Werner Herzog films: c/d/s/d

Before a throng of the Toronto International Film Festival's finest paparazzi, film students and star seekers -- who spear stars with microphones and flash copies of celeb rags with pens in tow -- the All-Star isn't seeing any trading cards or Clippers hats.

"I usually sign 'Elton Brand #42,'" Brand says while scribbling on some collegiate dude's white paper. "Tonight, I'm signing 'Elton Brand -- Movie Producer.'"

Smart move, because here at the prestigious festival de cinema -- where Brand just sat alongside critics and studio suits at the world premiere of "Rescue Dawn," a Vietnam-era POW flick produced by Brand and starring Christian Bale of "Batman Begins" -- the locals are having trouble identifying the Clippers All-Star.

"We're in Toronto with movie fans," Brand says as he walks down the red carpet. "So they probably think I play hockey."

He's right.

"Are you a hockey player?" inquires a camera-toting young woman -- because, you know, the NHL is filled with 6-foot-8 black hockey players.

But Brand isn't fazed, and why would he be? As the easygoing big man flashes his ever present toothy one amidst the glaring lights and flashing bulbs, it's clear that this mid-September evening is the punctuation on the Summer of Brand.

According to anonymous sources in the airline industry, Brand is now the world record holder for frequent flyer miles accumulated during a single summer. After a Western Conference semifinals appearance, Brand spent the following three months traveling to China and Japan for Team USA and, just yesterday, to New York for a pal's wedding.

Which brings us back to Toronto. So what has an exhausted Brand got himself into? Like the snootier Cannes and chill Sundance festivals, the two-week Toronto International Film Festival unveils top-tier flicks (over 300) -- what insiders call the fall '06 Oscar crop -- and hosts hordes of filmmakers, buyers, sellers, watchers and celebs. Brad Pitt, Russell Crowe, Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn are here, along with controversy (see "Death of a President," the fictional account of W's assassination) and lunacy (see the "Borat" premiere, at which Sir Ali G arrived in a woman-drawn cart.)

With the circus in town, some locals are fighting back. Hours earlier, Yonge Street was seized by something called a Jesus Parade, where marchers tied up traffic while reminding the jackals of the way of the Son, often to tunes. Their play lists? The Asian and white followers chose drums and French hymns, respectively, while the black congregation awesomely bounced to the hip-hop gospel of Kirk Franklin's "Stomp." (If Tom Cruise had an infectious anthem such as this, we'd all be auditing our thetans and following that furry rugrat Shia into an intergalactic slugfest with Xenu. And we'd take Elton Brand with us.)

Yes, Torontonians are loony for their festival, and I'm on guard. Hopefully, Brand is too.

His evening starts with a "Dawn" preparty hosted by Premiere magazine at W Studio, where Persian carpets line the walls, Wyclef performs a sound-check and "Rescue Dawn" co-star Jeremy Davies ("Saving Private Ryan") eagerly anticipates Brand's arrival.

"I don't know anything about the Clippers," Davies says. "Gosh, is that hockey? I like chess … "

The proceedings liven when the big fella arrives, and though his springtime quest for a championship ring fell short, Brand is flashing finger bling of a cooler, different sort. In July, he married Shahara Simmons, a Duke alum, and now Mrs. Brand has her man's back as he makes the rounds and poses for photos (smoothly sliding his fun juice deep inside his palm) before yukking it up with Bale.

"Nice to see you again, my friend," says the gentlemanly Brit to the Clip, who spent two weeks on the Thailand set last fall. "Congratulations with all you've done with the Clippers."

"It's funny to see all of the celebs turn out for the Clippers now," Bale continues. "A bit nauseating, no?"

Brand laughs, and clearly appreciates Bale's interest. He's been trying to turn the Brit -- who starts shooting the next "Batman" installment in winter '07 -- onto basketball for some time now.

"Christian and his wife are big soccer fans," Brand says. "And billiards. Can you believe that? But I'm getting them into basketball."

Yeah, when Tony Parker dunks, says Bale.

"Your sports loves get established early in life, so for me it's soccer," Bale explains, adding that he catches the Clips via telly -- sorta. "To be honest, even with soccer, I like playing more than watching it. All I'm thinking is, 'Why am I doing sitting in this chair? Why am I drinking this beer and, you know, having my arse getting fatter every minute? Why aren't I up there doing it?'"

"Elton is damn nice and astonishingly chill," adds Bale, who isn't surprised by the baller's interest in the film biz. "Movies are so idiosyncratic, you get unusual characters. You don't go to school, get a degree, and make movies. Everybody can make movies and that keeps it like a roller coaster."

So Bale is a fan, and an envious one at that.

"It's unbelievable that he's been able to achieve the success he has," Bale said. "And he's younger than me, so that makes me jealous beyond belief. Hats off to him."

Soon, the gang is off to the premiere screening. I hitch a ride with Brand because he's my subject and I'm a professional -- and not at all because he's rolling in a jet-black stretch limo. Besides, his ride isn't exactly a rolling discotheque. No Dramas or Turtles here, just the wife and some business types, so the baller talks shop.

Brand's Gibraltar Entertainment, which he co-owns with partner Steve Marlton, has a bevy of film and TV projects in development, including the comedy flick "Bad in Bed" and "Stranded," a thriller about a killer targeting a woman stuck in a car teetering on the edge of a cliff (Matt Dillon and Brittany Murphy are in talks to star).

Then there's the flagship project, "Rescue Dawn." From acclaimed German director Werner Herzog ("Grizzly Man"), "Rescue Dawn" is the true story of Dieter Dengler (Bale), an American fighter pilot shot down behind enemy lines on his virginal flight and held at a Viet Cong prison camp.

A gritty, fact-based film with an award-winning director and a young star in a mold-breaking role means there's Oscar buzz (Entertainment Weekly would later say the film "led the charge" in generating "serious Academy Award talk") and if the film is named Best Picture, guess who takes home a gold statuette?

But the production wasn't all layups. Herzog is by all accounts a surly chap who employs unconventional methods to get what he needs (like, say, filming in dangerous jungles with venomous reptiles).

"Oh man, you don't sign up for a Werner Herzog movie without thinking it's going to be difficult," Bale said earlier. "I was expecting him to pull a gun on me at any second.

"He is a very unique character, inspiring, infuriating at times. There were so many strong personalities involved that there was a lot of clash and trouble."

Marlton is, like Brand, a showbiz newbie, and the no-nonsense former club owner often locked horns with Herzog.

After playing on Team USA's bronze-medal World Championship squad this summer, Elton Brand has some ideas for improvement -- including playing more zone defense.

"Let's put it this way: If I didn't clash with Werner, you'd be watching a three-hour movie," Marlton says. ("Dawn" clocks in at two hours).

There was also a hiccup with financing. Brand and Marlton's initial $2 million investment ballooned when outside money bowed out of the production, marooning crew members in Thailand until more cash was infused. Litigation followed and one lawsuit, aimed directly at Gibraltar, was settled out of court.

"That was cleared up a while ago, and we've moved on," Brand says, admitting that his genial persona is not par for the showbiz course. "In this business, people say you have to be more of a shark. I just need to do stand-up business. I'll work hard and be honest, an honest businessman, however it works."

Brand isn't second-guessing his side job and he discounts the too-much, too-soon notion.

Brand's busy summer included a trip to Japan with Team USA.
"The advice from my business advisers was to start earlier," he says. "When you're still playing, you can network and meet people. The movie biz is definitely tough. So I wouldn't advise any young athletes to get into it unless you have some credible partners and you know what you're doing."

Evidence points to Brand knowing just that. He reads scripts, wields terms like docs and dailies and, before signing onto "Dawn," did his homework by rifling through Herzog's catalogue.

"We watched seven of his movies in two days," Brand says.

Brand is the first filmmaker to arrive at Ryerson Theater but he gamely tackles the red carpet's parasites, who are clearly in awe of this large figure.

"I play basketball in L.A.," he tells one baffled reporter. "No, not the Lakers."

"I'm just a lowly producer," he informs another. "You want to talk to the real stars."

On cue, Bale arrives and the crowd goes nuts. Think Staples Center after a buzzer-beating turnaround from Brand who, in this fictional scenario, is donning a cape and metallic cup. With the paparazzi distracted, Brand pauses for some perspective.

"It's an honor to be here because the films you've seen here have gone down as some of the greatest of all time," Brand says, and recent history backs him up. "Dawn" is screening in the Masters Program, which sports films from celebrated auteurs like Ang Lee, who last year brought "Brokeback Mountain" here.

"The reason I entered the film biz was to tell a great story," Brand says. "You're not going to change the world, but I'm passionate about the art of it."

Besides, it ain't like getting throttled by KG.

"My full-time job is a little harder," he says. "You gotta take elbows to the face sometimes. Here I can just put on a suit and watch Christian act."

Finally, Brand takes his seat and when the lights dim, the Lion roars. The Lion, of course, is the MGM icon. As if the "Dawn" family didn't have enough to celebrate, MGM acquired the film's North American distribution rights in a pre-emptive bid the night before. Marlton was having dinner at Morton's when he got the call.

"I tipped the maitre d' $50 to bring me the faxed contract," says Marlton, who's clearly picking up the game. "I signed it right there and we had our studio."

(MGM is expected to release the movie Dec. 1 in Los Angeles and New York for an Oscar qualifying run, with wider release in February.)

After the screening, Herzog, Bale and Davies participate in a Q&A session. The director tells the audience, including Dengler's widow and son, that Dieter, who passed away five years earlier, "embodied everything I love about America: Courage, frontier spirit, loyalty, and joy of life. I think he would have liked this evening here with you."