Nicolle Weeks

We managed to fly into London Fashion Week to drop in on a few shows during the last two days of the world famous event. The show of the season was definitely the Vivienne Westwood show held in the post Earl’s Court area last Thursday. Her iconic clothes were strutted out in front of big-name celebs like a statuesque Dita Von Teese, Kate Moss, Mark Ronson, Kimberley Stewart, Mischa Barton, Pixie Geldof, and E!’s own heavily eyelined Pamela Anderson, who hid beneath a pile of blonde curls.

When asked backstage what happens when you die, the super designer Vivienne Westwood replied, “I believe you rot.” Which is probably why she’s still living the fast life and says she never plans on retiring. She wore an iridescent black cape and several necklaces (including a large skull and being true to her start, one made of safety pins) and gave life advice for young people to a Vogue reporter surrounded by a swarm of onlookers: “Work hard.”

Keep reading for our exclusive behind the scenes gallery from London Fashion Week.

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City and Colour (or Dallas Green if you want to get personal) is surprisingly humourous if you take his melancholy musings into account (case in point, from 'Death of Me'—"My nerves will be the death of me, I know"). The St. Catharines, Ontario-born singer effortlessly weaved jokes into his set at the TIFF Canadian Music Café today while he tuned his guitar.

"I wanted one of those guitars that tune themselves like Joni Mitchell has, so I mentioned it at a show once," Dallas quipped in between songs, "but someone from the audience yelled, 'She has arthritis!' So I guess I should be glad I can tune mine myself." His guitar, a 1944 model, is well-worn and sounds great.

The jokes were juxtaposed with Dallas - beautiful and deceptively simple melodies, which he played solo. "I take my music seriously, but I don't take myself seriously," he told me after the show. "I get that from my father, that's where I learned to be funny."

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Sonia Mansillo / E!

Devoted musician Martha Wainwright boarded a flight to Toronto from New York yesterday morning to perform at the TIFF Canadian Music Café – she arrived nine hours later after her flight was delayed by the likes of Hurricane Ike. After rushing from the airport to the Hard Rock Café in downtown Toronto, she zipped onstage without so much as a change of clothes or a hint of makeup (a brave woman indeed!).

“You photographers are going to do something about the no makeup thing, right?” She joked to the wide-eyed crowd. Seeing as the audience was made up of music industry cynics, the reception was grand, one fan shouting, “More! More!” after her last song. The set featured some of her newer songs, including “Bleeding All Over You.”

“I was going to call the album Bleeding All Over You, but it sounded too menstrual,” she joked right before playing the song.

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photo Natalie Gooding

After all the excitement of Day One, it was hard to imagine the second day topping the first, but the crowd’s energy was definitely more jubilant and excited for day two. I started with The Weakerthans and, to be honest, didn’t expect much from what I’d seen of them at a show a few years earlier. I was pleasantly surprised at their amazingly darling set, which was comprised of charm and unpretentious college rock. Seeing as they went on early, I didn’t expect many people, but they turned up in droves for the Winnipeg band.

The Silversun Pickups, though not my cup of tea, did manage to rock hard with one of the only female performers in the entire festival — Nikki Monninger. The tense rock was very yelly, but Nikki managed to have a great time onstage. Meanwhile, back at the Bacardi tent, UK DJ Lee Burridge (who I later asked to take a picture of me and a friend - he happily obliged) tore up the floor with many electronic fans dancing it up. Again, the DJ was a welcome breath of fresh air.

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photo Natalie Gooding

While most people excitedly buzzed around Toronto from one star-studded TIFF party to the next, the Virgin Festival (ambitiously planned smack dab in the middle of TIFF week) launched on Friday night with a party featuring The Constantines. The event was a bit of a yawn, perhaps because there were too many other fetes for celebs to attend (the Holt Renfew party boasted celeb appearances from Gael Garcia Bernal, D Squared and others).

The actual start of Vfest took place on Saturday and it started with a bang as Sir Richard Branson made a dazzling surprise entrance at an otherwise run-of-the-mill press briefing that morning. After answering endless questions (no, he doesn’t follow Canadian politics; yes, The Sterophonics really are one of his favourite bands), he flew off to other interviews and intrepid photographer and I started our Vfest day.

MGMT played to an excited crowd on the main stage, though they started off slow and dull. They opened with, in an odd tongue-in-cheek sarcastic tone, “Hey, Toronto, best crowd EVER.” And proceeded to play their slower Zeppelin-like set, only getting to their more energetic songs at the end. I wondered if they knew they were at a rock festival. We then hurried to catch The Fratellis, who, despite their great energy and cute British demeanor, failed to convince me they were much different from The Arctic Monkeys or The Kooks.

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Tomorrow night’s gala focuses on a lonely lawyer who happens upon a self-centred seductress in this French black comedy (do the French do any other kind of comedy?). What follows is an upbeat but ultimately heartbreaking examination of the depths people will go to in hopes of eliminating loneliness. The meek protagonist, lawyer Bertrand Beauvois (Fabrice Luchini) arrives in Monaco to argue a case, and is met with celebrity.

Fame hungry Audrey (Louise Bourgoin), local weathergirl and opportunist, quickly latches onto Bertrand in hopes of profiting from his cache. The chemistry of the cast is undeniable and the work itself is able to hold interest for the entirety of the film. Is there any star power here? The film’s star is obviously Bourgoin, who exudes effortless sexiness in her role as the Lolita-esque temptress. The film does have its problems, but for those who enjoy suspending their disbelief and watching as a characters life spirals more and more out of control, it’ll be a definite treat.

Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images

A subtly hilarious look at a bumbling beaurocracy (that, incidentally, being the CIA), Burn After Reading revolves around a self-involved cast of incompetent characters. George Clooney and Richard Jenkins both were standouts, but leaving out any of the other actors in this A-list melange would be erroneous. You’ve gotta feel sorry for Brad Pitt, though, who seems to get himself into serious films only to play the supporting jester – even if he does do his damnedest to make himself goofy, ugly or plain insane. There is buzz that this might be an Oscar-worthy performance, though, so perhaps it'll pan out for him.

Francis McDormand does well as the president of the lonely hearts club gone wrong, her loneliness pushing her to get deeper and deeper into a snafu that leaves the rest of the cast running around like gerbils on a wheel. The only people who come out looking somewhat smart are “the Russians” you might have heard about in the previews, but we’re sure that given any more screen time, they would have been revealed at bumbling fools as well. Definitely a must-see, a great follow-up to the Coen brothers’ No Country For Old Men, which grabbed four Oscars for the brothers last year. We’d be surprised if this one doesn’t a couple Golden Globes at the very least if not for the awesome writing involved. 

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What’s a hotter ticket than this week’s Democratic convention (which boasted several Hollywood A-listers)? The Toronto International Film Festival, of course, which starts next Thursday. And as America gears up for November, Toronto is abuzz with the lead-up to TIFF parties, gala premieres and star sightings. So what’s going down in Toronto? What do you need to look out for?

Gala screenings: If you don’t already have a ticket, you’re pretty much screwed. Tickets for the Burn After Reading gala, for instance, are being sold on eBay for $350 smackers, so get on that if you’re willing to pay through the nose to get a glimpse of Brad Pitt (and maybe sit 20 rows behind him – squeals!).

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Project Runway judge and mega fashionista Nina Garcia gives E! Online the skinny on being stylin with tips from her new book, The One Hundred, which hits stores today.

E!: Tell us about your new book.
Nina Garcia: It [features] iconic pieces that have been there for a long time. Being in this business for a long time, I’ve seen a lot of seasons and fads come and go. And these hundred are the ones that have always come back. They’re like the bones of our home. Designers build on them, they might change somewhat, they come back in different versions, but the original designs and ideas are always there.

E!: You’re able to find items like the Birkin bag, that are expensive, and it ranges down to Hanes t-shirts, which are five bucks.
NG: Right – it’s anything from the Birkin bag to the LL Bean tote. Yes, the Birkin has had a lot of press because it’s a bag that would still be chic if you bought it ten years ago or bring it out fifteen years from now. It would still hold its own because the design is there and it’s a classic. The same goes for the LL Bean bag. It’s very functional and a simple design idea. It’s one of those things – you can always wear it.

E!: Is there any one thing that you want us to know? Aside from your “if it comes in cashmere, buy it in cashmere” maxim?
NG: Yes, it’s really about value. Especially now, in these trying economic times. It’s not about the price because inexpensive or expensive could both be wrong. It’s about buying something that’s going to endure. It’s really about buying wisely and buying something you can keep in your wardrobe. You just have to look for things that you’ll like and wear in five or ten years from now. [Ask yourself, will it] add something to my wardrobe that I don’t have and will it work with the pieces I own?

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Steve Stober Photography

I just caught the new Toronto cast in Dirty Dancing at The Royal Alexander Theatre. The musical adaptation of the film is a must-see for anyone who enjoys theatre or can’t get enough of the original film. The production really succeeded at reproducing the movie in a stage production – the sets and lighting were awesome!

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More deets were revealed about TIFF yesterday as the festival finalized plans. The festival is almost upon us and we’re excited to hear that Brad will be rolling into town to dispense his magical smile and perhaps some architecture advice with his Burn After Reading buddies – the film will be a gala after all. Rachel McAdams’ (who's rumored to be back with fellow Canadian sweetie Ryan Gosling) film The Lucky Ones will also be a gala presentation.

Who else is coming? Check our TIFF gallery for the latest!

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Get ready for gold lame and flashy Swarovski-encrusted visors! Your favourite entertainers are coming to a casino near you this fall. That’s right, A-list performers like Jessica Simpson and Ashanti will be performing at the Niagara Falls Casino over the next few months. Not to mention an original brat-packer, Tony Bennett. Niagara Falls doesn’t have the monopoly on the stars, though. (Maybe just the A-listers…)

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