Sunday I had one goal… to get Drew Barrymore’s autograph. I had two opportunities to accomplish this feat: opportunity one was the Whip It promotional event in Dundas Square, and opportunity two was the red carpet for the premiere of Whip It. With my DVD of Grey Gardens and a black sharpie marker in hand, I made my way three hours early to stand beside the barricades of the Whip It promo. The hot sun glaring down on my roomates and I, sweat dripping and a crowd assembling along the barricades, I waited patiently for the 6 p.m. event to begin.
Fast forward three hours later. Two roller derby teams skated around in a circle made in Dundas Square while Entertainment Tonight Canada’s Rick Campanelli stalled the crowd by handing out free goodies. A roller derby girl gave me a plastic cup and a button with Whip It on it. But still no sign of the cast. At 6:30, Campanelli announced they were starting the roller derby and the cast would be arriving in half an hour. The crowd, exhausted from standing in the heat for hours, had no enthusiasm left. One of my roomates and I decided to leave in hopes of getting an autograph from Barrymore on the red carpet for the Whip It premiere, while my other roomate decided to stick out the roller derby.
We rushed home, scarfed down dinner and raced to the Whip It red carpet two hours before the premiere. We couldn’t get near the barricades, but one gentleman pointed to a smaller barricade at the end of a white tent used for the stars to leave the red carpet and enter the theatre. There was an opening between the tent and the theatre where fans could see the actors, and there were only a few people there! For once, no paparazzi or news crews, it was just real fans.
I chatted with the people waiting in front of me, showing them my copy of Grey Gardens, which I hoped Drew Barrymore would sign. The hours passed quickly because it was a lot more enjoyable without any aggressive photographers trying to get their “shot.” When the actors arrived they were very kind and happily signed things and thanked everyone for coming. They took a lot of time with us because we were real genuine fans.
When Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore came through the white tent I packed my camera away, zeroing in on my opportunity to secure Barrymore’s autograph. Photo or autograph? It was a tough choice but I decided an autograph would be better, since it would be a keepsake. Ellen Page looked glamorous with long hair in spirals, a strapless dark evening dress and light makeup. She recited a line to the girls in front of me, saying it was her favourite, “…there’s a pebble in your shoe,” she finished the line in her famous voice. Drew Barrymore, with a platinum bob and black tips, smiled and thanked everyone for coming. I held out my Grey Gardens above a girl’s head, but Drew Barrymore didn’t notice. Everyone turned and asked each other if they got the autograph, and I said I didn’t. The nice woman in front of me said that Drew Barrymore wasn’t that big for her, and gave me her Drew Barrymore autograph!
It was such a nice and heartwarming thing for her to have done, and I was so happy. Every celebrity was extremely nice and they were all very gorgeous. Every single one had amazing skin! Eve’s hair was so healthy looking, Kristen Wiig is super thin, Drew Barrymore’s hair was very over-the-top, Daniel Stern is so polite, Marcia Gay Harden is gorgeous, Ellen Page is a natural beauty, and Juliette Lewis is outgoing and really friendly. I had an amazing evening, but after all that standing my feet hurt so bad! Star gazing tip: Never, ever go to promos if your goal is to secure an autograph, it’ll never happen! As for my roomate who stayed, he too ended up giving in and going home, apparently roller derby isn’t as exciting as it looks on TV.
Residing in Toronto during the school year provides me the amazing opportunity to hit the red carpet for movie premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival. Okay, the barricades blocking the red carpet, but I still get to see the celebs. And while I spotted Hilary Duff and Ellen Page in 2007, I seemed to forget about TIFF red carpets in 2008 and only participated in the festival through watching a series of short films. This year, I was thinking along the same lines, not realizing what BIG movie stars show up to promote their latest flick. Lucky for me, I got a reality check on day one of the festival and am now bound and determined to milk TIFF for everything its got.
So what gave me this harsh dose of reality? Two words: Megan Fox. I’ve been a fan of Fox’s since her small role in How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, and would obviously love to get a glimpse of her in person. Well, I had my chance and I blew it. What was I doing instead of seeing Megan Fox on the red carpet? Sleeping.
Two of my roomates decided to check out the premiere of Jennifer’s Body hoping to see some of the stars. They left a mere two hours early. Well I, in my delusional state, felt that to see the cast of Jennifer’s Body one would have to leave a lot earlier than two hours before the midnight premiere. Thinking that my roomies would be shuffled to the back of a large mob of people, only able to see the top of some actor’s head or get elbowed by an obnoxious fan in front of them, I opted to stay cozy instead. Well…I was wrong. Not only did they get right to the front of the cold metal barricades, but they got a quick chat with Adam Brody along with pictures of themselves with the former O.C. star. And yes, they also saw Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox.
Lesson learned. And luckily, I learned it on day #1 of TIFF as opposed to the last day of the international film festival.
Day #2 of TIFF unfortunately was a bust. I decided to scope out Matt Damon, who’s film, The Informant!,would be premiering at the Elgin Theatre. Because of the small crowded sidewalk, fans were forced to wait patiently for Damon across the street. Cars came and went, but no celebs arrived on the tiny red carpet. The carpet quickly filled with women in dresses and men in suits but no sign of Matt Damon. Finally, a black car pulls up and out walks a blonde haired man in a suit. “Matt! Matt!” hundreds of fans shouted from across the street. No wave, not even a turn around. I have a photo of the back of Matt Damon’s head, I still have no idea what he looks like in person. So much for that celeb spotting.
Matt Damon in a mob of people on the red carpet. Damon is wearing a grey suit with a white collar, standing behind the man wearing a headset. Too bad he didn't wave to fans. Sigh.
But that was only my first try at photographing a real movie star. So today I joined one of my roomates to the premiere of the Jason Reitman piece Up in the Air, starring the Holy Grail of celebrity himself, Mr. George Clooney. And yes, I did see him and I was thisclose to the Ocean’s Eleven star. Clooney spent time with fans across the street, fans beside the theatre and fans along the red carpet. Despite having a broken hand, he signed autographs and posed for pictures. And, unlike his costars, spent barely three minutes with all of the entertainment news crews.
Not only did I see George Clooney, but I saw Arrested Development’s Jason Bateman. Being a huge Development fan, seeing Michael Bluth himself was very exciting. And, although she spent no time with fans, Amanda Seyfried came for the Up in the Air premiere, so at least I saw one member of the Jennifer’s Body cast, plus producer Jason Reitman. Below are the pictures of my exciting experience photographing stars on the red carpet for Up in the Air. Oprah apparently watched the movie inside but bowed out of attending the red carpet. But since she’s out-and-about in T.O., perhaps I’ll run into her? How amazing would that be? Wish me luck star-gazing this week!
George Clooney spent time with all of his fans
Jason Bateman was friendly to fans and media alike
Twilight's Anna Kendrick
Melanie Lynskey
A blurry picture of Desperate Housewives' Dana Delany
Sick of Cribs marathons on MTV, I found myself searching for a new show to obsess over, and that’s when I came across the brilliantness that is Kathy Griffin; My Life on the D-List. I watched all five seasons of D-List in a few weeks and constantly quoted the comedian. Simply put, this is the funniest reality show on television. Those of you in dorm rooms sans TV can watch the BRAVO show on YouTube, here’s part 1 of the very first D-List episode:
I was hooked on Kathy Griffin’s outrageous humour on celebrity gossip, wishing that there were more episodes. So when I heard the release date of Official Book Club Selection; A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin was coming up, I pre-ordered it at my local book store. But don’t let Miss. Griffin’s savvy marketing skills fool you, Official Book Club Selection is not on Oprah’s book club.
The memoir’s foreward is a letter to O herself, asking to be a guest on the popular talk show, writing “And you will have to introduce me using your signature vowel-elongating bellow. Repeat after me: ‘KAAAA-THAY GRA-A-A-A-FF-A-A-A-A-A-N!’ I already have chills.” But then delves into serious topics like after-school binge eating and a pedophile older brother.
Griffin does not shy away from her own mistakes, even including pictures of her botched plastic surgery (photo caption reads “My post-op lipo photos? Or first date with Chris Brown?”) She talks about her family’s heavy drinking and her own decision to never drink alcohol, short-lived relationships, and Andy Dick’s shocking performance at a college.
She throws every celebrity under the bus (you better read up Steve Martin, you’re in for a doozy!) and includes great anecdotes of her encounters with A-Listers. But even when she’s not discussing dating Jack Black and Quentin Tarantino, everything written is an incredible page turner.
Many comedians cannot seem to translate their humour from oral to written word. It either comes across as too serious or trying too hard. But Kathy Griffin fans will not be disappointed, this red-headed comedian is just as funny in text as she is in speech.
Anyone who loves the latest celeb dish (and that means you PerezHilton readers!) should pick up a copy of Official Book Club Selection; A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin.
