel McAdams
F  Emily Blunt
F- Winona Ryder

The 2nd day of TIFF started off great.

Within 15 minutes of getting into Toronto I had 3 autographs. Granted they were all from Ezra Miller, but I was feeling like it was going to be a good day. As it turned out...it wasnt going to be THAT great, Ezra was walking out of a press conference for his film "Perks Of Being A Wallflower" & I had hopes Emma Watson would also be there....but never saw her.

After that I ventured over to my next target, Jude Law & Keira Knightley. Their film "Anna Karenina" was showing at the Elgin Theatre, a place that has not been great for autographs the last couple of years as the volunteers keep trying to make it an non-fan friendly environment there. Luckily, my patience paid off as Keira Knightley signed 1 for me. Shortly after Jude Law arrived & I managed to get 1 from him too, despite having a camera chord wrapped around my neck choking me for about 15 seconds from from a photographer. Shockingly, Aaron Taylor Johnson also arrived & signed nothing. What a change from a couple days earlier.

I made a serious effort to go get over to the "Argo" premiere, as I still wanted to get Cranston, but was too late. For whatever reason, they were there over an hour before the film...something I cant recall happening before.

I went back to Ryerson. When I got there, I was welcomed by a massive tidal wave of people outside the back door (like nothing I had seen at that venue before). They were all there for the cast of Spring Breakers. Ashley Benson was the 1st one out & willingly signed for the few people who knew who she was, easily the sweetest of the girls in the cast. Selena Gomez & Vanessa Hudgens came out at the same time  & signed some autographs, but very few. They were only slightly better than they were when they arrived at the airport the day previous.

I then went to the front of Ryerson to get Greta Gerwig & Mickey Sumner. Finally, an easy premiere. I will certaily get all 5 of my photos that I had for the pair signed there.... 0 autographs.
The publicist for them said they would come right back out....but of course they didnt. Despite Gerwig promising to sign for people along the rail, MOST got nothing, as Gerwig only signed maybe 3-5 autographs before her publicist ruined her image by hurrying her away to do a few interviews for stations that all are going to ask the same fucking questions. Key point for ALL publicists - fans, with the power of the internet now at their finger tips on twitter, facebook & tumblr, can ruin a celeb far easier than TV stations. Remember that when you gamble with their careers.
I heard several people going away calling Gerwig a "bitch" & a "fucking liar", which frankly, doesnt shock me. I understand that Greta was being coerced to avoid people by her publicist, a person who does not care what is best for Greta or her career, but is only concerned with her own agenda...usually involving getting celebs somewhere b a pre-determined time. I see it all the time. But most fans dont get this. To THEM, it was Greta Gerwig, and ONLY Greta Gerwig that lied to them. They arent wrong, Greta did lie to them....she just didnt know she was going to be lying. Her rep took a beating in the eyes of the 20-40 people that waited patiently for her only to get snubbed. If Greta ever reads this, FIRE your incompetent publicist before she really does damage to your PR.

The horrible start I had at Ryerson was trumped by the disaster that Seven Psychopaths Midnight premiere entailed. The crowd was considerably large for a midnight madness screening, something I had never encountered before. The stupidity of the crowd with chairs, bags & more cluttering up space that could be more efficiently used led to the predictable crashing in by some people, making a small condensed space, even more condensed. When people learn to not leave their bags, stools, chairs, milk cartons & more laying on the ground, the overly aggressive actions of those who crash these premieres might minimize a little. There was literally people in ROW FUCKING ONE this year using stools & chairs. Thats not needed. In fact, you are making the problem worse....because all that does is make people MORE aggressive. I got snubbed by Olga Kurylenko & Abbie Cornish there more than once, as the crush of fans & pros overwhelmed most of the stars. Colin Farrell did sign for me, but again, for the effort I put in, getting only 1 autograph total from this premiere was a massive epic failure. I actually went away from there feeling sick to my stomach. It was day 2, and I was sick of the festival. Of the fans. Of the other pros. Of the people working for the festival. Everything. If it had been JUST my $ invested in it, and not some of my buddies who partially bankrolled my trip, I might have just cut my losses there & quit. Probably for the best I didnt....or else I wouldnt have got some of the names I got later on. Also seen there were Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken. Woody obviously signed nothing & pretty much ignored the crowd. Sam & Christopher were sparingly signing for those asking. I am frankly shocked no one at the premiere got hurt. The chair problem that has overwhelmed Ryerson for the last 2 or more years was at close to epidemic levels this year, and Seven Psychopaths was 1 of the worst examples.

Day 2 - total autographs 6 (festival total 16)

A+ Ezra Miller
A  Colin Farrell
A- Ashley Benson
B   Jude Law
B- Olga Kurylenko
C+ Keira Knightley
C+ Abbie Cornish
C  Selena Gomez
C-  Vanessa Hudgens
D+ Greta Gerwig
D+ Christopher Walken
D  Sam Rockwell
D- Mickey Sumner
F  Aaron Taylor Johnson
F- Woody Harrelson

Day 3 started with the biggest name at the fest, and my #1 target for the festival. Johnny Depp.  The iconic star was at the festival to show support for a project called "West Of Memphis" that followed the fight of 3 men convicted of brutal murders who were eventually freed. Depp was nothing sort of amazing in signing autographs, however, didnt do many photos with fans because of the sheer mass of people there to see him. At times, the crowd was 10 people deep along the rail. I actually managed 2 autographs from the Pirates Of The Caribbean star, but it was not easy, nor fun trying to get them. Natalie Maines from the Dixie Chicks also attended the premiere to show support for the project. Below I have a couple photos of the Johnny & Natalie 1st noticing each other at the premiere. A couple great pics of the stars hugging from Johnny's side, something the media didnt get.

I tried to go for "Cloud Atlas" premiere, but the crowd was so absurdly thick. With Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving & Halle Berry expected, the chance for autographs from where I was seemed bleak. Tom arrived & signed a few autographs on the opposite side of where I was, shortly after Halle Berry did the same, finally, it wasnt Hugo Weaving who arrived, but Hugh Grant, he also signed a handful before going in. As I expected, 0 autographs total.

I went over to the premiere of "Silver Linings Playbook". With "The Hangover" star Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence from the "Hunger Games" & the iconic Robert De Niro all in attendance, the crowds were large. Cooper showed up 1st, and after a couple failed attempts to get in near him, I managed to finally find a spot and seemed poised to get 1, until I noticed Jennifer Lawrence show up. She was a higher priority obviously, so I abandoned my probable Cooper autograph for a chance at Lawrence. It took a couple tries, but I managed to finally get 1 from her, and after she did another bunch later down the line, I nabbed 2 more from the hottie. Finally, Robert showed up. two years in a row I had gotten right up to him, had my item right in front of him and had him sign above me and beside me and skip my item. This year, I didnt have that problem...as I simply was unable to get close enough to even try.

I then waited on the next Roy Thompson Hall premiere of "The reluctant fundamentalist" with Keifer Sutherland from "24", Liev Schreiber & Kate Hudson. As it turned out, Liev didnt show. this left me with just Sutherland and Hudson. Of course, the often miserable Hudson didnt even spend a minute meeting fans, while Sutherland signed quite a few. I managed 1 from the star. I went away from there clearly feeling like my Depp & Lawrence highs had faded right out.

I took a different path for the evening from there. For the 1st time in the fest I tried doing some restaurant/hotel hounding. I chose to camp out at the "new" SoHo House. it had changed locations, right beside the Shang ri-La Hotel in Toronto now. I saw several stars go in, Andy Samberg, who took a few seconds to greet fans was 1st. Then Jennifer Lawrence showed up & avoided any interactions with people. Shortly after Adrian Grenier arrived. A plethora of others showed up on the other sides of the 3 entrance venue. Kristen Stewart & Emma Watson were also seen there & both hurried inside without so much as a wave for the fans that were there. The only autograph I managed there was right as I was leaving, from "21" star Jim Sturgess. I was tipped off by an observant celeb watcher he was in the vehicle, and so I put my photo up for him to see. He acknowledged thru the window that he saw it & sure enough, when he got out, he made the effort to make sure he signed it. Full marks to him for recognizing who asked him while he was still in the vehicle.

While I was there, I saw the swarm of hounds rush to the Shang once, and I followed to see who they saw. It turned otu to be Tom Hanks. Unfortunately, not being prepared for him, I didnt even manage to get an item out to TRY and get done before the Forrest Gump star was inside the hotel.

Day 3 - 7 autographs (23 total)

A+ Johnny Depp
A  Jim Sturgess
B+ Tom Hanks
B+ Bradley Cooper
B  Keifer Sutherland
B  Jennifer Lawrence (at the premiere)
C+ Halle Berry (yes, I am as shocked typing this as you are reading it...she actually signed some)
C  Hugh Grant
C  Robert De Niro
C  Andy Samberg
F Jennifer Lawrence (at the restaurant)
F  Kate Hudson
F  Emma Watson
F- Kristen Stewart

My TIFF 2012 disaster started off the day before the Toronto International Film Festival for once.

Usually, I get started on day 1. But this year, I started on "day 0" the day before the festival.

Day 0 started with the tiring & long trip from Hamilton to Toronto airport. I was there by myself for a little while & of course, no luck was had. The 1st name wouldnt show up till the airport was full of all the regulars from past festivals.

Kick Ass star Aaron Taylor Johnson was 1st up. He was actually here arriving to prepare for his role in "Kick Ass 2" that started filming in Toronto during the festival, but he was also here to promote "Anna Karenina" at the fest. I managed to get a couple autographs from the surprisingly older than I expected Johnson. He was relatively good at taking care of most of the requests.

A while later the next star to arrive was Karl Urban from the new Star Trek film. He was here to promote "Dredd 3D".  He seemed to "tolerate" the attention cast on him by fans & autograph hounds, but certainly wasnt great by any stretch. I did manage 2 autographs out of him after a lot of effort. For a virtual unknown, he really carried a pretty big ego on his shoulder.

Last autograph I would get that night was from Mad Men babe Christina Hendricks as she arrived to promote "Ginger & Rosa". She made sure everyone got 1 (and a few got 2 or 3). Unfortunately, I managed the mere 1, despite being 1st one to get her. Just bad positioning by me after getting my 1st one.

As the evening went on, a problem was starting to arise that we had never encountered out there before. A plethora of ditsy fangirls were showing up, and like MOST fangirls of anything, they were pretty much a nuisance. Say what people will about autograph hounds, we at least get what we want, get out & its over. Fangirls are wanting photos with (which takes like 10Xs longer than most celebs autographs), sometimes an autograph, yet dont bring a sharpie, and of course, want to tell the celeb what a huge fan they are of whatever thing they sorta remember them from...best part is, in 90% of the cases, they didnt even CARE about the celeb till moments after they saw them. Its not the environment for these type of interactions, and isnt advisable for people wanting that type of interaction... yet the article in the National Post telling them it was a good place to meet them really made a "slightly tolerable" situation for most celebs to "pretty much intolerable" quick.

With my need to get back to Hamilton everynight, I decided that was a good time to leave as there was no confirmed arrivals till much later when I wouldnt be able to stay anyways. As "luck" would have it, I was still in the airport (unfortunately wrong part of the airport) when Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston arrived for  "Argo". That haunted me all weekend as I missed him multiple times.

DAY 0 - total autographs 5

B  Aaron Taylor Johnson
B- Christina Hendricks
C  Karl Urban

The 1st official day of TIFF started off with the horribly rude Kirsten Dunst & her new boyfriend, the previously nice Garret Hedlund, who has taken on the sour attitude of his gf. Neither of them signed any autographs & Hedlund only stopped momentarily to do a couple photos with for the gaggle of fangirls that were out there again.

The 1st "official" autograph I got during TIFF was someone who didnt even have a film there. The Office star John Krasinski, as he showed up to support his wife Emily Blunt at her premiere of "Looper" He was terrific with everyone, and even responded when I said I was disappointed to see The Office ending with "so am I".

The next arrival was the super duo of overrated divaness. Selena Gomez (who used to be really nice) & Vanessa Hudgens (who used to be...well, tolerable) arrived together to promote their film. NEITHER of them stopped to sign autographs, or do any photos with. The absurd posse of bored TIFF greeters & wannabe security guards made a moderately excitable situation an all out near bedlam situation, as people were shooed aside, tripping over each other because the "security" (aka - highly untrained random guys in suits & 1 actual security guy) bullied their way thru a crowd of photographers, autograph hounds & fangirls (including at least a couple who didnt even know who they were....despite being in their wheelhouse of knowledge) to get the career C listers into their awaiting vehicle. I wonder what either of these mediocre "actresses" will act like in 5 years when they are competing against each other for TV movie roles & probably losing out. I actually had Selena on my "top 25 want to get" list, because she was so nice before, she HAD made a fan out of me back then. Now, she has assured that I never buy a ticket for a single movie she is in. Austin Butler was also with the pair, and was the only 1 to interact with anyone at all as he got to the car he looked up & had a few words after seeing a familiar face from Vancouver, 1 of of my buddies chatted with him for a couple moments, much to the chagrin of the pair in the car waiting.

My evening got a bit better when my buddies & I hurried over & ditched the group of fangirls that were still around & nabbed "127 Hours" star James Franco, as he arrived after his diva co-stars on a different flight. He was still as cool as when we last saw him back in Vancouver during his filming here for "Rise Of The Apes". We were disappointed to hear we had just missed Elle Fanning by 10 or so minutes, but thats TIFF, you are always going to miss someone.

The most embarrassing story I heard from TIFF was when "Pretty Little Liars" star Ashley Benson came in & the same fangirls who couldnt even ID Selena Gomez or Vanessa Hudgens, mobbed Ashley for photos with, and in several of the cases, they bugged her for not 1, or 2, or 3, but 5+ different photos with. One girl even bragging that she had TEN (yes 10) photos with her there.... and some of you think WE are the problem. I missed this stupidity by mere seconds, I am thankful I did. I would have probably said something that was perceived as rude to them.

That was how my 1st official day of TIFF ended.

Day 1 - total autographs 5 (total 10)


A  James Franco
A  John Krasinski
E- Garret Hedlund
F  Selena Gomez
F  Vanessa Hudgens
F- Kirsten Dunst

"Kick Ass" star Chloe Moretz stops on the red carpet of her 2011 Toronto International Film Festival Premiere for "Hick"

It is time for the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival!!

The 37th TIFF is rolling out another star studded line up for its event.

With legitimate A Listers like Johnny Depp, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro & Will Smith coming, as well as up & comers like Jennifer Lawrence, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Emma Watson & Marion Cotillard, as well as notable TV stars like Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, John Goodman & Keifer Sutherland, this festival will be full of star sightings around Toronto for the next week & 1/2.

The festival is starting off with a roar as "Looper" starring The Dark Knight Rises star Joseph Gordon Levitt & Die Hard legend Bruce Willis opens the festival.
Other notable titles are
-"Spring Breakers" featuring a trio of the next generations "in" names James Franco, Selena Gomez & Vanessa Hudgens.
-"Anna Karenina" with Keira Knightley & Kick Ass star Aaron Taylor Johnson.
-"Argo" The Ben Affleck directed & starred in thriller featuring John Goodman & Bryan Cranston.
- "Cloud Atlas" featuring Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving & Halle Berry.
-"Silver Linings Playbook" featuring Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper & Jennifer Lawrence.
&
-"The Company You Keep" directed by Robert Redford & starring Shia LaBeouf & Mr. Redford himself.
Thats only a 1/2 dozen of the 100s of films featured at the festival.

Of course, most of Hollywoods star power will be on hand promoting their projects.
Every year I have a top list of who I want to get. Here is my 2012 crop (list was made before some late additions to the list of attendees was known)

My top 25 list

1- Johnny Depp - Its Johnny freaking depp. You know, Officer Hanson. How could I NOT put him 1st?
2- Will Smith - The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, Men In Black 1 & 2, Independence Day. MOST years, he probably would have been #1 with a resume like that.
3- Colin Farrell - In Bruges is 1 of my favorite movies ever. The main 3 from the film are all apparently coming...but he was the only confirmed 1 when I made the list.
4- Tom Hanks - You heard of that film Toy Story? No? How about Toy Story 2? Toy Story 3? A League Of Their Own? Forrest Gump? I knew you woulda heard of something hes done if I named enough. 2 Academy Awards. Nuff said.
5- Robert De Niro - My hope to get him is waning. 2 years in a row I have been within inches of getting him, only to go away shut put. Is 3rd time the charm?
6- Bryan Cranston - Walter Fucking White. Do I need to say more?
7- Aaron Paul - Cant get 1 member of Breaking Bad without getting the other, right?
8- Hugh Laurie - Gregory House is 1 of my favorite TV characters ever. Got snubbed by him last year. Trying to right that wrong this year.
9- Jason Bateman - In the last year or so I became an Arrested development fan. I got Jason in 2007, but didnt care much as I had not seen a second of AD yet. Now, different story.
10- Aaron Taylor Johnson - I got Hit Girl Llast year, this year, gotta get KICK ASS.
11- Hugo Weaving - Loved V For Vendetta. 
12- Saoirse Ronan - Although I got her last year, this year, I wanna get 1 that isnt sign in a gawdawful dying silver marker.
13- Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges star.
14- Eli Roth - Loved Grindhouse & Inglourious Basterds. Dont love ALL his work, but the ones I do, are pretty awesome.
15- Ralph Fiennes - In Bruges star. That is all.
16- Mary Elizabeth Winsted - As the actress playing a cheerleader in a movie in Death Proof she was automatically on my list. Her role in Live Free Or Die Hard solidified it)
17- Jennifer Lawrence - The Hunger Games. Enuff said.
18- Saskia Rosendahl - Every TIFF I find 1 "dont know much about her" name that intrigues me. This year, Saskia caught my attention.
19- Selena Gomez - Even though I got her several times in the past, I havent got her in awhile.
20- Pierce Brosnan - James Bond should always make any list.
21- Helen Hunt - got her before. But would like to get again.
22- Christina Hendricks - just too hot not to want to get.
23- Viggo Mortensen - got him before...but now, theres even MORE films of his I like. So I want him again.
24- Ray Liotta - Wild Hogs, Goodfellas...and he has his own honey.
25- Keira Knightley - Hmmm'ed & hawwed about who gets 25tyh. In the end, decided the POTC star trumped Marisa Tomei being in My Cousin Vinny.

Honourable mention -  Gwynyth Paltrow, Bruce Willis, Olga Kurylenko Marion Cotillard,  Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Christopher Walken, Kate Hudson, Javier Bardem, Marisa Tomei, Jude Law, Lena Headey,

In 2010 I managed only 8/20 (but managed my #1 Michael C. Hall) http://canadagraphs.weebly.com/1/post/2010/09/my-top-20-wants-at-tiff-2010.html

In 2011 I managed only 9/30 (but managed my #1 Chloe Moretz & 4 of my top 5 INCLUDING Madonna) http://canadagraphs.weebly.com/1/post/2011/09/the-2011-toronto-international-film-festival-starts-this-week-here-is-my-top-30-want-list-for-tiff-11.html

How will I do in 2012? Who will I get? Who will I miss? Will Mr. Depp keep the #1 streak alive?

TODAY TIFF KICKS OFF!! I will try to update my blog with reports of my daily ventures when time permits. I will certainly cover every day...eventually, just might be a couple days late sometimes.