TORONTO -- The world's hottest pop commodity is now set to become a movie star.
Justin Bieber thrilled hundreds of his fans here on Tuesday, showing up at various scheduled promo stops downtown, including a news conference to promote Justin Bieber: Never Say Never -- a 3D movie about his life and his music that opens in theatres nationwide on Feb. 11.
Bieber explained that growing up in Stratford, Ont., with his struggling young mother made him appreciate his success more.
"Coming from a small town and having that mentality made me humble," the 16-year-old said at the news conference. "It made me who I am. I was just as happy then as I am now. I am just really blessed. Stratford, I love you.
"I love Canada, and there's no place like home."
How does he handle all the fame?
"I think the most important thing is to stay humble. People want you to succeed, but when you make it, they want to tear you down. It's a weird world, but that's just how it is. There are people who aren't going to like me," he said, then added about Never Say Never, "But if they watch this movie, maybe they really get to see I'm just a nice person, 'cause a lot of people think I'm some kind of factory machine, that people just put me together like a product. But I worked really hard to get here and there are so many people who helped me."
Bieber said he loves Twitter, and finds himself reading and responding to messages at all hours.
"I'm always tweeting, all day every day, because people are in all different time zones. I don't get too in-depth about my personal life."
When he opened the floor to questions from his fans, Bieber was immediately asked by an adolescent girl, "Will you marry me?"
The singer responded, "Never say never."
The Bieb also made scheduled stops Tuesday at MuchMusic to appear on the New.Music.Live program, and at the AMC movie theatre at Yonge and Dundas, to walk down the red carpet before Never Say Never premiered to contest-winning fans.
About his new movie, he said to media, enthusiastically, "Be honest -- some of you were surprised by what you saw. You liked it, right? It's a good movie. Whether you like me or hate me, it's a good movie."
Never Say Never unfolds as a countdown to the singer's first soldout Madison Square Garden show last August, interspersed with snippets from his My World tour, home video and photos from his childhood, and interviews with friends, fans and family. Long story short: he's been cute since birth.
While the movie contains little that Bieber's die-hard fans don't already know, it does highlight the prodigious talent that distinguishes the Canadian singer from also-rans in the music industry. Over and above the choir-boy voice and the famous haircut, Bieber is an accomplished pianist, drummer and guitarist, and has apparently been some sort of musical force of nature since he was a toddler.
Bieber was discovered via YouTube. His mother posted some of his amateur performances so distant family could see Justin sing, and U.S. talent agent Scooter Braun stumbled across them. He tracked down Justin and his mother, Pattie Mallette, and convinced them to come to his offices in Atlanta.
According to Braun, it was the first plane ride either Justin or his mom had ever taken. You might say the rest is history.
Bieber was nominated earlier Tuesday for four Juno Awards, but said he won't be able to attend the March 27 awards ceremony in Toronto because he'll be overseas.
What does he miss the most about Canada?
"I miss Tim Hortons," he said. "Iced Capps."
liz.braun@sunmedia.ca
