The accolades continue to pour-in for Argo, which won top honours today including Best Picture and Best Director (Ben Affleck) at the EE BAFTA Awards, held at London’s Royal Opera House.  Acclaimed Actor Stephen Fry filled hosting duties.  The Drama also won Best Editing, further drawing attention to the Academy‘s snubbing of Affleck at this year’s forthcoming Oscars in the Directing category.

Winning British Film at the Awards this year was Skyfall, the latest in the James Bond Franchise.  Composer  Thomas Newman also won Original Music too for the connections of the Film.

Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables also took home an impressive four Awards including shoe-in Anne Hathaway for her work as Fantine.  The Film also won Best Hair and Makeup, Production Design and  Sound also.

Perhaps the biggest Shocker to come out of the EE BAFTA Awards was 85-year-old Actress Emmanuelle Riva‘s win for Amour, which also won Best ForeignFilm.  The Category was seen widely as a match between Zero Dark Thirty‘s Jessica Chastain and Silver Linings Playbook‘s Jennifer Lawrence, further evincing what a wide-open affair this year’s Oscars really is.  Not so surprisingly, Daniel Day-Lewis was honoured for his work in Lincoln.

Picking-up the EE BAFTA Rising Star Award this year is Juno Temple who is making a splash stateside in titles like Dirty Girl, Killer Joe and The Dark Knight Rises.

See all the Winners here.

See some of the Fashion from the BAFTAs at Vogue UK here.

e! will be airing the BAFTAs at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PAC tomorrow, February 11, 2013.

(Photo credit: Warner Bros.)

Approximately 160 Nominees gathered  to attend the annual Luncheon in advance of the 85th Academy Awards, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel today in Los Angeles. The Event, considered a Rite of Passage for Hollywood’s Elite, is highlighted by a Nominees Group Portrait.  Attending this year included the likes of Ben Affleck, Jessica Chastain, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway, Naomi Watts and several more.

According the Oscars Producer Craig Zadan, a focus this year will be placed on eliminating small time-consuming lags, which consistently drive the Ceremony into Overtime and just generally everyone watching into Panic Mode.  He says, “You start adding up those 30 seconds, and you have an accumulation of time that you can use for Entertainment. So that’s what we’re doing. We’re learning a lot about the things that we don’t need in the show.  The main goal is to honor the Nominees and the Winners.”. 

This remains to be seen as hopefully we won’t have to deal with the embarassing sight of the Orchestra playing as Hathaway forcefully zips her way through that one Speech she’s waited her whole life to make!

The Oscars air on ABC Sunday February 24, 2013 at 7:00 PM EST.

(Photo credit: @TheAcademy)

The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were held tonight at The Shrine in Los Angeles, as one of the final major Awards Ceremonies leading up to next month’s Oscars.  The Awards, which allow Actors to honour their v. own, recognize both Film and Television Performers.  As is the case with the SAG Awards, what makes it unique is that their is now Best Picture Award as the Ceremony honours performances strictly.  This year, Dick Van Dyke was the honourary Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Winning top honours tonight was Argo for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, which is making it seem increasingly likely as a real Best Picture Candidate at the Oscars, considering its Motion Picture – Drama win at the Golden Globes a couple weeks back.  Actor/Director Ben Affleck, who was a noticeable omission from the Directing Category at the Oscars, delivered a heartfelt and funny Speech, remembering to thank Wife Jennifer Garner: “I wanna thank my Wife, who I love, and my Kids, and Warner Brothers, who I love, but not as much.”.  The Ensemble Cast from Argo includes: Clea Duvall, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Victor Garber, Scoot McNairy, Kerry Bishé, Tate Donovan and more.

Lincoln also continues to be a major presence this Awards Season with Daniel Day-Lewis solidifying his case for Best Actor at the Oscars with a win  for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture.  This counts as his third win at the Awards, after previously having won in 2003 and 2008 for Gangs of New York and There Will Be Blood. In what was a competitive Category, Tommy Lee Jones too was awarded Supporting Actor, Film for his work in Lincoln too after having been defeated by Christoph Waltz a couple weeks ago at the Golden Globes.

Jennifer Lawrence, who despite recovering from Pneumonia still ventured-out in her Dior Couture (same label as her Golden Globes Dress), pulled-off a surprise upset over an Alexander McQueen-clad Jessica Chastain, with her spirited work in Silver Linings Playbook.  While accepting the Award, even Katniss herself couldn’t avoid a slight Wardrobe Malfunction with her dress appearing to tear at the knees, although it was later confirmed via Dior that in fact this was part of the design.

Meanwhile,  Anne Hathaway won Supporting Actress, Film for her stunning performance in Les Misérables, her first ever SAG Award and just one of many won of late.  The Actress stunned in Giambattista Valli Haute Couture, daring in a black Dress which drew some parallels to her scandal-inducing Tom Ford Dress worn at the New York City Premiere for the Film in December.

Now into its final Season, 30 Rock nabbed two Awards for Actor and Actress in Television Series, Comedy with both Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey respectively, while the Cast of Modern Family for a third time won Ensemble Cast, Comedy, Television Series.  ITV British Import Downton Abbey won Ensemble Cast, Drama, Television Series.

For Television Movie or Miniseries, both Film Veterans Kevin Costner and Juliane Moore were victorious for their work in History’s Hatfields and McCoys and HBO‘s Game Change respectively.  Claire Danes also continues her domination this Awards Season, winning for her work on Showtime‘s Homeland for Actress, Television Series, Drama, while  Cranston won Actor Award, Television Series, Drama  for AMC’s Breaking Bad (making him a double-Winner also for Argo), beating-out Danes’ Co-Star Damian Lewis who won at the Golden Globes.

Toronto Viewers tonight were inconvenienced by technical glitches, delaying the broadcast of the SAG Awards on Global Television. Finally at approximately 9:00 PM the issue was resolved, but not without   Torontonians first being so outraged that they took to Twitter to vent so much that the Station trended.  Bad Publicity can be good too perhaps.

Read Global Television‘s Tweets about the glitches below:

 See some of the best looks from the SAG Awards tonight including  my favourite, Chastain and Seyfried in Zac Posen:

Complete List of Winners here.

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Warner Bros.)

Unbelievably, Ben Affleck’s Argo finds itself at number one with $12.5 million on a really tepid Weekend, climbing steadily to the summit since its debut three weeks ago.  The Drama which is seen widely as a Frontrunner for Best Picture, still is showing in 2,855 theatres across North America. To-date it has earned $61.5 million domestically.

Mega-Opus Cloud Atlas, despite gaining high marks for Artistic Merit, alas debuts below expectations in second with $9.5 million for Warner Bros.    Critics gave it favourable Reviews, tallying 61% on the Tomatometer.  The Film with a Cast of Megastars including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving and several more, was made for a budget of $102 million.

Former number one Hotel Transylvania still is going strong into Halloween with $9 million in its fifth week – enough to land it in third this weekend for Sony Pictures, just ahead of last week’s Champion Paranormal Activity 4, which happens also to be in fourth with $8.6 million.

Silent Hill: Revelation 3-D  which debuts in fifth with $8.5 million, from 2,933 theatres  for Open Road/Alliance Films.  The Horror which was filmed in Toronto, earned only 7% on the Tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes.

Rounding-out the Horror Contingent is Sinister, which still hanging-tough in ninth with $5 million in its third week.  Pitch Perfect rounds out the Top Ten for Universal Pictures with $4.2 million.

TIFF 2012 was another great Festival.  The fact that Toronto plays Host to such a prestigious and glamorous event is a true testament to the level of respect the Film Industry has for our City. I am so proud to be a Torontonian and proud of my fellow Torontonians who made it all happen, from the Hot Dog Vendors who fed those of us with no time for a sit-down meal, to the Celebrity Drivers and Security Guards for keeping everyone out of harm’s way.

This year I met many Stars and my only regret is not being able to be at two places at once with the opening weekend crammed with Stars. Although this is nothing new for the Festival, let’s just say I never want to be faced with having to decide between Johnny Depp versus Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence versus Emma Watson, Tom Hanks versus Jackie Chan versus Will Smith ever again!  Whomever schedules the times and locations of these Premieres certainly wasn’t a Star Spotter, that much I can say. Nightmare.

Ask Hanks, who called-out the Festival Organizers at the Press Conference for Cloud Atlas, asking: “Why do you run your celebrities through a pin like we’re bulls on the way to slaughter? It’s the narrowest  kind of like entrance to a theater I’ve ever had.”.  So believe me, it’s not just the Fans who are complaining – the Celebrities also have thoughts on the matter.

Thank you for being there along the way with me, tuning-in on CP24 and CTV News and reading my Posts as I dozed off on my keyboard fighting to finish that one more Blog Post at 5:00 AM.  I can now look forward to catching-up on sleep once again, spotting Stars in the City at a far more reasonable pace and being Billy‘s Dad again.  Oh, how I’ve missed that little Guy.  And oh, how I know come January (when the Stars are sparse in the City) that I’ll be wishing it was September again!

  Until next year…

xMr. Will

List of Celebrities: Vanessa Hudgens, John Krasinski, Flava Flav, Ashley Benson, Kevin Zegers, Karl Urban, Alice Englert, Derek Cianfrance, Stephen Fung, Ben Mendelsohn, Dane DeHaan, Lana Wachowski, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, Glen Powell, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Liana Liberato, Jessica Mauboy, June Diane Raphael, Trudie Styler, Mickey Sumner, Kristen Wiig, Sam Taylor-Wood, Aaron Johnson, Eva Mendes, Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks, Kevin James, Adam Sandler, Fran Drescher, Molly Shannon, Tate Donovan, Ben Affleck, Coco, Ice-T, Amy Adams, Gina Torres, Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano, Frank Grillo, Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Shannon, Viggo Mortensen, Gael Garcia Bernal, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jason Bateman, Paula Patton, Marisa Tomei, Julie Benz, Lorenza Izzo, Jacqueline MacInnes-Wood, Patrick J. Adams & Tatyana Ali, Gregory Smith, Penelope Mitchell, Abbie Cornish, Logan Lerman, Toby Irvine, Jeremy Irvine, Emile Hirsch, Chris O’Dowd, Lee Daniels, Kiowa Gordon, Alessandro Nivola, Zac Efron, Octavia Spencer and Shannon Leto.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

1. Bruce Willis actually signing an Autograph for once – Press Conference for Looper.  Believe me, he rarely does it!  His younger Co-Star Joseph Gordon-Levitt certainly could learn a lesson or two from that, getting booed after turning-down Fans yet again.

2. Vanessa Hudgens & Austin Butler arriving in Toronto together for Spring Breakers.

3. Kristen Stewart at the On the Road Premiere. Smiling!  A great regret of mine for not bothering to queue toe Red Carpet for her as she was extremely generous with Fans that day.

4. Garrett Hedlund is a star on the rise; he is seen here at On the Road Premiere.

5. Karl Urban at the Premiere for Dredd 3-D.  Is he perhaps Action Cinema’s most underrated Actor?

6. Joss Whedon walking to TIFF Bell Lightbox for some Photos.  Several Fanboys and Fangirls got their biggest wish come true meeting the Director as he walked to and from Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

7. Lana Wachowski debuts herself as a Woman at the Cloud Atlas Press Conference. Yes, you know who she is. Think: The Matrix.

8. Jennifer Lawrence at the Press Conference for Silver Linings Playbook. Easily the Festival’s biggest “It Girl”. Few got their Photos with her, but The Hunger Games Star did her best to sign every Autograph she could.

9. Tom Hanks at Cloud Atlas Press Conference. That is all.

10. Halle Berry being gracious to Fans working her way into ever corner of the queue, signing Autographs at Cloud Atlas Press Conference. I am floored by her beauty and kindness.

11. John Hawkes at the Premiere for The Sessions, for which he is gaining a tremendous amount of Oscar buzz with.  He declined me a Photo but still was nice about it, as he was rushed off into his vehicle.

12. Patrick Schwarzenegger at the Premiere for his first Film, The Writers.  Yes, I met a Schwarzenegger!!  Was Arnold even this handsome at his age?

13. Lily Collins at the Premiere for The Writers. Love her Balmain Dress; favourite Dress at TIFF 2012 – no doubt.

14. Pierce Brosnan at the Premiere for Love Is All You Need. As classy and kind as you’d imagine.

15. Kristen Wiig at the Premiere for Imogene.  Incredibly gracious on the Carpet, but don’t bug her when she’s not working.  My #1 Person to Meet at TIFF 2012 and it happened! And it was epic! Hilarious seeing myself shouting for her on the Carpet later that day on the news!!

16. Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling together in one Photo.  How can one .jpg contain that much hotness?  Photo taken at Party for The Place Beyond the Pines where Gosling was spotted bringing his Mom, Donna. Aww!  

17. Eva Mendes at the Party for The Place Beyond the Pines. Whatever Ryan Gosling has done to her,  she needs to keep doing as she was in great spirits that night. Mendes was incredibly friendly to Fans this year and she has never looked more glamorous doing it. I want to squeal every time I look at my Photo with her.

18. Elle Fanning at the Premiere for Ginger & Rosa. Stunning and sweet young Lady who happens to be the little Sister of Dakota.  She is said to have been v. emotional after seeing Film for the first time and apparently cried on-stage during the Q&A.

19. Christina Hendricks at the Premiere for Ginger & Rosa. Stunning.  Just absolutely stunning.  The Mad Men Star declined Photos that night, but after a bit of persistence she did it and I will never forget!  Thanks to Friend and Reader Laura for snapping this!

20. Adam Sandler at the Press Conference for Hotel Transylvania being  awesome with Fans surprisingly. You just can never tell with Comedians.  He’s always been a favourite of mine and I’d never have guessed I’d have gotten a Photo with him!

21. Selena Gomez at the Press Conference for Hotel Transylvania. I have never heard so much shrieking. Ever.

22. Ben Affleck at the Press Conference for Argo, which although got mixed reviews at Venice Film Festival, was loved by many in Toronto. A great Guy who is equally talented as a Director as he is an Actor and wonderful to his Fans. He definitely is one of my greatest highlights of TIFF 2012.

23. Bryan Cranston at the Press Conference for Argo. A true Gentleman who hopefully will come back to film in Toronto again and be welcomed with open arms as he’s just an amazing Guy!

24. Darren Criss at a Photo Call for Imogene.  Some Glee Fans had great experiences with him, some not so much especially after arriving so late to the Premiere for the Film that he had little time for Fans.

25. Paul Thomas Anderson at the Press Conference for The Master – the one Film which already is being touted as a clear favourite to win Best Picture this year.

26. Amy Adams at the Press Conference for The Master. They don’t come much nicer than her. One of my fondest memories of TIFF 2012 was meeting her. One of America’s greatest Actresses and believe me, I’ve waited year after year for her to come.

27. Ziyi Zhang at the Roy Thomson Hall Premiere for Dangerous Liaisons. Absolute perfection.

28. Michael Shannon at the Press Conference for The Iceman; a bona fide Actor’s Actor on the verge of an Oscar whether it be this year or another year. Incredibly humble and generous with Fans, taking the time to fulfill every request thrown his way that day.

29. Kristin Scott Thomas leaving her Hotel after promoting No. Brilliant Actress, who is every bit as classy and kind as you’d imagine.  Will she ever age?!

30. Marisa Tomei at Red Carpet for Inescapable at Roy Thomson Hall.  Tomei was in great spirits at the Carpet, signing many Autographs and believe it or not, doing some Photos with Fans. I even got one (minus the fact that she moved quickly after posing!).  A rarity for the Oscar-winning Actress!

31. Octavia Spencer at Red Carpet for Smashed. Charismatic Actress who although vocal with Fans and generous with Autographs at Ryerson Theatre, was photo-shy, declining Photos with Fans leaving them disappointed as she entered the venue.

 32. Aaron Johnson at Premiere for Anna Karenina.  Unquestionably talented Actor who is on the verge of becoming Hollywood’s next It Boy. Currently in Toronto filming Kick-Ass 2; lovely meeting his Wife, Sam Taylor-Wood who was a bit taken a back when I asked her for a Snap.

33. Paula Patton leaving her Hotel for Premiere of Disconnect. She was one of the sweetest Celebrities to have graced the City this Festival; extremely giving, friendly and just beautiful to the eye.

34. Chris Evans aka Captain America, at Press Conference for The Iceman.  The Hunk has catapulted to the top after much persistence and dedication. Although he typically doesn’t sign Autographs, Fans were delighted by his generosity that day.

35. Penelope Cruz at Press Conference for Twice Born. Always a thrill to see this brilliant Spanish Actress, who has left her mark in Hollywood with a string of Oscar-worthy performances.

36. Chris O’Dowd at Premiere for The Sapphires. The lovable Funnyman spent a good amount of time with Fans as his Premiere with cigarette in-mouth, while earlier Harvey Weinstein milled about in the background, going in and out of VISA Screening Room checking audience reactions.  One of the few Films which I saw an Audience give a standing ovation to outside the Theatre.

37. Zoe Kazan at the InStyle Magazine Party. You’ve definitely seen her before but just didn’t know her name. This humble and sweet Actress was spotted with her equally amazing Partner Paul Dano, taking Photos with several Fans.  Currently in-town filming The F Word opposite Daniel Radcliffe, it’s quite possible we’ll be seeing her on the Red Carpet herself at TIFF 2013! While most Actresses opted for fluffy frocks and slinky dresses, she kept it cool and casual.

38. Johnny Depp at Premiere for West of Memphis.  Although I physically wasn’t at this event, I did see Depp earlier in the day at the Press Conference for the Documentary, failing to fire a proper Snap of him as he hopped straight into his vehicle. He apparently was generous with Autographs upon arrival, although few who were persistent enough managed a Snap together with him. Thanks to my loyal Reader and Friend Sheetal for sending this in!

39. Gwyneth Paltrow at Premiere for Thanks for Sharing.  Fans who lined the Carpet at Ryerson Theatre were in awe how kind this Oscar-winning Actress was with Fans. It definitely was one of my biggest regrets of the Festival, just missing her both arriving and leaving, but thanks again to Sheetal, I have a beautiful Snap to show you.  Paltrow was in a great hurry to fly-out after walking the Red Carpet quickly.

40. Jeremy Irvine at the InStyle Magazine Party.  I adore this Irish-born Actor v. much after having seen him in War Horse – the one single Movie which made me cry so hard my face hurt, last year.  I’ll be the first to admit he’s a bit more reserved and quiet than I’d have imagined but still a great Guy. I also got to meet his younger Brother Toby, who is just breaking into Cinema appearing in Dickens Adaptation Great Expectations together. Thanks to my amazing Reader and Friend Nicole who generously sent this Snap over after my Camera failed to fire!

41. Zac Efron at Afterparty for The Paperboy.  One of the Films I am most excited to see this year is this latest effort from Precious Director, Lee Daniels. The number one question I received on Twitter this Festival definitely was “Do you have any idea where Zac is staying?”. Everywhere he went there was chaos as that was the case at his Afterparty at Bloke and Forth, with Fans crowding to meet him, resulting in him having to be escorted-in prematurely.

42. Logan Lerman at The Writers Premiere.  One of the biggest breakout Stars of TIFF 2012 is this Star of Percy Jackson. Praise has been universal for his other Film at the Festival, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, with Critics and Sir Paul McCartney singing the praises of the Novel Adaptation. He’s definitely an Oddball, but a good Guy.

It’s been an absolute blast making it through another TIFF together.  Thank you all for your encouragement, Re-Tweets and kind words. Can’t wait till next year already! *bow*

 (Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong | Additional Photos: Sheetal Nanda/Nicole Divitcoff/Laura Cordero)

Gaining tons of Oscar buzz for his second self-directed Feature, Argo, the handsome Ben Affleck arrived with Wife Jennifer Garner  in Toronto to unveil the new Political Drama. I was one of the lucky few who scored a Snap with the Actor/Director, who was wonderful to Fans with Autographs on his way to and from the Junket.  Argo, Affleck admits, pays tribute to the wonderful country of Canada re-telling the story of six Americans who found shelter at the home of a Canadian Ambassador during the Iranian Revolution.

Crying and shaking still….

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)