TIFF 2013: Adrien Brody and Hilary Swank rock out to Beth Ditto at Toronto’s star-studded AmFar gala

by Bernadette Morra September 9, 2013

See all the photos from the TIFF 2013 amfAR gala »

“I have Spanx on top of pantyhose and I’m about to have a hose stroke,” Beth Ditto winced as she took the stage at the TIFF 2013 amfAR gala on Sunday night.

Still the Gossip singer and M.A.C Cosmetics collaborator blew the roof off The Carlu, first with her own set, then in a duet of Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again” with emcee Alan Cumming.

Adrien Brody, Maria Bello and Paul Haggis were among those in the crowd which was also treated to a showing of menswear by Marc Jacobs and a rousing auction. Okay, so it may not have been quite as exciting as the amfAR benefit in Cannes in May, when Brody took the Cartier watch off his wrist and auctioned it off for $100,000. Still, two Toronto ladies pushed the bidding up to $22,000 for a night of New York bar-hopping with Cumming.

It was two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank who had the most potent moment of the evening, though. Elegantly outfitted in a black lace Gucci dress, she outlined how thanks to amfAR-funded research, the possibility of an AIDS cure is a reality.