I was talking to a friend at the CFC barbecue yesterday who said that the Toronto International Film Festival should be treated like the Olympics. Intrigued, I asked him to go on. He continued to say that every country should have a running tally of how many distribution deals their films have closed at the festival, and the success of that country would then be measured by some confusing ratio involving amount of money involved in distribution deals and budget of said films.

I'm no mathematician, but his idea seemed like another way to highlight American dominance and show how Canada was underperforming, until I realized that in his model, countries like Canada and Germany actually shine based on the business they've been doing at TIFF this year. Look out for France to make a late charge.

Speaking of the CFC barbecue, Culture Minister Aileen Carroll took her opportunity to speak at the event to announce an additional $2.5million in funding for the Canadian Film Centre. She went on to say that, "The entertainment industry is an important part of Ontario's economy. By supporting the development of our best creative talent, we help strengthen Ontario's position in the rapidly growing cultural industries."

Finally, in my effort to remain a somewhat objective reporter, I will refrain from talking about Ann Hathaway — one of my celebrity crushes — and her appearance on the TIFF red carpet yesterday. Instead, I'll talk about how silly Paris Hilton is for cancelling two screenings of her documentary at TIFF because she wants to create "more hype" for the film.

I don't know if she realizes that she'll get better "hype' and word-of-mouth if people actually get the chance to watch the fim.

Looking for some more information about the festival today? Here are a few other TIFF headlines from around the web:

• Toronto sellers hope distribs stock up (Variety)
• Toronto Film Buyers See the Light (THR)
• Toronto: Gifting Grows (The Circuit)
• Unexpected connections liven up Toronto International Film Festival (Dallas News)

The stars are out in full force in Toronto. If you're deciding to skip the films and check out the celebs, here's a list of who's expecting to be arriving in town today:

• Paul Dano
• Zooey Deschanel
• Alec Baldwin
• Sir Ben Kingsley

Finally, if you're looking to catch a screening some time today, here are three films that have been getting some good buzz but might have slipped under your radar. If you do decide to check any of them out, let us know what you think of them!

• Still Walking: A family drama reminiscent of the great Tokyo Story, but fresher.
• New York, I Love You: Paris, Je T'aime, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
• Tulpan: A real Kazakhstani love story, not at all like Borat.

Happy festivaling! Keep checking blogTO over the next few days for continuous coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival.

(Photo: Still from New York, I Love You.)