Toronto: Quick Bits

The last couple of days have been packed with nonstop madness, so just a few highlights:

-Had a chance to talk to Spike Lee, at the festival with "Miracle at St. Anna." We'll get the full video interview up soon, but a couple interesting revelations: the lead role played by Derek Luke in the film was originally supposed to be played by his "Jungle Fever" star Wesley Snipes. Asked why Snipes didn't do it, Lee smiled and said: "Three letters. I. R. S." The die-hard New Yorker also gave the following advice to actors who might audition for him: "Don't come in wearing a Boston Red Sox hat. That's just stupid."

-Also sat down with Dominic Cooper, in town to promote "The Duchess" with Keira Knightley. The star of "The History Boys" and "Mamma Mia!" knows he has a strong online fan base, but was utterly befuddled by the idea of blogging. He wanted to know what blogs are and exactly WHO writes them. I tried to explain Perez Hilton to him, and he wanted to know "what her credentials are."

-For people wondering who the next Diablo Cody is, the answer might just be...Diablo Cody's best friend. Like the "Juno" scribe, Lorene Scafaria is a female screenwriter whose first produced screenplay is the smart, funny script for "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist." Her film even stars Michael Ceral, for crying out loud! As it turns out, Cody and Scafaria are two members of trio of writers--the other being "What Happens in Vegas" writer Dana Fox--who call themselves "The Fempire Strikes Back." The three regularly meet at one of their homes and each write in different rooms, getting together throughout the day to bounce ideas off each other. Whatever they're doing, it's working. Perhaps they should start charging admission.

--Jenelle Riley