RATE IT! Toronto International Film Festival

LIGHTS, CAMERAS, ACTION! 

Time to check for your name on the guest list! The Toronto International Film Festival opens today. Yes, it's the annual invasion of Hollywood's finest and Toronto's gussied up, poised to air-kiss and dedicated to schmoozing for the next week.

Check out the hangers-on strutting their stuff in MY backyard from September 4 - 13...

Renee Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, Zooey Deschanel, Zac Efron, Liam Neeson, Ricky Gervais, Sir Michael Caine, Brad Pitt, Jeremy Piven, Cynthia Nixon, Evangeline Lilly, Guy Ritchie, Anne Hathaway, Christopher Walken, Jeremy Northam, Marisa Tomei, Benicio Del Toro, Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Colin Firth, Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale, Laura Linney, Alicia Keys, Alec Baldwin, Adrien Brody and many, many more!

And hopefully NO Paris Hilton! See ya in Yorkville!

RATE IT! A Delicate Flower Lily is Not

I'm not one to condone drink-fueled obnoxious behaviour in public places, but I had to laugh when I heard about UK popster, Lily Allen's shenanigans in London on Monday night.

Lily was co-hosting the GQ Men of the Year Awards alongside prickly Elton John. Their combined star power -- a crinkly for the oldies, a wild London gal about town! -- had the organizers absolutely beaming but no one could have guessed that their sparky banter would lead to an on-stage verbal slagging match!

Booze (champers, actually) was flowing and lovely Lily couldn't be any less of a lady. Slurring on stage, Ms. Allen said it was time to announce the most important part of the evening, to which a pouty, fed-up (and possibly, sober??) Elton blurted, "What? Are you going to have another drink?" Ah, Elton was waving the proverbial red cape in front of this bullish gal! Not one to back down from a challenge, fiesty Lily spit, "F*** off, Elton!! I'm 40 years younger than you and have my whole life ahead of me!" Me-ow! Whatever Lily can throw down, Mr. Crocodile Rock can match *and then some*. Classless Elton apparently questioned little Lily's coke snorting capacity -- right there squarely on stage in front of EVERYONE! London for once fell deathly silent. The audience gasped. Double decker buses stopped. Pigeons in Trafalgar Square froze. But don't go home yet, there's more! Elton, ever the whiney bitch continued to bait Lils, and was spotted chastising her backstage. Surprisingly, the awards ceremony did wrap and polluted Lily wasn't carted out with her dress hiked up around her earrings like on other public occasions. 

Don't you love it when celebs behave badly? Think they'll be asked back next year?  

(photo: celebrity-gossip.net)

HATE IT! Stop Criticizing Kate!

Kate Middleton ~ She's got one mother of a hectic job: being girlfriend to the most eligible bachelor in the universe, Prince William. Constantly dodging paparazzi, having the press speculate non-stop over a possible Royal engagement - and then there's the daunting reality of possibly one day having Queen Elizabeth II as your mother-in-law, the girl has it tougher than most. 

Yet poor Kate can't catch a break. The incessantly rabid UK tabloids are continually having a go over her choice of occupation. She's sitting on her well-dressed derriere waiting for Wills to propose! they sneer. "Waity Katie" exclaimed another. Even Queen Liz supposedly got into the act, saying she wasn't pleased with Kate's lack of employment. True, Kate's had only one job since her 2004 uni grad -- she toiled for Brit clothing retailer, Jigsaw but quickly discovered the daily chase away from pushy photographers was too much to handle. With her art degree, she pondered working in a gallery until her impending employers pulled the plug over paparazzi worries. What business wants snappers camped outside 24/7? Bad for business, you bet!

It's hard enough to start & keep a career but when you have the added challenge of dating a future king in a celeb-obsessed society where everyone wants a piece of you, the stakes get much trickier. What's a girl to do? Shaking off the criticism, Kate does have a proper job -- with her parents hugely successful party accessory company, Party Pieces. Plus, she has many charities that she's associated with so back off, critics! The girl is doing the best she can, and in light of how the press harassed William's mother, Diana, you would think people would learn from past mistakes. For shame!  (photo: Reuters)

RATE IT! Welcome, Berbatov!

After 11 hours on the laptop yesterday, searching footie websites, chatting on blogs and websites and just stressing a bit too much on the final transfer day in the English Premier League, Manchester United fans can finally exhale and CELEBRATE the arrival of ace striker, Dimitar Berbatov!

It was no secret that Berba wanted to join Sir Alex Ferguson's gang and after a scare involving the other Manchester team, the Bulgarian was finally ours! I'm exhausted after all the angst of yesterday (thanks for the migraine, Berba!). Hmmm...now I think that I may have decided who my next United shirt will be...
(photo: www.telegraph.co.uk)

RATE IT! Return of the Motherchucker

Yes, the infamous Motherchucker, Chuck Bass is gracing our television screens once more.

Hopefully, you saw the season two premiere of 'Gossip Girl' last night. Right on cue, our bad boy began where he left off last time around. Scheming, plotting, tormenting Blair. The angst-filled lusty dance between Blair and Chuck promises to be such a delicious tease for the foreseeable future, I feel like I'm going to combust waiting for some sort of delirious resolution!

New this season, was that a heart that I spotted? Does Chuck have *real* feelings? Stay tuned...perhaps Chuck Bass-tard will learn to deliver those 8 little letters sooner rather than later!

(photo: The CW)

WANT IT! Vote for Chuck!

Aren't you sick & tired of all the US election nonsense? I'm not even American and I've had more than my fill. Worse still, we're months away from the actual voting day.

You can keep your Obama with his swooning Oprah and Scarlet Johanson, and the old school John McCain -- I'm trumping for a honest-to-goodness boy next door, all-American type of candidate...

VOTE Charlie Brown for President! And with Snoopy as VP, he just can't do wrong! He's got Linus for a proven speechwriter, and Lucy for his Campaign Chairwoman. Score this tee and make your vote count!

RATE IT! They're Back!

Tonight, a most excellent occasion. The return of my dear (exceedingly) wealthy, (exceptionally) beautiful friends!

For at 8pm and not a minute later, it's the unveiling of season two of 'Gossip Girl'. 

Don't call, email or stop by for a pop in visit. I won't answer...so don't even try. 

I have a date with Chuck & co. and cannot be disrupted. 

(photo: Andrew Eccles/The CW)