Who are the celebrities that will be at TIFF this year? Daniel Craig, Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Ben Stiller, Sandra Oh, Amy Adams, Hugh Grant, David Cronenberg, Pharrell Williams, and Andrea Bocelli. Superstar Angelina Jolie is scheduled to attend the festival this year, where she will be honoured with the TIFF Tribute Award in Impact Media. There's a premier of Road Diary: Brue Springsteen and The E Street Band. And what about this description:
TIFF 2024 is expected to bring Selena Gomez to town for the Canadian premiere of her new film Emilia Pérez. Described as a combination of “pop opera, narco thriller, and gender affirmation drama.”
I can't decide between narco thriller or genre affirmation drama. That's like having to choose ice cream flavours. Here's the summary of the plot:
'In Emilia Pérez, Mexican criminal lawyer Rita Moro Castro (Saldaña) helps notorious kingpin Manitas Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón) stage their own murder and secretly undergo a gender transition. Castro must also make plans for Monte’s wife (Gomez) and their children — all the while the film parades through musical detours."
And there's Elton John: Never Too Late world premiere - it is expected that Elton John will be there.
That's a lot of celebrities - something for all ages. I can't believe how young everyone looks. Is it botox and plastic surgery or is it photoshop? For example, Nicole Kidman is 57 years old and stars in an erotic drama Babygirl. I don't think that would have been the case 50 years ago. Remember poor Marilyn Monroe thought she'd lost her looks at 36 years old. But there's a major discussion on how much she weighed "really" at points in time before she died. The term "plus sized woman" occurs quite often and that is not a compliment.
Anyway, back to the Toronto International Film Festival - on from Sept. 5 to Sept. 15, 2024.
California's celebrity tree - the Lone Cypress Tree on the Monterey Coast.
TIFF is back this year. The headlines reveal the A-list stars who will be attending. Here is TIFF's mission: TIFF is a charitable cultural organization with a mission to transform the way people see the world, through film.
I wonder how that matches with their list of the "biggest names" you can look out for on the streets of Toronto between September 9 and 18...
More likely its purpose is to showcase the glamour of the "festival machine". That explains the hype about visiting Toronto during the beautiful September weather, with the accessible streets, lots of A-list celebrities and big crowds to appreciate them.
Which streets should I go to? When should I go? Do I take a chair and sit out and wait? What do people do who are celebrity watchers and chasers? I hadn't really thought about this before. But don't worry, there are answers.
One answer comes from One King West - the hotel/residence at King and Yonge. This is from their website: "Whether you spot the celebrities at TIFF by rubbing shoulders with them at a screening or are shouting their names along the red carpet, just catching a glimpse of Angelina Jolie, Benedict Cumberbatch, George Clooney or Brie Larson means you had a pretty successful TIFF experience. In most cases, it’s a matter of being at the right place at the right time." Their advice? Attend a film premier, attend red carpet events, and go to the "shops" where the celebrities will shop.
Toronto.com has a comprehensive list of hotels, bars, clubs, restaurants that have had sitings in the past, along with an indication if they are open to the public. A strategy is needed for lists this long. And then I would have to become familiar with the celebrities to recognize them. I am way too far behind for TIFF 2021.
Anyway, what is the purpose of TIFF? Star watching? The consumption of art? The celebration of film? Yes, all those things. And then the stories of who one spotted - that would be the pinnacle of success.
And our picture today is a Monarch wreath we made for the Fantasy of Trees coming in November to Grimsby. Let's hope COVID has receded a bit more so that people are able to view the trees and wreaths in the Museum in a festival kind of atmosphere. And the celebrity everyone hopes will come is Santa.
