Five things reporters did while waiting for Mary J. Blige at the One X One party
We spent the majority of last night down by the gusty lake shore where Mary J. Blige performed a set at the Kool Haus for the One X One party, where tickets cost $100 a pop. Though the red carpet call was scheduled for 9 p.m., we didn’t get shots of the singer till around midnight (by then it was just us and a photographer from CityTV).
Matt Damon, the celebrity face of the organization that aims to provide safe drinking water for Third World countries, briefly made an appearance around 11 with his wife. And though we saw Chris Bosh, Eva Avila, Alexandra Richards (Keith’s daughter) and Miss Canada (we’re pretty sure that’s her actual name), there was serious lag time between appearances, resulting in reporters dropping like flies.
Like most TIFF events, it’s one big waiting game, so here are some of the things reporters (us included in some cases) did during that three-hour period:
1. Wondered how many other parties we could have attended that night. (Shinan Govani and Dan Levy were the last to leave Harry Brown party at Lower Bay Station just as we got there at 1:30 a.m.)
2. Took photos of non-celebs who found themselves walking on the red carpet. (Even if we didn’t intend on publishing them, at least they allowed us to test the lighting.)
3. Smoked. A Lot. But the stench of cigarettes and the pulsating techno music did nothing to boost morale.
4. Commiserated with the publicist that it’s only the third day and we’re already pooped.
5. Not urinate. (Press were prohibited from entering the building, even for pressing matters of the bladder.)
