NEW MUSIC: BRITNEY SPEARS - 3

For those interested, Britney Spears is releasing The Singles Collection November 24, 2009. The disc commemorates her tenth year in the business. God, I'm old. I still remember browsing through HMV during my break in university and seeing her CD single for ....Baby, One More Time, wondering who this girl was. Her new single 3, which happens also to be 3:33 minutes in length, is produced by the almost always amazing Max Martin. It picks up where she left off with Circus spiced up with a bit of sexual innuendo. Autotune-arrhea and electro-pop light. Not amazing, but good enough to ties us over until that next serving of Britney Pie.

Preview 3 in full, courtesy of Sony/BMG Canada:

REVIEW: DRAGONETTE - FIXIN TO THRILL

Toronto electro-pop outfit Dragonette made a bit of a splash on the blogs two years ago to this day with their stunning debut Galore. Unfortunately, Campaign Dragonette had run out of steam by the time it would count most on that album's release day. A series of premature online leaks of the full album months prior and some internal label politics had hindered its commercial success.

The online community is still very much in love with Dragonette and the band has been reciprocating in offering a series of videos as well as their first single as a free download via blogs. The band's sophomore effort Fixin To Thrill however, doesn't quite live up to the promise shown on their first album. This is not to say that there isn't a noticeable maturity in songcrafting because this can be heard loud and clear. Galore had a concept. It was consistently fearless, glamorous and shocking. Frontwoman Martina Sorbara was a bad girl, yet we rooted for her and felt sad for her in her heartbroken journey. This album is '80s-obsessed, edgier and much more introspective. The collection of songs showcases the band as being about more than just sex and sass, but perhaps this a sign of them still searching for a voice.

THE PRIVATE LIFE OF ROMAN POLANSKI

As many of us are aware, Oscar-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski was arrested this past weekend in Switzerland en route to accepting an honorary award at the Zurich Film Festival. He was arrested on an American warrant for a statutory rape charge from 32 years ago. The victim, Samantha Geimer clearly has moved on with her life and has forgiven Polanski publicly. Polanski eventually pled guilty to unlawful sex with a minor and served a 42 day sentence in a California prison already. It was after this that the judge who was overseeing the case decided to renege on the plea bargain that was originally agreed upon. And then his Great American Escape ensued. Is something not adding up here?

My question is this, why is the Los Angeles District Attorney's office out to re-punish the man? I am not of the opinion that Polanski's past actions are acceptable, but I am also not of the opinion that his openly acknowledged preference for "younger women" is anyone's business, nor does that make him a bad person or unfit to be a filmmaker. We do not have the right to scrunitinze public figures based on their sexual preferences and furthermore, discredit them publicly because of this. We all have naughty toys in the closet; no exemptions.

BEING DÉCLASSÉ

For the second week in a row Sony Pictures' Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs slays its competition, taking in $24.6 million this past weekend. The Bruce Willis-headlined sci-fi pic Surrogates accounts for the second position, raking in a cool $15 million in ticket sales proving that North America just can't seem to get enough of mediocrity; the film has been panned overall. Musical drama Fame performed disappointingly opening in 3,100 theatres, earning $10 million this weekend, placing it in third. The film was made for $18 million and this shouldn't be too significant a loss for MGM considering that teen-targeted musicals often have a second life in rentals and DVD sales.

It was a busy weekend of film for me and I did see Fame on Saturday; it was entertaining enough. The film's main problem is that it covers far too many storylines in too short a span. Many of the stories lacked proper development and there were far too many holes in the plot. Honestly, do they really expect us to believe that its star Denise played by the promising Naturi Naughton, could really have possessed a "secret" singing talent and hide it from her parents? I mean, any trained vocalist would know that to get to her level of talent (i.e. being courted by a record label in the film), there must have been some degree of practice at home surely?! The students I found, grew up a little too quickly and I assume this is a fault in editing. I'm certain that a good amount of footage was chopped. I was drawn to the character Jenny played by Kay Panabaker, who gradually breaks out of her introverted shell through her years (two hours real-time) at New York Academy of Performing Arts. Megan Mullally plays Ms. Rowan to endearing perfection and it is a shame she only appeared in a couple scenes. Grade: C+

I also enjoyed Jane Campion's Bright Star on Friday, although it fell short of my expectations. Abbie Cornish was quite good in her portrayal of Fanny Brawne and this will be the career-defining performance to catapult her into that next level of stardom. Ben Whishaw as poet John Keats, with whom Brawne falls in love, was not a perfect casting choice. I failed to connect with him and found my eyes drawn to Cornish the whole time. The pacing was a bit slow for my liking and I expected an epic, heartbreaking love story and did get that, but still walked away feeling slightly underwhelmed. Grade: B+

Today I caught Scott Hicks' The Boys Are Back, which screened recently at TIFF to positive reviews. Clive Owen, plays a recently widowed Joe, who is forced to raise his son Artie (Nicholas McAnulty) on his own. At the same time his son Harry (George MacKay) from a previous marriage and life in London, longs to reunite again with Joe in Australia. The father and two sons come together and develop a bond. Joe however, is faced with the challenge of returning to his career again as a sports journalist after a three-month grievance leave versus balancing his life as a single parent. The story has its touching moments without being overtly saccharine and it was refreshing seeing Owen abandon the machismo seen in his recent film choices to play a real character I can relate to. Grade: B+

Earlier in the day, I attended the Vanity Fair Portraits 1913-2008 exhibit at Royal Ontario Museum here in Toronto. It was a fascinating experience learning about the history of the magazine which ceased publication after a renaissance from 1913 to 1935 due to the Depression. The magazine relaunched in full fabulous form 1981 and has been here to stay ever since, keeping the celebrity-obsessed on their toes as to whom will grace its covers next. It has been said that it is the true mark of success for a celebrity to be featured in Vanity Fair.

A FAMINE OF BEAUTY

I love fashion. I'm by no means a fashion expert, but I love fashion. I respect that fashion is a multi-billion dollar industry, although at the same time I cannot help but chuckle at how seriously it takes itself. It is meticulous, pretentious and at the same time alluring. This trailer for The September Issue excites me like you wouldn't believe. The documentary by R.J. Cutler is all about Vogue mogul Anna Wintour. It will be released widely on October 23, 2009 - the best birthday gift ever!

I died laughing after seeing its trailer at the theatre last night. To quote André Leon Talley at the 1:30 mark, "it is a famine of beauty.... it is a famine of beauty, honey!" What in the world does this mean? Should we be sending some toiletries to World Vision??!

REVIEW: DANIEL MERRIWEATHER - LOVE & WAR

Apparently Daniel Merriweather's debut album Love & War has been released in Canada.... and nobody told me. The London-based Australian import comes highly regarded after having received a fair amount of buzz from working with outstanding producer Mark Ronson. Ronson of course, is the man who single-handedly changed the face of music on both sides of the Atlantic with massively successful singles by Grammy-winners Amy Winehouse, Adele and Grammy-nominated Lily Allen.

In a fair world, the undeniably handsome Merriweather would be at the head of the pop pack. His distinctive husky voice has a Stevie Wonder-like appeal and his upper range has a Prince-like ring to it. His ability as a songwriter is on-par if not superior to that of the other mentioned Ronson prodigies. Trends evolve quickly in pop music however, and unfortunately the album's June 2009 release was timed just as the motown re-renaissance had begun to make its way out. This is not to say that Merriweather has not done very well; Love & War debuted at an impressive number two on the UK Album Chart. First two singles Change and Red both cracked the Top 10. Third single single Impossible has failed to make an impact.

There are gems by the many on Merriweather's debut. For Your Money asks us the question of what we are working for really and why it is that we go on. Impossible is signature Ronson, emulating the mood and structure of their 2007 hit collaboration Stop Me. Change is set in this change-fixated Obama era, but Merriweather suggests that "ain't nothing's gonna change if nobody's gonna wake up and start asking who's in charge". Red is one of the more contemporary sounding tracks on the album and it is a beautiful ballad about loving someone you can no longer change yourself for; it easily could be confused as a track by one of my personal favourites, James Morrison. Could You borrows its hook from The Mama and The Papas' California Dreamin' which makes it instantly likable. Water and A Flame featuring Adele is the rumoured fourth single off the album, but it is plodding and didn't strike a chord with me.

Preview Could You in full below (courtesy of Sony/BMG Canada):

Despite having been released a couple months ago in Canada and Europe via Sony/BMG, American label J Records will be taking their time with a proper promotional strategy for Love & War, with a January 2010 release having been set. For more Merriweather, don't forget to visit his Myspace page. Grade: A-

THE LILY ALLEN DEBACLE - VOLUME ONE MILLION...

Make no mistake about it, I am a huge fan of Lily Allen. My friend Andreas brought it to my attention that the quirky British songstress has been getting herself into quite a bit of Twouble (translation: trouble on Twitter) of late with her rants on the dangers of music piracy. It was rebutted however, that Allen had previously on her own personal blog, infringed on the copyright of others' intellectual property also in posting scanned articles. She had also uploaded personal mixtapes containing tracks which she does not own copyright to. This has resulted in a bit of embarrassment on her part, resulting in her having to shut down the forum.

I have a confession. I discovered Allen's music through what is deemed as "illegal downloading". The fact of the matter is that Canadian radio and television doesn't always support import acts and we often have to resort to the Internet for new music discoveries. In fact, the first track I downloaded of Allen's was Smile via a peer-to-peer utility. I loved it and since then I have done write-ups on her, gone to her concert and bought both her albums.

"Illegal downloading" in my opinion is not altogether evil. Artists are well aware of the realities of selling music in this day and age; the actual music itself is only a component of the big picture. Fan merchandise and concert ticket sales are far more lucrative in terms of turning a profit, but of course, this goes hand-in-hand with making quality music. Paradigms are changing and perhaps we need to widen our perspective a bit. It is the challenge of the record labels to devise a way to bridge the gap between the point the consumer obtains the "illegal download" and enticing consumers enough to put forth the money to legally purchase the music.

In other news, one of my favourite actresses Meryl Streep will be making an appearance at Toronto's famed Royal Ontario Museum on October 7, 2009. One dilemma though - the event sold out quickly. She will be participating in a Q&A as part of the museum's upcoming series focusing on the topic of Celebrity. Beginning September 26, 2009 the museum will be hosting an exhibit of Vanity Fair's most memorable portraits including work by photographers Herb Ritts and now financially-troubled Annie Leibovitz. Icons featured include the likes of Madonna, Demi Moore, Jean Harlow, Katharine Hepburn and more. I'm so there.

REVIEW: MARIAH CAREY - MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL

She's sold over 200 million albums worldwide and ranks as the best-selling American artist of the Nielsen Soundscan-era, yet it's still so easy to heckle her 2001 commercial/critical failure Glitter. Many of her critics claim that she is an artist who has failed to ever truly reinvent herself. Mariah Carey's latest effort Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel from Island/Def Jam, is best described as an updated version of her 1997 Butterfly album. In contrast to some of her older work where Carey's big and beyond vocals were placed front and center, her newer material focuses more on detailed production. She has pulled back a bit, instead becoming more a part of the complete song rather than just delivering a song. Her melodies are more fast-paced, the rhythms are more complex and her lyrics are more urban-centric, with heaps of commercially-referencing similes (i.e. "We fly like United... love you like Duncan Hines Yellow Cake").

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is not Carey's finest work. What she is showing us though is that she is growing as an artist on her own terms, even if it means abandoning some of the fans she worked so hard to win back with her outstanding 2005 Grammy-winning album The Emancipation of Mimi. She takes a few creative risks here and she is dead-set on remaining relevant with the Rhythmic R&B/Top 40 demographic. The album overall is on the down-tempo and there are nuanced moments by the plenty with an excessive four reprises/preludes.

JENNIFER'S BODY: AN AUTOPSY REPORT

This past weekend's Box Office tally has been published and although it is no surprise that Sony's Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs came out the clear winner with a take of $30.1 million, the biggest shocker of all is Fox's Jennifer's Body performing below expectations. The film was to be a star vehicle for Megan Fox although it came in at number six overall with just $6.8 million in ticket sales. The film was produced for just $16 million, so this shouldn't translate to a huge loss for the studio if you factor in rentals and that it hasn't opened overseas yet.

Fox was just in-town along with cast members Adam Brody and Amanda Seyfried at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of the film where the media turnout reached record numbers; tickets sold out completely. Warner Brothers' The Informant! starring Matt Damon came in a distant second with $10.5 million in sales. That film received the gala treatment at the Toronto International Film Festival and positive reviews generally. I guess this is what happens when studios aren't meticulous enough in their forecasting. I would've timed Jennifer's Body a little closer to Halloween....

I just received word from Universal Music that the highly-anticipated Mariah Carey album Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel will be delivered to me digitally any day now. Will be sure to post a review as soon as it pops in my Inbox. Am curious to listen as early reviews are uncharacteristically mixed. Billboard Magazine claims it's a winner; Perez Hilton claims it's a dud. He stated to me over e-mail that "Mariah needs Tommy Mottola back". Stay tuned.

THE BEST AND WORST OF TIFF 2009

Great news. I've just heard back that my TIFF 2009 photos and coverage helped bring in some record numbers for CP24! To all my new friends who discovered this blog through CP24, thank you all for helping make this happen. I hope that you'll stick around for more goodies after the festival has ended, so please Bookmark my blog and visit often.

It was also a great pleasure to receive a congratulatory e-mail on this blog from Lainey Lui at Lainey Gossip today. What an honour, as I have great respect for the work she does!

Now without further a due ado, here are my absolute bests and worsts of this year's festival.

Most Gratuitous Male Celebrities:
1) George Clooney
2) Matt Damon
3) Nicolas Cage
4) Colin Farrell
5) Colin Firth

Most Gratuitous Female Celebrities:
1) Drew Barrymore
2) Megan Fox
3) Jennifer Garner
4) Emily Blunt
5) Amanda Seyfried

Most Impossible Celebrities To Stalk:
1) Oprah Winfrey
2) Mariah Carey
3) Natalie Portman
4) Ellen Page
5) Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore 

The Even Hotter In Person Shortlist:
1) Megan Fox
2) Emily Blunt
3) Rob Lowe
4) Tom Ford
5) Robin Wright Penn 

Top 10 TIFF Films:
1) Love and Other Impossible Pursuits
2) An Education
3) Whip It
4) Precious: Based On The Novel "Push" By Sapphire
5) Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
6) Up In The Air
7) London River
8) Mother & Child
9) The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
10) The Informant!

 

Five Most Memorable Moments:
1) The most star-studded red carpet ever for Precious: Based On The Novel "Push" By Sapphire. Stars included: Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Gayle King, Lee Daniels, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke, Gabby Sidibe, Paula Patton, Robert DeNiro, Sheri Shepherd....
2) Megan Fox drawing record size media turnout to red carpet at Jennifer's Body premiere
3) Two words: George Clooney
4) Drew Barrymore's week-long pimp-a-thon to promote Whip It.
5) Hugh Hefner's arrival in Toronto with Bunnies in tow.

Biggest Disappointments:
1) Roy Thompson Hall's new red carpet formation, making it near impossible for fans to interact with stars.
2) Johnny Depp's noticeable absence.
3) Precious cast's lack of interaction with fans on red carpet.
4) Penelope Cruz arriving very late to gala for Broken Embraces and fans getting shut out of a chance to see her.
5) Drew Barrymore's hair (!!!)

Special Acknowledgment:
Finally, I'd like to give kudos to TIFF for listening to our feedback this year for reduced ticket pricing for second day screenings of galas at Elgin Theatre. It makes little sense to charge moviegoers $40 for second day screenings of movies which often the stars don't even show up to. The new $21 price point is much more reasonable. TIFF also better ensured that the more popular titles were screened at appropriate-sized venues. I had little difficulty getting into the films I wanted to most this year. Cheers to that!

If you'd like to go through my TIFF 2009 Gallery, you're welcome to click here for more photos.

xW

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

TIFF DAY 10 - COCO CHANEL & IGOR STRAVINSKY AND MOTHER & CHILD REVIEW

Although TIFF is now officially wrapping up, there is still plenty of excitement in store as some of the most buzzed films receive their final screenings. I caught director Jan Kounen's Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky this morning at Scotiabank Theatre and it is wonderful. Everything from the set design, costumes, acting and directing were amazing. The film recounts a little-known about love affair that had occurred between the famous designer and composer during the years they collaborated together on Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring concerts.

Stravinsky and his wife Katia who is ill with Tuberculosis, are invited to move into Chanel's luxuriant villa where their passionate affair ensues. The chemistry between Anna Mouglalis (Chanel) and Mads Mikkelsen (Stravinsky) is electric and the film is chalk full of fearless love scenes. I was expecting a bit more focus on the music and fashion seeing that this is a story about two of the 20th century's greatest icons and didn't learn much about their creative processes, but nonetheless I was very satisfied still. The film will be distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, although there is no set release date; it is not to be confused with another biopic Coco Avant Chanel starring Audrey Tautou coming out on October 2, 2009. Grade: A

During the Q&A we learned that Mikkelsen apparently is not at all fluent in French nor is he proficient in his piano playing, although he sure fooled me. I was able to snap this gratuitous photo of Mikkelsen on his way out of the theatre:

After hearing about the growing buzz surrounding Rodrigo Garcia's Mother & Child, I decided to check out its final screening at Ryerson Theatre. The film features an all-star female cast headed by Annette Bening (Karen), who gives her daughter up for adoption after having her at age 14. Her daughter Elizabeth is a lawyer played by Naomi Watts who engages in an affair with her boss Paul, played by Samuel L. Jackson. Kerry Washington is Lucy, who has difficulty getting pregnant and the story ties together the lives of these very different women. Mother & Child raises the importance of ceasing opportunities and the consequences of not doing so. The acting is superb from all three principal actresses and there is a good amount of Oscar buzz generating for this film including a vote from critic Roger Ebert. Grade: B+

TIFF DAY 9 - LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS REVIEW

Nothing much to report today other than that I was blown away completely by Natalie Portman's performance in Don Roos' Love and Other Impossible Pursuits. Portman plays Emilia, who falls in love with a lawyer Jack (Scott Cohen) while he is still married to Carolyne (Lisa Kudrow). The story is full of tension as Carolyne makes no mystery about being a jealous ex-wife and controlling mother to her child with Jack, Will (Charlie Tahan). Emilia and Jack also have a child who dies of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and this adds further strain to their relationship, culminating in a boiling point. Portman plays her part with biting anger that matches her Golden Globe-winning performance in Closer. The film still hasn't found distribution yet and this is a shame because it is a gem truly; it deserves to be seen. I cried four times! Grade: A

I just got back from the red carpet of director Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, more popularly known as Heath Ledger's last film. It boasts an all-star cast which also includes Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell and Christopher Plummer. Only a few cast members were able to make it out tonight including singer/songwriter Tom Waits, Verne Troyer, Lily Cole and of course the legendary Plummer.

Here are some snaps I got:

I must express my disappointment at how the new red carpet area has been set-up at Roy Thompson Hall. It makes it virtually impossible for fans to interact with the stars and many in attendance also expressed disappointment at this. Perhaps the team at TIFF needs to take note of this as many stars do not even notice the hoards of fans behind them as they exit their Escalades. Not good.

TIFF DAY 8 - THE PRIVATES LIVES OF PIPPA LEE AND LONDON RIVER REVIEW

I enjoyed two very good films today starting with a screening of director Rebecca Miller's The Private Lives of Pippa Lee this morning at Scotiabank Theatre. The film stars Robin Wright Penn playing the role of Pippa who is married to a made almost twice her age, Herb (Alan Arkin). The story of her life prior to meeting Herb runs in tandem with her current story, with Gossip Girl's Blake Lively playing a younger Pippa. Lively puts on an impressive performance as does the always excellent Maria Bello as her mother.

Pippa devotes herself completely to her husband in relocating from the city to a suburban retirement community, where she is miserable. Mysteriously, she starts sleepwalking and this leads her to build a bond with Chris (Keanu Reeves) who works at a convenience store where she buys cigarettes during these nocturnal occurrences. Wright is absolutely amazing in a challenging role that requires her to be lifeless yet endearing for most of the film. Definitely a film to look out for if you are into strong female characters. The Private Lives of Pippa Lee hits theatres November 27, 2009 and as an aside, is produced by Brad Pitt. Grade: A-

TIFF DAY 7

I think I'm just about ready to crash at this point. With three more days of TIFF remaining, that light at the end of the tunnel is nearing. I'm very certain that by this time Sunday I'll be missing the excitement.

Earlier in the day I caught what will be the final Press Conference snaps of the festival from me. I must say I was most disappointed by Natalie Portman who completely ignored fans. After digging around on the net a little, I am able to understand better why it is she does not interact more. Apparently earlier in her career she received some disturbing fan mail, so since then she has minimized interaction on the advice of her management. Regardless, a simple wave and a smile would've sufficed I think. She didn't even give that!

Portman is in town promoting Don Roos' (Marley & Me) new film Love and Other Impossible Pursuits. The film also stars Lisa Kudrow who was a little nicer. Kudrow spent the longest time doing additional press after the conference had ended. This of course is a good sign as many critics are raving about her performance in this film. I'm excited to attend a screening of it on Friday morning.

Of all the stars I was able to see today I must say that our very own Michael Cera (Juno) is a class act. He came to the Press Conference for his new film Youth in Revolt in a simple button-down and knapsack, generously taking his time to do autographs afterward. If you look in the middle photo below, you will see Cera's father who is an active part of his career. My collection of Juno cast signatures is nearing completion as you can see:

TIFF DAY 6

No reviews to report today as the selections didn't tickle my palette. Fear not though as there were lots of stars to see still!

I must say that Nicolas Cage is amazing. Although I'm not a huge fan of his work he took a good 10 minutes of his time signing autographs and posing for photos with everyone who asked nicely. He is at the festival promoting director Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans. The same applies to Colin Farrell who is here to promote director Neil Jordan's (End of the Affair) Ondine - I even got a photo with his handsome self too! Robin Wright Penn, fresh off a divorce from Sean Penn was amazing also and happily posed for a photo for me. Wright Penn is here with Keanu Reeves promoting The Private Lives of Pippa Lee which is garnering some rave reviews at TIFF. I will be seeing that on Thursday.

A big thumbs down goes to Canada's very own Ellen Page. She ignored all fans today completely, although rumour is that she's not feeling well. Trust me, if George Clooney can do a round of autographs with a cast on his hand, then Page has no excuse! Things got extremely chaotic outside the Press Conference for Drew Barrymore's film Whip It and despite my being right in front of her literally, I couldn't manage to get many decent shots with all the crowding around me. She was nice enough to scribble her autograph on my copy of He's Just Not That Into You which she produced. She then proceeded to take my dried up Sharpie and did a round of signatures, eliciting a bunch of "boos" from those hoping to get autographs for resale. I want my marker back, Drew!

I had much better luck with handsome fashion icon Tom Ford today and got to chat with him quickly. He graciously signed what he called his favourite ad for me. Colin Firth as usual, was extremely amazing happily posing with many female fans. Firth just won a Best Lead Actor award at the prestigious Venice Film Festival for his performance in Dorian Gray.

For now, you can feast on these:

I received an insider's tip on the whereabouts of U2 later this evening and was able to snap these shots of The Edge and Bono leaving Masonic Temple (MTV Headquarters). This was a special guest appearance on Elvis Costello's Spectacle show. I must say, Bono is much more handsome in person than on television. And yes, I was one of the lucky few who scored Bono's autograph! Yes.

Check back tomorrow for some photos of Natalie Portman and Michael Cera.

xW

TIFF DAY 5 - WHIP IT AND A SINGLE MAN REVIEWS

Before I comment on anything TIFF-related, please let me state my opinion on Kanye West regarding some inappropriate comments made during Taylor Swift's MTV VMAs acceptance speech. Just click this link, as it says it all really. He's not even worthy of being Summer's Eve. He's generic Life brand!

Now that this is out of the way....

I caught Whip It earlier today. The film is directed and produced by Drew Barrymore, starring Ellen Page (Juno). I loved it and I am very certain that it will be a massive hit. The comedy features the right combination of genuinely touching moments, laughs and action to give it crossover appeal. The film centers around Bliss (Page) who is pressured by her mother Marcia Gay Harden to enter the local beauty pageant circuit. Finding little joy in this, she finds inspiration in competitive roller skating and secretly joins a team played by an all-star female cast that includes Barrymore, Kristen Wiig, Eve and Zoe Bell. It is from competitive roller skating that Bliss finds a true defining passion, but she must come to terms with having to gain her mother's acceptance in this new life choice. The story leads up to a Roller Derby championship match that pits Bliss' team against fierce opposition from a team led by Juliette Lewis. Grade: A

Screenwriter Shauna Cross attended this morning's screening and explained to the audience during the Q&A that all the actors had trained rigorously for this film and it showed! Completely and utterly amazing. A must-see. The film opens October 2, 2009.

I'll be getting some snaps of Barrymore, Lewis and Page tomorrow for you all. Can't wait.

Later in the day I was able to get in close with Jennifer Garner, Ricky Gervais, Rob Lowe and Julianne Moore. Garner was especially wonderful taking the time to sign autographs for anyone asking for one and when things got a little crazy, she showed concern for everyone's safety, assuring everyone to remain calm; she's wonderful. Her new film with Gervais and Lowe, The Invention of Lying, is getting mixed reviews at the festival. Check out that bling on Garner's hand!

Enjoy these pics I got earlier: