From left to right: Composer Abel Korzeniowski, actress Andrea Riseborough,
director Madonna and actress Abbie Cornish. Photo by: Sandy Caetano
When I read in a press release that Madonna, the Material Girl, was coming to town for her film W.E., about King Edward VIII and his love affair with famous divorcé, the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson. I was so excited. I can't describe in words how fabulous it would be to get into her press conference.
Since I was a little girl, I've always loved Cyndi Lauper and Madonna. I was lucky to get amazing tickets to a Lauper concert a number of years ago at Massey Hall in Toronto - a great place for a real intimate concert. She actually came down into the audience and danced with the fans.
Now to have the opportunity to be in the same room as Madonna was quite impressive. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to watch the film since it was playing right before the press conference, and there was absolutely no way I was going to miss this one.
I arrived at TIFF Bell Lightbox at 9:45am, and attended the Coriolanus press conference, which was on right before W.E. and in the same room. Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler were fun to watch and listen to - they were so real with all of their answers, and in fact eager to answer them.
Since there wasn't much time between press conferences, media who attended the first one were permitted to stay in the same room and wait in their same seats for the Madonna conference. So, as I've learned, I placed my camera on the stage and marked my spot so I could take photos. It was quite the prime spot too, a little off to the side, but good enough and close enough.
Right before the conference started, the press conference manager came out and told photographers that we only had 90 seconds to shoot photos and then everyone had to leave. No one except one photographer, George Pimentel, who was shooting this year's festival exclusively for TIFF, could stay to take any more photos.
Even those of us who had seats for the conference, as we were covering it for a particular outlet, were not even allowed to take photos with our camera phones. I couldn't believe how tight they were being. How can you come to a festival such as this expecting to get good coverage for your film, to have your work promoted, and not allow your photo to be taken?
To enforce this new rule, there was additional security placed in the room the duration of the conference to ensure there was no photos taken. Those who were caught received a stern warning, but of course, there were many who still got photos. They were just very discreet about it - very sneaky if you ask me. I didn't bother risking the chance that I would get kicked out.
As Madonna walked out on stage, I couldn't believe how much older she really looked. All these years she's always looked so young and vibrant, she aged really well, until now that is. Now she looks tired, fatigued even. Don't get me wrong, she still looks great, just not as great as she used to.
Once I got my shots, I took my seat before the conference got underway. Madonna seemed really nice and seemed happy to answer questions, her reply to most of the questions were really good, in fact she was actually all smiles and compliments. Of course, it could have all been an act, as I heard from a source that she had forced eight volunteers who were in the room to turn away and face the wall so they wouldn't look at the pop-star-turned-movie-director long periods of time. Really, who does that? That screams DIVA to me.
One of the most interesting parts was at the end of the conference. There was a girl by the front of the stage wearing an orange volunteer shirt, who walked right up to the stage and loudly asked Madonna for an autograph claiming it was for a "volunteer," a request she didn't turn down.
Sources informed me that she wasn't a volunteer at all, and not event a fan. Instead this 'rogue volunteer' as she's been dubbed, goes after stars' autographs so she can sell them. How she managed to get past the heavy security and walk right into the press conference is quite befuddling. She tried to get out of the room rather quickly, but got nabbed by security who asked to see her pass and ID, neither of which she had. They apparently let go of her for a brief second, and that's when she made a run for it down six flights of stairs and out of TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Autographs from someone like Madonna can go for hundreds, if not thousands, and the price actually goes up if you have a photo of her actually signing the item. I'd be curious to find out what she'll get for it now, especially considering the press it got. Time to search out EBay!
Stay Sassy!
