Leonard Maltin being introduced

 

How fangirl is this?
The table just inside the front door of the Four Seasons. I took this the *next* day

 

Elijah at Sassafrazz (we think)

The Cumberland Theatre
This is the one across from the Four Seasons

The Cumberland rush line
Yes, that first poster *is* The Two Towers

The trials and tribulations of the day for me in 2002 certainly don't compare to that. But since the Film Festival was making an attempt to commemorate the day, with some special screenings and things, it was an odd day. There was a definite shortage of things I wanted to see, with the only two I was particularly interested in being late morning (no 9AM screenings that day--in memory of last year, nothing opened until 11AM). And since Anne was coming in to spend some time with me sometime between 11-12, I figured I wouldn't go to either of those two movies unless she particular wanted to. Which also absolved me from being in the advance ticket line at 9AM, which is where I *should* have been for pretty much anything I wanted to see that day. But I was so drained from the emotion of Tuesday, that I just had no energy to spare. Thus, when Anne got in a little after 11, I had done nothing but get dressed and go out for a coke--no plans, no tickets, nothing.

So, all dressed up and no place to go--sort of. I wasn't sure whether I'd make it back to my hotel, and there was a possibility I'd head out for a gala later (to shoot photos of Robert Duvall's entrance for his premiere), so I was dressed pretty nicely (of which I was glad later) in a black top, black linen pants, and a cream and black georgette tunic that I mostly carried or wore open (it had finally cooled off, thank heavens, and was no longer in the 90s). So, we start off by going to the Varsity Theatre, just as close to my hotel as the Uptown, to see if I can get a ticket to the screening of Joseph Fiennes' movie "Leo." The box office should have opened an hour before, so this should be quick--they either sold out or they didn't. Yet when we get there, all is chaos--the ticketing computers had been down all morning and no-one knew how many tickets they had to ANYTHING. Well, the movie was not until the afternoon, and I wasn't going to waste my day hanging around there in hopes of a ticket, so off we went.

So, Anne proceeded to show me the sights around Yorkville, both the star-related and the nonstar-related, including prime celeb hangout Sassafrazz (spelled incorrectly, I'm relatively sure), just down the street from the Four Seasons and the Hyatt. We think this is the last place we'd see Elijah, who likes less trendy places, and indeed, we didn't see him there. How odd to have a photo of him in that very restaurant crop up later! I showed her my second-favorite bar, the lobby bar in the Four Seasons, then we went to have lunch at our favorite spot from the day before, the bar at the top of the Hyatt. It was fun, but all too soon she had to head home to her girls. I have to admit, I was pretty listless and aimless. All my energy had been used up the day before, and I couldn't make up my mind what to do. I knew I didn't want to go back and chance the rush line for the Joseph Fiennes movie, yet I didn't want to just try to kill several hours waiting for the later movies I was interested in. So I decided to see if the Leonard Maltin-commentated screening of Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" still had tickets, and when it did, I got in line and (eventually, like everything at a film festival) got in. Another recommendation here--if you can ever see this movie in a theatre with an audience, DO. It is NOT the same as watching it on TV. You will not regret the time you spend, because the movie will look entirely different (and wonderful).

So, now it's later and the lines for the 6:30-7:00PM movies are long. Instead of getting into them, I decided to go into the Four Seasons (which was across the street) to use the washrooms and maybe sit down and get a drink while I decided whether or not to try for the rush line for one of the two later movies back at the same theatre (both rush lines were already long and my chances were not good) or forget it and head down to Roy Thomson for the Robert Duvall gala. So, I've just gotten off the escalator, I'm looking to see if there is a table in the lobby bar, and then I see, leaning against the big wooden table just inside the front door of the hotel, a certain young geekboy dressed in jeans, a denim jacket, and an untucked white shirt. Had to be... and it was. All by himself, just lounging there.

So, this is me, the terminally shy. The person who can only speak to celebrities when bolstered by the presence of friends. And I am all alone. eeeek.... I make a quick call to Anne, who gives me enough of a pep talk that I hang up, take a deep breath, and walk up to him.

"Hi. I don't know if you remember me--I'm the person who makes the illicit copies of 'Chain of Fools." Oh, good going, BRILLIANT opening line. But somehow we got past that. I asked the couple of questions about "Ash Wednesday" that had gone out of my head the night before, and got them answered (Ed is brilliant to work with, really fast 20-day shoot) and we talked a little about how and when the movie might be released, and the way Ed's star seems to be waning a little and what a shame that is. Talked a bit about "Try Seventeen," how much better it was than I expected and how I hoped they didn't play up the teen angle or the Mandy Moore name too much. I mentioned I was on a mailing list composed solely of fans of his that are not screaming teens--and no, girls, I didn't give him the name or the URL. He still seemed willing to talk but I realized I was just on the verge of blithering, so I excused myself and made an exit before I got *too* stupid. I thought very briefly about asking him to pose for a photo, since I was upset that I hadn't gotten anything better for TORN, and he's so sweet he probably would have said OK, but I just canNOT do that stuff. ARGH

So, knowing that he had a ticket to one of the two movies I had considered seeing, I went and got in that rush line, but as I suspected, I didn't get in. I did hear later that he posed for a couple of fans on his way over, and possibly signed some autographs as well (I should have got a shot then! Timing is everything, and mine had been good once that day and that was obviously my limit.) I went back to the Four Seasons for a leisurely dinner, having still not made up my mind which movie I was going to hit later. I was just walking away from the hotel when the movie let out later--having decided I was just too tired to hit another movie that day and expect to get up in the morning, pack, AND get tickets--and I did see him walk out of the theatre, but deciding that seeing me again might move me to the top of the stalker list, I decided to NOT go up and ask him how it was. (For those inquiring minds who want to know, the movie was "The Crime of Father Amaro," which I can't even see the rescreening of tomorrow because it conflicts with "Try Seventeen.") LATE NOTE: Hooray, "Father Amaro" is playing at the Chicago Film Festival in October, so maybe I'll see it after all. Now of course, if it's awful, it's all his fault!

So, since I'll be in line tomorrow at dawn to try to get tickets to "Dirty Deeds," there is no way I'll see him again here, and this will be my final Elijah story of this wonderful week. I hope he had at least half as much fun as I had. He's really got me into this Film Festival thing now