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| The ET Canada team. Credit: Central Image Agency |
So I get this invitation to come to 148 Cumberland Street in the heart of Yorkville, walk past the fancy restaurants and come upon a Green P parking pavilion. Who knew P stands for Party this week in Toronto.
That’s where Global set up their stealth red carpet party headquarters. If you made it all the way up to the roof, a giant outdoor Entertainment Tonight Canada stage set greeted guests who filed past into the tented VIP party area.
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| Mike Holmes inspects the roof |
I got to duck into a couple of these rooftop TIFF functions on Monday and Tuesday nights. The coolest thing by far was riding to the fourth floor rooftop in the back of one of the golf club go-karts trucked in to the events. No clodding up the smelly concrete staircases for gals in spiked heels. The karts whizzed guests up the four levels in a 30-second sprint that should include arcade music. The cart driver said he got to drive Minnie Driver up in the cart the night before, which makes him Minnie Driver’s mini driver.
Tuesday night I was a guest of Global at the Spotlight Awards, an indie film salute. Felt like somebody’s dad in suit and tie amid all the kids in jeans and T-shirts. Former West Wing star Richard Schiff presented an award to Zach Braff. It was the Double ‘F’ in your name award, I’m guessing. Makes sense at TIFF.
Spotted cool couple Carlo Rota and Nazneen Contractor on the red carpet. She’s playing an agent on Paul Reiser’s mid-season sitcom, coming to NBC. Both walked in with their friend and former 24 boss, Jon Cassar, almost unrecognizable without his Maple Leafs cap. The busy producer/director was happy to be in the home stretch on that shot-in-Toronto miniseries The Kennedys starring Katie Holmes and Greg Kinnear.
Jason Priestley, who’s
Call Me Fitz premieres this Sunday night on HBO Canada, also made the Spotlight Awards after party.
Wednesday night Global threw a party celebrating the fifth anniversary of Entertainment Tonight Canada. It didn’t look like anybody from eTalk was covering it. Saw plenty of usual working press suspects and old friends under the tent, close to the place where drinks were free. Global chief marketing officer Walter Levitt busted me for wearing a Jimmy Kimmel hat to a Global event. (Hey–give me a break, Kimmel changed networks in Canada every six weeks.) Owen Sound, Ont. native and former chopper girl Cheryl Hickey (left) was in the house along with Rick Campanelli and the other ETCanada kids . Global specialty channel star Mike Holmes was apparently the first to arrive and immediately started redesigning the tent, draining the foundation and revising the estimates. Didn’t see Global’s new newsreader, the one the billboards all say we’re all welcoming back to Canada.
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| Emily and Jay: wakey wakey |
Other stars hit the Global rooftop caravan later on Wednesday night, including “Good Neighbours” star Jay Baruchel (right with Emily Hampshire), who seems to be lobbying hard to play the lead in the inevitable remake of “Eraserhead,” fellow Canadian Scott Speedman and the guy who directed their movie about Quebec and the push for seperation in the mid-’90s, Jacob Tierney.
Overheard at one of the parties: they have films showing at the festival, too!
Jason Priestley, who’s Call Me Fitz premieres this Sunday night on HBO Canada, also made the Spotlight Awards after party.
