Toronto, September 9-15, 2006 – There was a distinct anti-Bush administration current running throughout the weeklong Toronto Film Festival. Most obvious was the Dixie Chicks, who have backtracked on their backtracking on their Bush bashing with the documentary, Shut Up and Sing. Never mind that they said they were just kidding back in 2003 when they told a London audience that they were ashamed to be from the same state as George W. Bush. Now, they’re unabashedly calling him a “dumb f--k”.

Sean Penn was in town hawking his All The King’s Men, based on the story of Governor Huey Long of Louisiana, a state that Penn tried to rescue from administration inaction, post Katrina. Co-star James Gandolfini kept his politics out of the discussion, saying, “I’d better not say anything.” Penn’s slighting of Canadian law by smoking throughout the press conference, of course, overshadowed everything else.

Jude Law skipped the press conference altogether, devoting his attention instead to Sienna Miller, who our spy saw dining with Tim Robbins at hotspot Sotto Sotto, where Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson were all over each other while waiting for a table.

At the Babel press conference, a tired Brad Pitt jovially dodged questions about his kids that reporters tried to put in the context of the movie. All anybody wanted to know but was afraid to ask was where was Angelina.

Russell Crowe was amiable at the A Good Year press conference. When asked about a possible Gladiator sequel, he said that that movie was kind of a comedy. “If you chop somebody’s head off in the right way, it can be f—king funny.”

Sandra Bullock declared at the Infamous screening that she felt too fat to be photographed, leading us to immediately wonder whether she’s pregnant. She did pose for photos, and, in fact, removed her shoe to look at the label when someone asked. (Marc Jacobs.) Sandra said she’s happy staying home and doing nothing for the moment.