BAFTA Winners & Red Carpet

The British Academy have long since finished handing out their prizes and we're still waiting for BBC America to begin the Broadcast. It's so delayed we may just wait till tomorrow morning to watch it and check out the Grammys instead tonight. Who knows? It's so strange to be denied *live* events on the telly.  If you don't want to know the winners before you see the taped broadcast, skip this post.
The Harry Potter Gang

You already knew that it would be a big night for the Harry Potter crowd, since they were getting a special tribute but it was an even bigger night for Bellatrix LeStrange, our Lady Helena, as she took home Best Supporting Actress for her very popular film The King's Speech. It occurred to me today that HBC, for all the ups and downs of her career, noone but her husband has really been casting her for some time, she's really  sealed her place in history, not once, not twice, but three times over. Other actresses should be so lucky. She's an irreplaceable part of 80s era cinema as a major Merchant/Ivory rep player. She's an irreplaceable part of Tim Burton's filmography (and despite his rocky past decade in terms of quality, that means something). AND she's an irreplaceable part of the Harry Potter franchise which dominated the past decade of film. So, well done HBC.

It was sort of a stealth approach to screen immortality but however you get there...

BAFTA WINNERS
Academy Fellowship: Christopher Lee
Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema: the Harry Potter films
Film: The King's Speech
British Film: The King's Speech
Outstanding Debut: Four Lions, Chris Morris
Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
Screenplay: The King's Speech
Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
Foreign Film: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Animated Film: Toy Story 3
Actor: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
Supporting Actress: Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech

a major night for the Royal family with both Best Film awards

Music: Alexandre Desplat, The King's Speech
Cinematography: Roger Deakins, True Grit (read the Film Experience interview)
Editing: Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter, The Social Network (read the Film Experience interview)
Production Design Guy Dyas, Inception
Costume Design: Colleen Atwood, Alice in Wonderland
Sound: Inception
Visual Effects: Inception
Makeup and Hair: Alice in Wonderland
Short Animation: The Eagleman Stag
Short Film: Until the River Runs Red
Rising Star Award: Tom Hardy

More dresses? Who do you think is best dressed? (UPDATE: More pictures are coming in so this is just a teensy peak of the fashion)

poll by twiigs.com

I'm glad that Julianne Moore got one more big event this year as a nominee. She looks great. She didn't get to cheer on Annette Bening, though. Aside from the supporting categories -- which were part of the very dominant King's Speech (though strangely technicals like production design & costumes were not) -- the BAFTAs gave us the same crop of winners as virtually everywhere else in one of the most samey-samey years in awards history. It's unlikely that Oscar night will hold any surprises. Hopefully there will be major fashion risks to give us plenty to talk about other than "Which of Colin Firth's major speeches did you like best?" 

How are you feeling about the BAFTA choices? Disappointed? Happy? Empty Inside?

RCL: London Film Critics Circle

I know you. I know what you woke up thinking. "Yeah, yeah, The Social Network won another Best Picture prize at the latest awards ceremony but WHAT WAS RUTH SHEEN WEARING?!?" As the resident eccentric (crazy cat lady?) of awards blogs, we shall provide the answer. 

We will also talk about the winners, but first the Actresses . (Photos repurposed from Zimbio for our Red Carpet Lineup pleasure.)

Thomas, Williams, Pike, Manville, Sheen

Kristin Scott Thomas wore what looks like leopard print and she does get a little animalistic in her sex scenes (have any of you seen Leaving?). Despite her primal force and sexiness onscreen in her 50s, this dress is a smidge dowdy (looks better with the jacket off). In brighter news, they claim her career tribute acceptance speech was quite amusing.

Olivia Williams and Rosamund Pike wore form fitting black and white respectively. Onscreen Olivia always seems dangerous and Pike like a heavenly angel (Made in Dagenham) even when she's a devilishly decadent (An Education) so it seems right.

Another Year's Lesley Manville and Ruth Sheen also showed in black gowns (I love Sheen's shimmery wrap). I have a bone to pick with Sony Pictures Classics. I don't understand what they did with Another Year at all. It's like they weren't even trying and sometimes they try very hard with worthy adult-friendly movies. But barely releasing it and waiting until everyone was all obsessed with noisy Christmas blockbusters? Bizarre non-strategy if they were hoping to get people interested. Wouldn't September have been a nice spot for a melancholy four seasons Mike Leigh film?

Oh the winners?
Yes yes...

Film The Social Network
British Film The King's Speech
Foreign Film Of Gods and Men
Director  David Fincher, The Social Network
British Director Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Breakthrough British Filmmaker Gareth Edwards, Monsters
Screenplay Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Actress Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
British Actress Lesley Manville, Another Year
Actor Colin Firth, The King's Speech
British Actor Christian Bale, The Fighter (
British Supporting Actor Andrew Garfield, The Social Network 
British Supporting Actress Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer 
Young British Performer Conor McCarron, NEDs
Excellence in Film KRISTIN SCOTT-THOMAS

Wouldn't it be HILARIOUS if American film prizes started divvying up their prizes like "Best American Film" and "Best Picture" wouldn't the nominees all be the same since America loves itself so much?

About the winners: The only title/person I'm unfamiliar with is NEDs. Any British readers want to let us know if McCarron was worthy of the honor? Annette Bening wasn't present. Busy season. You can't be everywhere. Aaron Sorkin picked up all four of The Social Network's trophies. Was Andrew Garfield too busy web-swinging or something?

BAFTAs are Sunday. They are broadcast tape-delayed here in America. 8 PM EST on BBC America so by the time they air, we'll already know the winners. But I so prefer to find out while watching! I haven't yet decided how to cover it due to this time lapse. Any suggestions?

Ada & Ruby. Look at them now.

Red Carpet: Matchy-Matchy, Swans & Sweet Revenge

Previously: SAG live blog and SAG screen shots.

Final SAG Post!
Aren't you relieved? When people say the verb "sag" do you think automatically think of unionized actors? Glam Overload especially after that Vanity Fair cover. But we can't wrap up SAG discussions without a quick fashion run-through, can we? It wouldn't be right. I'm dying to talk about actual movies again. Funny how movie awards season shoves the movies into the background. Must watch some actual movies that don't have awards on their mind this week so that we can better appreciate all the sleek beauties and shiny gowns again by BAFTA & Oscar time.

Amber Riley, Paz de la Huerta, Angie Harmon, Throwback Goddess

Too Matchy-Matchy
Let's start with the TV girls because we never do and this was their last chance in the season to shine. This group is way too frustrating. I didn't know that Amber Riley (Glee) was rooming with Julia Stiles. How else to explain this saloon girl in mourning gown that we just saw at the Globes. Angie Harmon is wearing something that's very suspiciously Penélope Cruzesque and if you're not Penélope... Christina Hendricks remains a goddess but I don't know what to make of this.

Paz de la Huerta from Boardwalk Empire... matching lips with dress? Must she? Is that ever a good idea outside of maybe classic reds and even then. A little bit of red goes a long way. Aren't you glad other actresses didn't do this?

BEST DRESSED (TV Division)
Cara Buono (Mad Men), Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Edie Falco (Edie Falco!), Juliana Margulies (The Good Wife), Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)

The Pretty. The Unexpected. The Vivid. The Classy. The Va Va VoomLove that Bowen managed to pull off pants at a glam event; risky means big pay off if it works. When Modern Family first started I worried that Julie Bowen would have the boring "straight man" role among comediennes but...

(more after the jump including Best Dressed and the Black Swan girls)

Click to read more ...

Red Carpet: DGA Girls

Last year's winner Kathryn Bigelow with Tom HooperI'm so excited for SAG tonight.

Oh foolish me! I know it's just going to be another love-in for The King's Speech. But while we wait it out, live-blogging starts at 7:00 PM, let's gawk. I was going to display each of the Directors nominated but David Fincher zoomed outta there the second they announced Hooper's name (apparently he had a 6 AM wakeup call for Dragon Tattoo. God, he's burning the candle at both ends attempting to film during the awards season circus. It's impossible to assume that he isn't happier on set anyway.) So there was no way to matchup of Director photos.

What's more the press photos are often shot from below for some reason giving everyone double chins. Not a good look for most people.

Still, to get you in the mood for what will surely be a more colorful red carpet tonight at SAG, here are the women who showed to support their directors or perhaps just to be seen. Smart actresses know that becoming a director's muse is practically the master key to screen immortality. It's the quicket way to unlock that particular door.

80s Starlet, 90s Starlets, Eternal Starlet

Elisabeth Shue will always hold a special place in my heart but this dress is too Cougar Town for me. Cougar Town before it found its groove as Cul de Sac (never mind. TV reference). I always forget that she's married to director Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for 'Superman') until I see them at these events. Do you think she ever pretends that Guggenheim's Oscar is hers from Leaving Las Vegas?

poll by twiigs.com

Remember when Claire Danes and Julia Stiles were going to be huge film stars? Julia's ruffly relaxed gown is a huge improvement on her saloon girl look from the Globes, don't you think? I do have an honest question about Danes. She's been working events for Temple Grandin for what seems like a full year now. Just how much mileage is she expecting to get from that and, however much that is, wouldn't she have gotten it already? Why hasn't she been working since really? Weighing offers? Waiting for them?

Finally... Dame Helen Mirren. You know every director with a generic 20something bimbo on his arm is insanely jealous of Taylor Hackford deep down inside.

Burton's muse, Ree Dolly, Mother and Daughter-in-law

Helena Bonham-Carter toned it down from the Globes but is still unmistakably Helena Bonham-Carter. Bless.

Jennifer Lawrence is 20 years old. We have to keep reminding ourselves because she's working these red carpets like she wants to be look like either a Kidmanesque goddess or a very high priced call girl. Doesn't this look scream "If you have to ask how much, you can't afford to pay."

Finally, The Fighter girls. Do you think Melissa Leo will continue her winning streak tonight or will Amy Adams throw down using the SAG stage as her new front porch. Leo's been giving good speech for weeks but each time she's on the red carpet it's like she's still trying to decide what her look is. Remember that unironic early 70s retro look at the Oscars for Frozen River? Then the sexy suit at the BFCA's. Then the classic safe black shiny look at the Globes?  This is... someone else entirely. I don't remember Diane Keaton being in The Fighter!!!