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Thursday, 09 September 2010 22:46

Written by Barbara Vancheri

TORONTO -- One of the Toronto television stations is reporting that George Clooney was spotted here but I'm not sure if that's real or wish fulfillment. He could be in town to support some pals or attend a charity event but (sadly) he doesn't have an "Up in the Air" or "Michael Clayton" in the film festival.

All I know is that when I ducked into the Four Seasons Hotel it was weird to come out and see no throngs of people. They usually clustered at the end of the driveway waiting for Clooney or Brad Pitt or other A-listers like the stars and producers of "Precious" who had a press conference there last year.

It's sort of like the teenage girls keeping watch for Taylor Lautner in Mt. Lebanon but bigger and with a mix of amateur autograph seekers and professionals with pricey cameras. But the sidewalk was clear and cars and cabs could freely pass through.

When it comes to Pittsburgh connections, I saw the documentary "Waiting for Superman" tonight and it features an extended cameo by Bill Strickland, president of Manchester Bidwell Corp.

The movie, by Davis Guggenheim, examines what's wrong with America's education system (lots, with alarming dropout and testing results and the fact that privileged people bypass public schools because they can) and what's right. He focuses on five children and their parents or grandparents who are willing to sacrifice time, money or both to help the students succeed.

Strickland is shown in a snowy Pittsburgh, driving by Oliver High School, called a dropout factory, and talking about how many failed students end up in prison. The press materials mention his after-school programs in music, photography, ceramics and design but the movie doesn't. Maybe some of that will turn up on the eventual DVD.

"Waiting for Superman" is a dense movie that blends the stories of five appealing children with lots of charts, graphs, stats and talking heads. Nothing is as powerful as the sight of a kindergartner from Harlem watching her classmates go into the Catholic school across the street, the same one she attended until her mother fell behind on the $500-a-month tuition payments.

The documentary, from the director of "An Inconvenient Truth," cites a number of famous faces who went to public schools and the late Fred Rogers is included.

Other snapshots from the festival:

* "127 Hours" tells the story of Aron Ralston, who had to sacrifice his arm to save his life during a climbing expedition and who is played by James Franco. Ralston is a Carnegie Mellon University graduate and he is attending the festival in support of the movie.

* Olivia Newton-John (left) is among the stars here for "Score: A Hockey Musical" in which players sing, dance, skate and fight, sometimes all at the same time. Gee, I wonder if they can play movies at the Consol Energy Center.

* An estimated 900 unionized workers at the Royal York Hotel are poised to strike Friday if an agreement isn't reached. That could bring pickets to the outside of the landmark hotel. I'm happy and relieved that I'm not staying there.

* One of the oddest sights of the day was in a Calvin Klein store window on Bloor Street where underwear was being modeled live by a woman who kept shrugging and smiling at passers-by. Maybe the stunt is to keep minds off construction on the busy thoroughfare.

Images: Associated Press

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