Last week Oasis' Noel Gallagher was attacked here in Toronto and the other day Roger Ebert was attacked during the Toronto International Film Festival. I'm just catching up on my TIFF news, so if this is old news I apologize.
From what I read here, it was the press screening of Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire. Ebert, who can't speak after battling thyroid and salivary gland cancer, tapped New York Post film critic Lou Lumenick on the shoulder asking him to move over so he could see the screen. Without knowing it was Ebert doing the tapping, Lumenick turned around and whacked Ebert on the head with a big festival binder.
I don't know Lumenick, but he sounds like a grade A jerk. I'm a big Ebert fan, however, and I love this last paragraph from the news story.
Lumenick's lashing didn't prevent Ebert from enjoying the film. The critic walked out of the screening with two thumbs up - and handed Boyle a note saying he's bound to get an Oscar nod.
Slumdog Millionaire subsequently won the Cadillac People's Choice Award at this year's TIFF.
