TINSELTOWN SPYWITNESS.Byline: Joel Stratte-McClure NETWORKING: ``Dana, you're a wonderful nurse and a good woman,'' Brad Pitt said into a fan's cell phone when he arrived at the 18th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, which ends tonight. ``My mother's thrilled to hear your voice,'' replied the young fan from Temecula. ``And where's Angelina?'' ``She's home putting the kids to bed,'' Pitt calmly replied as he led ``Babel'' cast members Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett (born May 14, 1969), better known as Cate Blanchett, is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress. She has also won various awards, most notably including two SAGs and two BAFTAs, making her one of a few actors who won all , Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi into the Palm Springs Convention Center The Palm Springs Convention Center is a 160,000 square foot facility located in downtown Palm Springs, California. It can accommodate groups from 12 to 9,000 in size, depending on the configuration. . The 1,800 guests at the festival's gala awards presentation definitely got the impression that ``Babel'' could be the hottest film at the Golden Globe awards Monday night. Not only did the cast win the ensemble performance award, but Morgan Freeman also gave ``Babel'' director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu the director of the year award, and Blanchett picked up a career achievement award. To top it off, Pitt led the entire audience in a rendition of ``Happy Birthday'' to salute Kikuchi on her 26th birthday. ``Thank you for honoring `Babel Babel (bā`bəl) [Heb.,=confused], in the Bible, place where Noah's descendants (who spoke one language) tried to build a tower reaching up to heaven to make a name for themselves. ,' or `Baybelle' or `Babelle' -- we're still really not sure how to pronounce it,'' Pitt said. ``We're very proud of the film, its international cast and its use of seasoned actors with non-actors. All of them gave very inspired and moving performances, which just tells me that I'm grossly overpaid o·ver·pay v. o·ver·paid , o·ver·pay·ing, o·ver·pays v.tr. 1. To pay (a party) too much. 2. To pay an amount in excess of (a sum due). v.intr. To pay too much. .'' Blanchett also got the award for the evening's most risque ris·qué adj. Suggestive of or bordering on indelicacy or impropriety. [French, from past participle of risquer, to risk, from risque, risk; see risk.] Adj. comment. ``In honor of this extraordinary award, I'm not wearing any underwear,'' she said. She tried to add, ``I'm joking,'' but her voice was drowned out Drowned Out is a 2002 documentary by Franny Armstrong about the controversial Sardar Sarovar Project. It closely follows a family that is unwilling to leave its village home as the water levels of the Narmada River, mostly because the government provides them no viable by applause and laughter as Pitt ``translated'' her remark by feigning sign language. SHORT, SWEET, SASSY: The 2007 awards season will fly by if winners keep their speeches as short as ``Little Children'' writer-director Todd Field William Todd Field, known professionally as Todd Field (born February 24, 1964) is an American actor and three time Academy Award-nominated writer/director. Biography Personal life Field was born in Pomona, California, where his family ran a poultry farm. did when he received the Sonny Bono Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (January 16 1935 – January 5 1998) was an American record producer, singer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades. Visionary Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. ``The word `visionary' is a bit premature,'' Field said, after being introduced by Sissy Spacek Mary Elizabeth "Sissy" Spacek (born December 25, 1949) is an Academy Award-winning American actress and singer. Biography Early life Spacek was born in Quitman, Texas to Edwin Arnold Spacek, Sr., a county agricultural agent, and Virginia Frances (Spilman). . ``I'm not there yet. I've just started.'' Best director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu also saluted brevity when he entered a winners' circle that included Kate Winslet <noinclude></noinclude> Kate Elizabeth Winslet (born October 5, 1975) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated, Emmy Award-nominated, BAFTA, Grammy and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning English actress. , Cate Blanchett, Sydney Pollack Noun 1. Sydney Pollack - United States filmmaker (born in 1934) Pollack , Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is a three-times Academy Award-nominated American composer. He is considered one of the most influential composers of the late-20th century[1][2][3][4][5] , Adam Beach Adam Ruebin Beach (born November 11, 1972 in Ashern, Manitoba) is a Canadian actor of Saulteaux descent. He is best known for his roles as Marine Private First Class Ira Hayes in Flags of Our Fathers, Private Ben Yahzee in Windtalkers and Dr. , Jessica Biel and the casts of ``Babel'' and ``Little Miss Sunshine.'' ``My legs are shaking, my English is not so good, and I'm amazed to get an award presented by Morgan Freeman,'' Gonzalez Inarritu said. ``Just his second name -- Freeman, free man -- says everything for me.'' Winslet, who received the Desert Palm Achievement Award for Acting, made humorous remarks that will be hard to top should she win best actress at the Golden Globes on Monday. Winslet read from a letter she said she wrote 20 years ago. ``Dear God: Please let me look like Olivia Newton-John in `Grease,' be able to sing like Julie Andrews and kiss lots of hunky hun·ky 1 n. pl. hun·kies Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a person, especially a laborer, from east-central Europe. guys like Leonardo DiCaprio.'' Then she read from a letter she wrote last year. ``Dear God: Please let me never be late for work, remember my lines and let my co-stars have good breath.'' Meanwhile, presenter Laurence Fishburne was at a loss for words when the TelePrompTer didn't work and he couldn't find the notes he'd prepared to introduce Pollack. Unplug the TelePrompTers! Now that will really makes the awards shows go quickly. CRASH COURSE?: The buzz in the biz is that ``Bobby'' could be the ``Crash'' of 2007. That rumor certainly pleased everyone at a cocktail party thrown by Janet and Martin Sheen to fete their son, ``Bobby'' director Emilio Estevez, and the film's acting ensemble. ``Actually, I take it with a grain of salt because I personally started the buzz a couple of months ago,'' joked William H. Macy as he slyly smiled at Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Sharon Stone, Christian Slater, Freddy Rodriguez and other members of the cast gathered at Drago in Santa Monica on Tuesday evening. ``But I'm pretty good at this stuff and know a killer movie when I see one.'' Could ``Bobby'' -- which received a seven-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival and won for best ensemble cast at the Hollywood Film Festival -- actually be chosen best picture at the Golden Globes and get an Oscar nomination despite its disappointing U.S. box-office results? ``This has been the `little train that could' from the outset, and we're still actively supporting `Bobby' because it's thrilling to be involved with a film that says so much,'' said Stone, who will be attending the Golden Globes ceremony with many of her co-stars. ``Anything can happen!'' No one pretends to know whether ``Bobby'' will be another ``Crash.'' Nor are they particularly worried about the outcome. ``To get where we are now is already a miracle,'' Rodriguez said. ``The various nominations have given the film a new life,'' Estevez admitted. ``But win or lose, I haven't been nominated for anything in my life, and it's exciting just to be in the mix.'' CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1) PITT: Look at what Angelina missed (2) KATE and CATE: Face to face Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images (3) SHEEN, ESTEVEZ, MOORE and KUTCHER: They're lovin' `Bobby,' baby ... (4) STONE and MACY: ... and so are they Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com |
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