Blogger dials police over cinema cell phone disruption

An American blogger annoyed by texting and emailing on smartphones during a movie at the Toronto film festival called police this week. Alex Billington reportedly first complained to theater managers at the Monday midnight screening of Ti West's "The Sacrament." But when no action was taken, he called the police emergency response line, 911. He told Canadian media that he was concerned that the film was being pirated by someone who had raised their phone to the movie screen. Later, he admitted that he was chiefly just bugged by the disruptions, and apologized for wasting first responders' time. "I overreacted," he said in a Twitter message. The Toronto film festival in fact uses strong anti-piracy measures, including staff equipped with night-vision goggles to spot illicit filming during screenings. Billington could not be reached for comment.