TORONTO - Justin Bieber opened a packed press gathering on Tuesday by claiming he was no good at news conferences, then proceeded to handle the hectic scene like an old pro, fielding questions on a range of topics including his candy preferences, personal life and his hockey-playing habits.
In town to promote the Feb. 11 release of a 3D documentary about his life called "Never Say Never," the 16-year-old was surrounded onstage by his inner circle and the film's director, Jon Chu.
But he hardly needed to defer, loosely answering questions from the press and a small assemblage of fans who were allowed into the room at Bieber's request.
The Stratford, Ont., native extolled the virtues of Canadian treats such as Tim Hortons' "ice caps," ketchup chips and Big Foot candies while remembering to promote his actual movie, too.
"It's a good movie whether you like me or you hate me, it's just a good movie," said Bieber, clad in a grey hoodie, jeans and shiny grey high-top sneakers.
"I think that some of you guys were probably a little surprised that you liked it, right? Be honest," he said, chiding the assemblage of journalists, most of whom resided in a different demographic than his mainly teenaged audience.
With the threat of a snow storm looming locally in Toronto, Bieber also fielded questions on his favourite snow-day activities (skating, sledding, skiing and sleeping in) while musing on the possibility that the weather might force him to spend a little extra time in Ontario.
"Maybe I'll be stuck here -- that'll be cool," said Bieber, chipper and relaxed throughout the session.
His fans would certainly think so.
Across town, Bieber's devotees formed a long queue outside MuchMusic despite the harsh winter conditions in anticipation of a scheduled live visit from the crooner, who's nominated for two awards at this month's Grammys.
Bieber also received four Juno nominations on Tuesday, but he said he won't be able to appear at the March 27 show in Toronto because he'll be performing overseas.
Some of the fans in attendance shrieked in glee as they skipped out of the ritzy Toronto hotel where the presser was hosted on Tuesday ("I touched him and his hands were so soft!" enthused one happy follower).
During the Q-and-A, he reassured one fan that he does, in fact, send out all the messages on his ubiquitous Twitter feed himself. However, asked about his boundaries, he admitted he liked to keep some information to himself.
"I don't tweet too much personal stuff," he said. "I don't get too in depth with my personal life because I think I need some personal life."
Still, "Never Say Never" peels back the curtain on his private life ever so slightly.
The film is more documentary than pure concert movie, covering Bieber's quick ascension from YouTube sensation to worldwide pop star and featuring interviews with Bieber's inner circle -- his manager, his vocal coach, his stylist, his security guard and his family.
But he said Tuesday that he wasn't exactly comfortable being trailed by a camera crew.
"I don't like cameras all in my face," said Bieber, at the very moment that at least a dozen photographers (professional and otherwise) furiously snapped his picture.
"That was one of the problems when I was making the movie, a lot of the time I was like: 'Can you just turn off the camera?' And like, I kept saying it so much that they didn't have anything for the movie."
"Never Say Never" also lingers in Bieber's hometown.
He and his friends strut through the downtown while passersby snap cellphone photos, and the crew tours his middle-school, his family home and even the downtown Pizza Pizza where he and his friends nosh on slices of Hawaiian (only after Bieber says grace).
He said Tuesday that he misses a variety of Canuck treats when he is away from home, as well as his grandparents, his friends, his father and his dog, Sam.
And he once again paid respect to his hometown.
"Just coming from a small town and just having that mentality, it's just made me humble," he said. "I didn't have a lot of money growing up. I lived in a little apartment in income housing.
"It just made me who I am. It made me realize what people have. I was just as happy then as I am now. So I'm just really blessed and Stratford, I love you."
But the movie also offers insight into how the Bieber phenomenon gathered steam.
His manager, Scooter Braun, delves into the way Bieber built a fanbase without an album or significant early radio support: he trekked to radio stations across North America, acoustic guitar often in hand, and tried to win over each market gradually.
"A lot of people think I'm a factory machine, and people put me together like a product, but I worked really hard to get here," Bieber said Tuesday.
With cameos from stars including Jaden Smith, Usher (Bieber's mentor and one of the film's producers), Ludacris, Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg and Boyz II Men, "Never Say Never" remembers to poke fun at itself, too: one montage has Bieber tousling his hair in slow motion while footage of Bieber's frenzied fans is set to Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King."
The film also reveals Bieber to be something of a prankster. At one point, he jokingly holds an electric razor to his beloved mop of hair and threatens to shave it off unless his manager tells him she loves him. Later, he tries to persuade his ever-present security guard, Kenny Hamilton (who had a spot on Tuesday's panel), to let him drive a forklift.
His sense of humour was evident Tuesday, too. He praised one journalist for his brightly coloured T-shirt ("good colour -- real men wear pink," he said) and mocked Chu's sleek hairstyle ("call him Willow Smith," referring to the "Whip My Hair" singer).
When he opened up the floor to fan questions near the end of the session, one young girl immediately asked Bieber if he would marry her.
"We get that question at least once a day," he said, smiling, before offering a careful response.
"The answer is, um, never say never, right?"
