Hollywood united once again for the biggest night in Film, the 85th annual Academy Awards, held at newly-coined Dolby Theatre (formerly Kodak Theatre) in Los Angeles.  Hosted (and Nominee) by Funnyman Seth McFarlane, there were several moments of biting humour where he  drew “ooh”s, followed by “hahahaha”s, including everything from  jokes about Chris Brown and Rihanna to nine-year-old Nominee Quvenzhané Wallis, whom he said “in 15 years will be of age to date George Clooney“.  The highlight of his Opening Speech  included dancing by Charlize Theron and Channing Tatum and a cynical William Shatner, where we saw a hilarious Sock Puppet Re-enactment of Best Picture Nominee Flight. In addition, the sometimes Crooner showed-off  his singing chops including an inappropriate Duet with Kristin Chenoweth as the credits rolled, poking fun at the Losers.

Winning top honours tonight was Ben Affleck-directed Argo, which solidified its place in the race for Best Picture with a gain in momentum of late, with wins at major Oscars pre-cursor ceremonies including  the Critics’ Choice Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Directors Guide Awards. The Film also won Editing and Adapted Screenplay earlier in the evening and despite noticeably being left-out  in the Directing race this year, a fast-talking Affleck sorta addressed his snubbing by saying, “You can’t hold grudges and it doesn’t matter how you get knocked down in life as all that matters is that you  get up.”. The Drama had the distinction of debuting here at the Toronto International Film Festival this past September, when we were lucky enough to see Affleck and the Cast here in the City.

It should come as no surprise to many that Daniel Day-Lewis went on to win his third  Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in Best Picture Contender, Lincoln.  The private British-Irish Actor in 1989 won for My Left Foot and also in 2007 for There Will Be Blood.  In his Acceptance Speech, he showed his funny side, joking “Steven (Spielberg) originally wanted to cast Meryl (Streep) in the role of Lincoln“, accepting his Award from a fellow three-time Winner in Streep, acknowledging what a versatile Actress she is.

Winning Best Actress was 22-year-old Jennifer Lawrence, who looked stunning in her Dress designed by Dior Haute Couture, winning for her work in Rom-Com, Silver Linings Playbook.  Tripping up the stairs while accepting her Award, she humbly said “You’re all standing just because you felt bad I fell down”.  Lawrence became the second youngest Actress ever to win the Award, behind only a then 21-year-old Marlee Matlin in Children of a Lesser God.  The Category was seen as a hotly-contested battle between her and Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty.

Christoph Waltz repeated his 2010 feat, winning Best Supporting Actor once again for his second collaboration with Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained.  The Austrian Actor  has solidified his standing  in North America as a Star with a hosting gig on Saturday Night Live just last week, completing his Awards Season sweep which also included wins at the Golden Globe Awards and also the BAFTAs.

Anne Hathaway, being the odds-on favourite to win Best Supporting Actress also was absolutely no surprise winning  her respective Category on the strength of her heartbreaking performance as Fantine in Tom Hooper‘s Les Misérables. Dressed in Prada – a decision she only made three hours prior to walking the Red Carpet which was met with mixed reviews – the New York Native has won an astonishing  43 wins  this Awards Season, with handful more to go still.

Taiwan-born Director Ang Lee became a two-time winner in the  Directing Category with his Life of Pi, after winning in 2005 with Brokeback Mountain.  Quentin Tarantino also won his second Oscar – his first being in1995 with Pulp Fiction – for his Screenplay, Django Unchained, although he  noticeably was omitted from consideration in the Directing Category.

After much buzz surrounding her appearance tonight which prevented her from appearing at the BRIT Awards the other night, International Singing Sensation Adele performed a stirring rendition of  Skyfall, co-written by her and Paul Epworth, which went on to win her an Oscar tonight for Best Original Song.   Adele among others, beat-out Host MacFarlane‘s co-written Everybody Needs a Best Friend, sung by Norah Jones, from Ted.

 See some of the stunning Fashion from the Oscars tonight, including my fave look – Amanda Seyfried in Alexander McQueen!

For a full list of Winners, click here.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Zombie-RomCom Warm Bodies heats-up the Box Office, taking the top spot of the North American Box Office with a stellar $19 million for Summit Entertainment/Lionsgate Films/eOne Films this Super Bowl Weekend. The Montreal-filmed Adaptation of the Isaac Marion Novel, struck a chord with Moviegoers, fulfilling their needs for a February Romance, while also providing laughs amidst the Winter Blahs at once.  CinemaScore gave it a B+, while the Critics at Rotten Tomatoes tallied-in at 76% on the Tomatoeter. The Film was made  for $30 million from 3,009 theatres, meaning some massive profits for the Studio and the possibility of further installments to come – perhaps an Adaptation of its recently-released Prequel?

Last week’s Champ Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters continues to perform well in second with $9.2 million from 3,375 theatres for Paramount Pictures. In two weeks, it has grossed over $34 million domestically.  Worldwide it is on its way to surpassing the $100 million-mark.

Silver Linings Playbook continues to benefit from its Oscars boost, landing in third with $8.1 million. Coincidentally, the RomCom also has a Football theme, tying-in perhaps to the Super Bowl this weekend.  It also surpasses the $80 million mark domestically for The Weinstein Co./Alliance Films (eOne Films) and Pundits are forecasting it passing the $100-million mark.

Toronto-filmed Mama continues exceeds all expectations, still a major player at the Box Office after two weeks.  The Horror earns $6.7 million in fourth for Universal Pictures/eOne Films, a cumulative total of $53.8 million to date.  Jessica Chastain who stars in this  and also Zero Dark Thirty, is right behind herself in fifth with $5.3 million, almost surpassing the $80 million-mark domestically.

In sixth is Bullet to the Head with $4.5 million for Warner Bros./eOne Films. The Sylvester Stallone-starring Action Flick didn’t fare as well with Critics, earning 48% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, but Audiences responded fairly well with a B- CinemaScore.

Rounding-out the Top Ten this weekend are Best Picture Contenders and Veterans: Django Unchained, Les Misérables and Lincoln, taking-in $3, $2.41 and $2.4 respectively.

Jessica Chastain, Box Office Queen.  The Best Actress Frontrunner in record time has gone from obscurity straight to the top, occupying both the top two spots at the Box Office this weekend with Mama and Zero Dark Thirty.  The former, produced by Guillermo del Toro  and filmed in Toronto, earns $28.1 million from 2,647 theatres for Universal Pictures/eOne Films, securing its place at the top, while the latter nabs second spot with $17.6 million. Zero Dark Thirty to date has grossed $59 million for Sony Pictures/Alliance Films domestically.  Mama‘s performance bodes well for the City as a destination for filming, proving we have the resources to make a top-placing Film. Critics gave it generally positive reviews, garnering 63% on the Tomatometer.  2011 Horror Flick Dream House from Universal Pictures/eOne Films, filmed in the City, didn’t fare quite as well critically and commercially.  Mama Star Nickolaj Coster-Waldau was recently in Toronto. Find out how to win a Photo signed by him here.

After a bit of dawdling, Silver Linings Playbook gets its due success in its tenth week of release, expanding to 2,523 theatres, earning $11.3 million for The Weinstein Co./Alliance Films – good enough for third.  This undoubtedly was aided by both its recent Golden Globes exposure with Jennifer Lawrence winning Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and also its Best Picture Nomination for the Oscars.

Gangster Squad performs steadily in fourth with $9.1 million in its second week for Warner Bros, just ahead of  Broken City, starring Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg, debuting in fourth with $9 million.  The Action-Drama earned a 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.

Debuting at number two last week, Horror Spoof A Haunted House slips to sixth this weekend with $8.3 million for Open Road Films.  The Film which parodies Paranormal Activity and The Devil Inside, opens in Canada next Friday via VVS Films.

Meanwhile, Oscar Contenders Django Unchained and Les Misérables are still performing respectably thanks to the Oscars and Golden Globes boost, placing them seventh with $8.2 million and eighth with $7.8 million respectively.  Former three-week Champ The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey earns $6.4 million for Warner Bros.

Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s return to the Big Screen wasn’t so heroic, opening in tenth with $6 million.  Critics however, weren’t all too disapproving as it earned mixed Reviews at best with 56% on the Tomatometer.

Giving just a taste of what’s to come at the Oscars next month, the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards took place tonight at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.  As originally thought, the Race to next month’s Oscars is just as wide-open as ever based on tonight’s results. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association awarded top Honours to Argo for Motion Picture – Drama, when many thought Zero Dark Thirty or Lincoln would be victorious. To further illustrate the drastic differences between the HFPA‘s tastes and that of the Academy, Ben Affleck shocked many in failing to garner a mention for Best Director when Oscar Nominees were unveiled this past Thursday. To put this into context, Affleck‘s win tonight for Motion Picture – Director had him defeating previous Oscar Winners Kathryn Bigelow and even past Cecil B. DeMille Award Winner, Steven Spielberg. Nonetheless, with Argo nabbing two key Awards, in addition to Django Unchained winning Original Screenplay and Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Christoph Waltz) and Les Misérables also winning an impressive three Awards: Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Actor in a Musical or Comedy (Hugh Jackman) and Supporting Actress in a Musical or Comedy (Anne Hathaway), these three Best Picture Nominees definitely cannot be ruled-out.

Jodie Foster, a six-time Golden Globe Nominee herself, was honoured with the Cecil B. DeMille Award this year, raising quite a few eyebrows with her v. candid Speech which for the first time publicly had her addressing her Sexuality. “I’m just gonna put it out there loud and proud, so I’m gonna need your support on this. I am single. Yes I am”, she said with a bit of nervousness. “I already did my coming-out a thousand years ago in the Stone Age in those very quaint days when a fragile young Girl would open-up to Family and Friends”.  On her longevity as an Actress Foster says, “There are a few secrets to keeping your Psyche intact over such a long career – love people and stay beside them.”.

As predicted, Jessica Chastain and Daniel Day-Lewis won respectively for Best Actress and Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. This is the second time Chastain has been nominated, her first Nomination coming with 2011’s The Help.  Also this is the sixth time the reclusive Day-Lewis has been nominated and his second time winning the prestigious Award.  He won in  2008 for There Will Be Blood.

Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman earned his first-ever Golden Globe  for Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, with  Les Misérables; he received  his first nomination back in 2002 for Kate & Leopold.  Jackman edged-out Bradley Cooper, a first-time Nominee for his work on Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Winner Silver Linings Playbook.  Both Actors will vie with Day-Lewis at next month’s Oscars for the  coveted Best Actor Award.

The Hunger Games Star Jennifer Lawrence, won her first Golden Globe for Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her work in Silver Linings Playbook.  “What can I say? I beat Meryl!”, she joked upon accepting her Award from hilarious Anchorman 2 Duo, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell.  “JLaw” as she likes to be called, received her first Golden Globe in 2010 for Breakthrough Role in Winter’s Bone.

Three-time Golden Globe Nominee Anne Hathaway was seen widely as a heavy Favourite to win for Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture and did not disappoint for her work in Les Misérables.  Defeating an exceptionally-talented Group including Helen Hunt, Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams and Sally Field, Hathaway likely will take home Best Supporting Actress next month also.  The New York Native’s Acceptance Speech was full of compliments, giving nods to Co-Host Tina Fey, using a word she made famous, “Blarg!” and also praising Field for her Oscar-winning work in Norma Rae.

Despite some heavy competition, two-time Golden Globe Nominee and now two-time Winner Waltz rose above all to win Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his spirited turn in Django Unchained. With the exception of Co-Star Leonardo DiCaprio, he will be up against Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tommy Lee Jones and Alan Arkin again next month at the Oscars in the same Category.

In the Television categories, HBO‘s Sarah Palin-inspired Game Change and  Showtime Drama Series Homeland walked away the big Winners. The former won for Mini-Series or Motion Picture for Television, in addition to Stars Julianne Moore and Ed Harris each winning Actress and Supporting Actor respectively. The latter garnered four nominations this year, including Television Series – Drama.  New Mom  Claire Danes, who won last year for Actress in a Television Series – Drama repeated the feat again this year, while Co-Star Damian Lewis won the Award for Actor.  HBO‘s Breakout Hit Girls despite falling short at the Primetime Emmy Awards late last year, would not be refused tonight winning Television Series – Comedy and also its Writer and Star Lena Dunham winning Actress in a Television Series – Comedy.  Coincidentally or not, Season Two of the Series premiered tonight.

As always, Fashion is a huge part of the Festivities and especially stunning on the Red Carpet tonight were Hathaway donning an elegant white Chanel Dress.  Chastain rarely disappoints and tonight she chose Calvin Klein as her Clothier of choice, looking Classic Hollywood and Katharine Hepburn-esque.  Lawrence also drew a lot of attention for her red Dior Couture Dress cinched with a thematically-appropriate gold belt, as did Foster in a navy Armani Number.    Lucy Liu who currently stars in TV Series Elementary, may have drawn some mixed responses for her floral Carolina Herrera Dress, but she gets big points here for the inspired Look. Also, hilariously snappy Co-Hosts  Tina Fey and Amy Poehler graced the Carpet in Wife and Husband Outfits, Fey looking particularly amazing in L’wren Scott. Of the Gentleman, no one can deny that Leonardo DiCaprio was King of the Ball in Tom Ford!

For a complete list of Winners, click here.

(Photo credit: @GoldenGlobes)

Huge numbers for Zero Dark Thirty which in a perfectly-timed expansion to 2,937 theatres just one day after Oscar Nominations were announced, earns $24 million for Sony Pictures/Alliance Films. The intense Drama about the successful capture of Osama bin Laden, to date has earned $31 million after two v. successful weeks in Limited Release. Reviews equally are solid with it earning a stellar 92% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer. Many are seeing this latest Effort from Oscar-winning Director Kathryn Bigelow as a legitimate contender to win Best Picture next month.

A Haunted House opens in 2,160 theatres south of the border for Open Road Films, earning $17.5 million and opening in second.  The Horror-Comedy stars Marlon Wayans and spoofs Found-Footage Horrors like Paranormal Activity and The Devil Inside and has yet to be released in Canada. Critics as expected, ripped the Film to shreds, earning a paltry 10% on the Tomatometer, but Users overwhelmingly gave it an 85% rating and Cinemascore gave it a B- rating; not bad.

After delays, Mobster Drama Gangster Squad debuts respectably in third with $17 million from 3,103 theatres. Made for $75 million, the slick-looking Film boasts a stellar Cast including Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Giovanni Ribisi and Emma Stone. Although Critics had their opinions about the Movie, Audiences responded well and it gets a B+ Cinemascore.

Still going strong after a Christmas release, Django Unchained lands in fourth this week for The Weinstein Co./Alliance Films, earning $14.5 million. Just nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, that news likely helped propel Moviegoers into the theatres this weekend. It already has earned over $125 million domestically.

Les Misérables, like Django Unchained, continues to get a push from its Oscar Nomination for Best Picture, earning $9.5 million in its third week. Above this, its Soundtrack is performing exceedingly-well on the U.S. Billboard Hot 200 Chart, currently the number one-selling Album in North America.

The Hobbit in its fifth week lands in sixth with $9 million – to date earning $277 million domestically. This places it  just ahead of Disney‘s Lincoln which earns a v. solid $6.3 million in its tenth week.

Last week’s Champ, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D is unable to maintain its dominance, slipping to number eighth this weekend with $5.5 million after debuting on-top. Paramount Pictures’ Jack Reacher rounds-out the Top Ten with $5 million.

Hollywood didn’t sleep much last night as the 85th annual Academy Award Nominations were announced at 5:30 AM Pacific Time.  This year, Emma Stone and Funnyman Seth McFarlane were called-upon for announcing duties and although there were a few surprise Omissions, few will dispute that this year’s Nominees are deserving.  MacFarlane himself even received a Nomination for his Song, Everybody Needs a Friend from Ted.

This year’s Best Picture Nominees are: Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty and lastly, Lincoln which leads the way with twelve Nominations. Many are concerned that snubs in the Directing Category might be predictive of a voting result here.

Directing Nominees include: Michael Haneke (Amour), Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Ang Lee (Life of Pi), David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook) and Steven Spielberg (Lincoln).  Surprise Omissions are first-ever Female Winner in the Category, Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) and Ben Affleck who despite a v. heavy promotional Campaign, still got snubbed for Argo. Missing also is Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained.

Actor in a Leading Role is hotly-contended with Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables) up against current Favourite Daniel Day-Lewis  (Lincoln), Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Joaquin Phoenix (The Master) and Denzel Washington (Flight). Many are surprised that John Hawkes was snubbed here while his The Sessions Co-Star Helen Hunt was recognized for her work.

Actress in a Leading Role boasts two records – youngest and oldest Actress ever to be nominated with Quvenzhané Wallis and Emmanuelle Riva holding those distinctions respectively.  Otherwise, Naomi Watts (The Impossible) is up against Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) and Favourite, Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) – these three Actresses each receiving their second-ever Nominations.

Actor in a Supporting Role for the first-time ever includes all previous Academy Award Winners: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), Robert DeNiro (Silver Linings Playbook), Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master), Tommy Lee-Jones (Lincoln) and Alan Arkin (Argo).  Some are surprised that Leonardo Dicaprio got snubbed for his work in Django Unchained, in perhaps the most evenly-matched Category at this year’s Awards.

Actress in a Supporting Role recognizes some fine work this year, but through and through Anne Hathaway is likely to win it all for her bone-chilling work as Fantine in Les Misérables.  Also nominated are Amy Adams (The Master), Helen Hunt (The Sessions), Sally Field (Lincoln) and Jackie Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook).  Each of these Actresses have either been nominated for or have won at least one Academy Award prior.

As an added surprise, perhaps we can expect to see Adele performing Original Song Nominee Skyfall?

For a complete list of Nominees, click here.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D murders the competition this weekend at the Box Office, kicking-off with a bang on Friday night with $10.2 million. Although slipping noticeably throughout the weekend, the Horror Remake starring Alexandra Daddario and Trey Songz still lands on-top with $23 million for Lionsgate Films/VVS Films, from 2.654 theatres across North America. Rising Star Daddario recently was in Toronto and we caught-up with her. Click here for more.

After menacing in second last weekend Django Unchained still is going strong in its third week with $20.1 million for The Weinstein Co./Alliance Films, keeping The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey behind in third with $17.5 million for Warner Bros., after a successful three weeks in-a-row at number one.

Les Misérables slips to fourth this weekend with $16.1 million, for Universal Pictures, at once surpassing the $100 mark domestically.

Parental Guidance meanwhile still continues to hang-on top the Top Five after a valiant fight, earning $10.1 million this weekend, giving Moviegoers some much-needed funny fare aside from some of the heavier-hearted options out right now.

Judd Apatow‘s This is 40 meanwhile continues to perform steadily, landing in seventh with $8.6 million, closing-in on the $60 million mark, keeping Best Picture Contender Lincoln at bay with $5.2 million in eighth.

Despite a relatively quiet promotional campaign, Gus Van Sant‘s latest Promised Land enters quietly in tenth with $4.6  million. Its Script was penned by its Stars, Matt Damon and John Krasinski.

Bubbling under, The Impossible, based on true story of a Family which survived 2004‘s devastating Tsunami while on vacation in Thailand, debuts in ninth spot with $2.76 million from 572 theatres and is set to expand next week to bigger numbers.  Naomi Watts is expected to gain an Oscar nomination Thursday for her powerful performance as Maria Belon in the Film from Focus Features/eOne Films.

Best Picture Frontrunner Zero Dark Thirty, which stars the currently-on-Broadway Jessica Chastain is seeing an enormous amount of buzz for in the Oscars Race, earning an impressive $2.75 in just 60 theatres! The Drama about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, finally sees a wide release next Friday.

With the voting deadline having passed for Academy Members, Deadline is reporting much controversy over the transition of the voting process from over-the-mail to online.  Apparently, some Movers & Shakers and even Oscar-winning Actors themselves were having technical issues accessing their accounts as they scrambled to make this week’s deadline. Click here to read more about that.

Non-theatrical Drama aside, I am beyond-excited for this Thursday morning’s Oscar Nominee Announcements.  Expect Jessica Chastain to be the definitive Favourite to win Best Actress for Zero Dark Thirty, as is the case with Anne Hathaway in the Category of Best Supporting Actress based on her bone-chilling Les Misérables Performance.  In a tight match, Hugh Jackman and two-time Winner Daniel Day-Lewis foreseeably will be neck-in-neck for Best Actor, while Django Unchained Co-Stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz likely will vie for Best Supporting Actor along with Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln, and Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master.  In a year with several standouts, Zero Dark Thirty, Silver Linings Playbook, Django Unchained, Argo and Lincoln all to be in close contention, while divisive Dark Horse The Master, could surprise.

Seth MacFarlane hosts the 85th annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2013. ABC airs at 7:00 PM EST. 

As a reminder, the Golden Globe Awards follow only a few days after the Oscar Nominations are unveiled, taking place on Sunday, January 13, 2012 at 8:00 PM EST, to air on NBC; Tina Fey & Amy Poehler host. 

I live for this!

(Photo credit: Oscars.com)

Although they kicked-off with a bang on Christmas Day, neither  Les Misérables  nor Django Unchained could unseat The Hobbit from the throne on this final weekend of 2012 and believe me, the latter came close. The first installment of the Peter Jackson Trilogy earns $31.5 million this weekend in North America from 4,100 theatres and worldwide it already has grossed over $600 million for Warner Bros.

Quentin Tarantino‘s latest Opus, Django Unchained, debuts in second with $31 million for The Weinstein Co. and Alliance Films, already being touted potentially as the Auteur Filmmaker’s highest-grossing Film ever. With final numbers still come in, it is quite possible we might see a reverse in the order of finish tomorrow with this over-performing Oscar Contender on-top. Since Christmas Day, the Action/Thriller/Western/Drama was earned a stellar $64 million. Critics in addition to audiences are loving the Flick, earning a stellar 89% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.

Tom Hooper‘s Les Misérables started strong on Christmas Day earning $18 million, tailing-off a little since, but the $61 million Musical from Universal Pictures still performs exceedingly well in third with $27.4 million. With overall positive reviews at 72% on the Tomatometer, audiences worldwide are responding and in only a few days, it has grossed $68 million domestically.

Parental Guidance might not have gotten great reviews (17% on Rotten Tomatoes), but the Holiday–Comedy opens with $14.4million this weekend for 20th Century Fox in fourth, landing just a head of Jack Reacher starring Tom Cruise, in fifth with $14 million in its second week.

This is 40 gave Moviegoers a more lighthearted option this Christmas and gets rewarded with $12.5 million this weekend, already surpassing its production cost of $35 million in two weeks of release.

Meanwhile, Disney‘s Lincoln still is going strong in its eighth week with $7.5 million from 1,966 theatres at seventh spot. Rise of the Guardians in its fifth week rounds-out the Top Ten with $5 million from Paramount Pictures.

2012 was a memorable year for Music, with several standouts in Music and Film.  I was busier than ever chasing  Stars in the City, with several Celebrities having good reason to visit Toronto this year, including one of the most star-studded TIFFs in recent memory.  Let’s take a walk down Memory Lane in honour what I feel were the most memorable Films, Pop Songs and personal Celebrity Encounters!

Top Ten Movies of 2012

1. Argo
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
3. Django Unchained
4. Ted
5. Silver Linings Playbook
6. The Hunger Games
7. End of Watch
8. The Sessions
9. Les Misérables
10. Rock of Ages

Top Ten Singles of 2012

1. Brokenhearted – Karmin
2. What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger) – Kelly Clarkson
3. Madness – Muse
4. Midnight City – M83
5. We are Young – fun. ft. Janelle Monáe
6. Dance Again – Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull
7. Skyfall – Adele
8. Wide Awake – Katy Perry
9. Starships – Nicki Minaj
10. Gangnam Style – PSY

Top Celebrity Encounters of 2012

Steven Tyler, Paula Abdul, Sheena Easton, Alanis Morissette, Nelly Furtado, Carly Rae Jepsen, PSY, The Wanted, One Direction, Ed Sheeran, fun., Karmin, Emeli Sandé, Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Quentin Tarantino, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Robin Williams, Jon Voight, Malcolm McDowell, Viggo Mortensen, Matt Dillon, Andrew McCarthy, Rob Lowe, Linda Hamilton, Ben Affleck, Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Joe Manganiello, Aaron Johnson, Ben Whishaw, Dane DeHaan, Joel Kinnaman, Daniel Radcliffe, Josh Hutcherson, Zac Efron, Logan Lerman, Jeremy Irvine, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Michael Shannon, Patrick Wilson, John Krasinski, Adam Sandler, Tracy Morgan, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Mann & Judd Apatow, Allison Williams, Meg Hilty, Lisa D’Amato, Cobie Smulders, Zoe Kazan & Paul Dano, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Mélanie Laurent, Marisa Tomei, Eva Mendes, Lily Collins, Alice Englert, Elle Fanning, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Hendricks, Kim Kardashian, Seann William Scott, Stephen Amell, Ricki Lake, Connie Chung, Jacky Cheung, George Takei, Mike Smith, Rosie Napravnik, Frankie Dettori, Andy Roddick & Brooklyn Decker and Jeremy Lin.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)