USA Today talks about Toronto Film Fest

Last year's Toronto International Film Festival decided to break with its opening-day gala tradition of showcasing a homegrown production and went with Creation, an underwhelming British drama starring Paul Bettany as Charles Darwin. But this year, USA TODAY's Susan Wloszczyna reports the organizers are more than making up for that oversight with a world premiere on Sept. 9 that couldn't be more Canadian if it were maple-scented: Score: A Hockey Musical. It's a song-stuffed tale written and directed by Michael McGowan (King Ralph) about a young puck whacker who hits the big time. If that weren't enough, the film features Olivia Newton-John, who might be an Aussie but knows her way around a campy movie musical after her big-screen breakthrough in 1978's Grease. "I can't think of a better way to kick off our 35th anniversary festival than with Score: A Hockey Musical," Cameron Bailey, festival co-director, says in today's official announcement. "It continues our tradition of launching the very best in Canadian filmmaking -- although in 35 years this is our first musical romance about hockey." The 11-day festival runs until Sept. 19.

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