The 2010 Awards Season Has Started!

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'Hurt Locker,' 'Up in the Air" win WGA top honors

LOS ANGELES - The war story "The Hurt Locker" and the recession tale "Up in the Air" have won top honors at the Writers Guild of America Awards.

"The Hurt Locker" won Saturday for best original screenplay for writer Mark Boal. "Up in the Air," based on Walter Kirn's novel, earned the adapted-screenplay award for writer-director Jason Reitman and co-writer Sheldon Turner.

"The Hurt Locker" and "Up in the Air" are up for the same screenplay honors at the Academy Awards, which will be handed out March 7.

Winning the guild's documentary screenplay award was Mark Monroe for "The Cove," a study of Japanese fishing operations that slaughter dolphins.

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'Hurt Locker,' 'Avatar' face off at UK film awards

LONDON - Intense war drama "The Hurt Locker" and blockbuster sci-fi spectacle "Avatar" squared off Sunday at the British Academy Film Awards — a curtain raiser for their Academy Awards battle in Los Angeles next month.

British coming-of-age drama "An Education" was also a favorite for the London prizes, attended by a mix of homegrown celebrity and Hollywood imports.

"The Hurt Locker" took first honors in the contest, winning prizes for cinematography, editing and sound. "Avatar" picked up the award for visual effects.

"Avatar," "An Education" and "The Hurt Locker" all went into the awards with nominations in eight categories, including best picture. "Avatar" director James Cameron and "Hurt Locker" director Kathryn Bigelow, former spouses turned awards-season rivals, are competing for best director.

The two directors, who were married from 1989 to 1991, are also going head to head at the March 7 Oscars, where their films have nine nominations apiece.

Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, already a hot Oscar favorite, won the supporting actor prize for his turn as a chilling, charming Nazi colonel in "Inglourious Basterds." The supporting actress award went to Mo'nique for "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

Director Duncan Jones took the award for best British debut for his lost-in-space drama "Moon."

A tearful Jones, whose father is musician David Bowie, said it had taken him a long time to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.

"Finally, I think I've found what I love doing," he said.

Earlier, Kate Winslet, Colin Firth, Audrey Tautou, Quentin Tarantino, Vanessa Redgrave and "Twilight" stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart all walked the red carpet before the ceremony at London's Royal Opera House, with Prince William on hand to add real royalty to showbiz aristocracy.

The prince, wearing a traditional Saville Row suit, received huge cheers and stopped to chat with waiting fans and have his picture snapped outside the opera house.

William was announced as the new president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which presents the awards — a role once held by his grandfather, Prince Philip.

In his acceptance speech, William joked that his predecessor, Richard Attenborough "warned me to keep this brief, otherwise Mickey Rourke might wrestle me off the stage" — a reference to the actor's best-actor victory last year with "The Wrestler."

Rising star Carey Mulligan, best-actress nominee for "An Education," turned heads in a sweeping monochrome floral dress by Vionnet.

She described the experience of being awards nominated as "like being punched — nicely."

Best actor contender Jeremy Renner, who plays a driven bomb-disposal expert in "The Hurt Locker," also is enjoying new celebrity after a career of supporting roles.

"I'm normally the guy that dies early on," he said.

The British awards, known as BAFTAs, are considered an important indicator of likely Oscar success. Last year, Danny Boyle's underdog picture "Slumdog Millionaire" won seven BAFTAs, including best film — and it went on to win eight Oscars.

The "Avatar"/"Hurt Locker" battle seems like a David-and-Goliath story. Cameron's last feature, "Titanic" won 11 Oscars, including picture and director. "Avatar" is a global phenomenon that has taken more than $2 billion at the box office.

"Hurt Locker," the intense story of a bomb-disposal team in Iraq, has made about a hundredth that much — but Britain loves an underdog.

South African alien thriller "District 9" is up for seven awards, while Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" and Jason Reitman's "Up in the Air" each have six nominations.

The best picture nominees are: "Hurt Locker," "Avatar," "An Education," "Up in the Air" and "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

As well as Cameron and Bigelow, the director nominees are Neill Blomkamp for "District 9," Lone Scherfig for "An Education" and Tarantino for "Inglourious Basterds."

The best actor race pits George Clooney, for "Up in the Air," against "The Hurt Locker's" Renner, Jeff Bridges for "Crazy Heart," Firth for "A Single Man" and Andy Serkis for his portrayal of musician Ian Dury in "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll."

Meryl Streep received her 13th BAFTA nomination for "Julie & Julia." The other best-actress nominees are Mulligan, Tautou for "Coco Before Chanel," Irish actress Saoirse Ronan for "The Lovely Bones" and Gabourey Sidibe for "Precious."

[Sleepless]

From Variety:



"Precious" dominated the Independent Spirit Awards, copping five trophies including best feature, director for Lee Daniels, actress for Gabourey Sidibe, supporting actress for Mo'Nique and first screenplay for Geoffrey Fletcher.
Jeff Bridges maintained his momentum with another best actor victory for "Crazy Heart" and Woody Harrelson won the supporting actor award for "The Messenger." The gala took place Friday night at the LA Live complex in downtown Los Angeles in a departure from its usual beachside site and its usual start time of Saturday midday as part of an effort by the Film Independent org to herald its 25th anniversary.

"Precious" won every category in which it was nommed and topped "500 Days of Summer," "Amreeka," "Sin Nombre" and "The Last Station" for the feature award -- presented by Ben Stiller following a goofy intro that included a trio of scantily clad porn stars gyrating. The event was telecast live on IFC.

"We together have made an amazing film that will be our children's legacy," noted "Precious" producer Sarah Siegel-Magness from the stage at the end of the ceremonies.

Only films made for $20 million or less are eligible for the Spirit Awards. "The Hurt Locker," with nine Oscar noms this year, was absent from the Spirits since it showed in festivals in 2008; the war drama scored a pair of acting nods last year for Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie but Oscar front-runner Kathryn Bigelow was shut out in the directing category.

An emotional Daniels opened his acceptance speech by noting, "Katherine Bigelow's not here tonight. I am." He added he had been in the midst of editing "Precious" while serving on one of last year's Spirit Awards juries, then professed love for all those associated with the film.

Sidibe recalled saving up her money while in school to see "Welcome to the Dollhouse." "To be corny, that's when my independent spirit was born," she said before crediting her castmates with showing her how to act.

"I still hardly know anything," she added.

Mo'Nique, who remains unstoppable in the supporting actress category, said of Sidibe, "Gaby, you are a special gift to the universe."

Fletcher, who won the evening's first award for "Precious," gave extensive thanks to his parents, the producers, Daniels, distrib Lionsgate, Saphire (who penned the novel) and the cast, adding, "Every time I see them, I become any audience member again."

Bridges also issued a lengthy list of acknowledgements after starting by saying, "It makes me weak in the knees."

"An Education" won the best foreign film award for director Lone Scherfig, who singled out lead actors Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard -- "the best actor I've ever worked with."

Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber won the screenplay trophy for "500 Days of Summer." The duo wasn't nommed in the Oscar original screenplay category but received a Writers Guild nod.

The best first feature trophy went to "Crazy Heart," honoring director-producer Scott Cooper and producers T. Bone Burnett, Judy Cairo, Rob Carliner and Robert Duvall.

Cooper thanked the cast and distrib Fox Searchlight. "If not for Fox Searchlight, this would have gone straight to radio," he added.

Roger Deakins won the cinematography trophy for "A Serious Man," which also took the previously announced Robert Altman Award -- recognizing director, casting directors and cast.

Eddie Izzard emceed the show with his usual irreverence. "Before we start, I'd like to announce there is no God," Izzard began. "So 'God Bless America' just means have a good time."

"Anvil! The Story of Anvil" took the documentary award with director Sacha Gervasi -- who crewed with the band as a teen -- coming on stage with the Canadian heavy metal band to accept.

"When I was 15 years old, this band took me out on the road and they showed me a lot of things, some of which I can't discuss on live television," he said.

Lynn Shelton, the writer-director-producer of sex comedy "Humpday," copped the John Cassavetes Award for a feature made for under $500,000. Shelton noted she was returning to the Spirits awards stage for the second year in a row; she won the Acura Someone to Watch trophy last year.

Bill Ross and Turner Ross won the Chaz and Roger Ebert Truer Than Fiction award for the documentary "45365." The film critic was in attendance for presentation of the award, renamed because of a gift from the Eberts' foundation, and received a standing ovation.

Karen Chien received the Piaget Producers kudo for producing "The Exploding Girl" and "Santa Mesa." Kyle Alvarez, director of "Easier with Practice," won the Acura Someone to Watch award.

Complete winners list:

Best Feature Precious"

Best Director Lee Daniels, 'Precious'

Best First Feature 'Crazy Heart'

Best Screenplay Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, '(500) Days of Summer'

Best First Screenplay Geoffrey Fletcher, 'Precious'

John Cassavetes Award Humpday

Best Supporting Female Mo'Nique, 'Precious'

Best Supporting Male Woody Harrelson, 'The Messenger'

Best Female Gabourey Sidibe, 'Precious'

Best Male Jeff Bridges, 'Crazy Heart'

Best Cinematography Roger Deakins, 'A Serious Man'

Best Foreign Film 'An Education'

Best Documentary 'Anvil! The Story of Anvil'