The BAFTA Awards were held last night in London, and many of the predicted nominees won – namely, Slumdog Millionaire, Heath Ledger and Kate Winslet. The two big surprises were for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress – those went to Mickey Rourke and Penelope Cruz, respectively. Here’s a brief run-down of the major award winners:
Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director: Danny Boyle
Best Actress: Kate Winslet (The Reader)
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Best Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh (In Bruges)
I threw in the In Bruges win as a shout-out to all of the Celebitches who loved that movie. I haven’t seen the awards show yet, but from the reports I’m reading, it sounds like a relatively low-key event. Slumdog director Danny Boyle was subdued in his victory, probably now an absolute shoo-in for the Oscar. Reuters is reporting that the one real controversy of the night was Mickey Rourke’s profanity-laced acceptance speech. As he was thanking The Wrestler’s director Darren Aronofsky, Rourke said that he “f–ked up” his career for 15 years, which he did.
Low-budget Indian drama “Slumdog Millionaire” swept the BAFTA film awards Sunday winning best film, director and five other categories, giving it another boost ahead of the Oscars later this month.
Slumdog director Danny Boyle gave a restrained acceptance speech, but earlier defended his film on the red carpet against criticism in India to the movie’s name, which some slum dwellers find offensive, its depiction of the lives of impoverished Indians and the treatment of the cast.
He told Reuters the children in the film had been paid well and that the makers of the movie went to great lengths to make sure they would be well cared for after the film was forgotten.
“We also put in place an educational plan for the children which we are sticking to and we will be there for them long after the fuss has died down,” Boyle said ahead of the awards.
Kate Winslet, a double Golden Globe winner, won the leading actress award for her role as a former concentration camp guard in “The Reader.”
“I want to thank my mum and dad, who I won’t look at otherwise I will burst into tears,” she said at London’s Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
Mickey Rourke gave an expletive-filled acceptance speech while picking up his award for leading actor for his portrayal of a lonely, washed-up professional athlete in “The Wrestler” trying to make his sporting comeback in a role that parallels the actor’s own troubled life.
“Thank you to BAFTA, to Optimum Pictures to Fox Searchlight, Darren Aronofsky, he gave me a second chance after f–king up my career for 15 years,” Rourke said. “It’s such a pleasure to be back here out of the darkness.”
[Brad] Pitt lost two nominations — leading actor for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and supporting actor for his role in the Coen brothers’ comedy “Burn After Reading.”
The film had tied with Slumdog for 11 nominations, but won only three BAFTAs, for production design, make-up and hair as well as special visual effects.
Supporting actress went to Penelope Cruz for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” while the supporting actor award went to the late Heath Ledger for “The Dark Knight,” in which he played Batman’s nemesis Joker.
From Reuters
Brangelina showed up, but walked away losers three times over – because of Brad’s two nominations. Angelina Jolie seriously needs a new stylist. Her dress was one the worst dresses I have ever laid eyes on. I’m seeing that Winslet and Jolie were allegedly seated very close to each other in the hopes of some sort of “smack down” happening mid-ceremony. As if. Winslet’s pretty hardcore, but if Jolie wanted to give her a smackdown, Jolie would have already. I’m looking forward to seeing the ceremony when it comes on E!
Note by Celebitchy: I kind of like Angelina Jolie’s dress, especially when you compare it to the monochrome loose gowns she’s been wearing lately.
Shown on the red carpet are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Thandie Newton, Emma Watson, Daniel Craig and Satsuki Mitchell, Kate Winslet, Sharon Stone, Mickey Rourke, Goldie Hawn, Penelope Cruz, Christian Slater and Tamara Mellon, and Robert Downey Jr. and his wife Susan.
LOL to Mickey Rourke’s profanity-laced acceptance speech. Unfortunately that was the only exciting thing about the BAFTA Awards this year for me, overall I though it was pretty dull and boring.
Really enjoyed them, very well-presented (Mick Jagger was hilarious!) Mickey Rourke’s speech was just very honest and heartfelt, there were a few fucks but it was certainly not littered with profanity. He was one of my fav results of the night, him and Penny Cruz and In Bruges.
Oh and Robert Downey Jr looked edible.
Agree with CB on AJ’s dress, not exciting exactly but big improvement on the dreary old sacks she’s been floundering around in recently. It was fitted and looked good on her and I liked the yellow/gold detail.
Please unmod me, think it’s probably the f word that did it….
sorry to disagree but angie s dress is really beautiful
i dont mind angies dress. i am, however, sick of kate winslet’s tour of black this awards season. with the exception of her blue dress, its been nothing but black and i’m very over it.
I’m so happy *IN BRUGES* won the BAFTA award for best original screenplay & my favorite & brilliant actor COLIN FARRELL won the GOLDEN GLOBE award for best actor, the best movie of the year, well deserved.
i don’t mind mangie’s dress. i DO mind her smug bitchface.
sharon stone looks amazing. what happened to her career?
Mickey Rourke was the highlight of the Bafta’s. In an industry where so many focus on a public image. Mickey kept it real.
It was a delight to see Cruz win. She was my favoritte of the five performances.
Meant to add, thrilled that’ Man On Wire’ won the Bafta for Outstanding British Film and ‘I’ve Loved You So Long’ for Best Foreign Language Film.
And if there was an award for most beautiful woman, it would have gone to Kristin Scott Thomas – stunning.
I like Angie’s dress as well, maybe it is the shoes that throw it off.
BAFTA LOVES MICKEY CUZ MICKEY LOVES LOKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i loved Man On Wire. and i love mickey and loki.
I’m so excited In Bruges won best screen play. I absolutely loved that movie. Colin Farrell was pricless.
lol, why are angie & brad in the big header pic, they didnt even win anything! goshhhhh!
I love Angie’s dress…although NEITHER of them look too happy. I assume it’s because they both know that they aren’t gonna win tonight, and they probably feel like, “Why do we have to keep making these appearences for soemthing that will be futile?”
aleach: lol, why are angie & brad in the big header pic, they didnt even win anything! goshhhhh!
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this way they can be called attention ****** LOL and blamed for it
I like Angelina’s dress as well. This is how she can dress with stuff that fits and doesn’t make her look “fat”. She’s got a wider middle, obviously from the kids, but she doesn’t have to wear those hideous “blousy”, grandma dresses to hide it.
She looks great in this dress. It creates the look of an hourglass figure.
When did Goldie Hawn become the bloated crazy lady with a hundred cats freshly sprung from county? I love her, but damn! 🙁
I’m gutted Brendan didn’t get the Best Supporting Actor award – next time hopefully.
And a congrats to first-time director and former Turner Prize winner Steve McQueen on his award for “Hunger’ – brave man for taking on the story of Bobby Sands and the hunger strikers.
Benjamin Button still did well though in the technical and make-up awards where it was expected to clean up.
Oh, and I’m going to double post something in a second which is especially for geronimo, in case she forgets just how parochial the Irish press is.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0208/breaking8.html
lol for two people who haven’t won any awards they sure are on the cover of every award ceremony here. No wonder why they’re getting on people’s nerves. It’s not their fault tho i guess.
Shit I need a doctor. Thandie’s clavicle just poked me in the eye.
Thandie Newton’s elbow could cut glass.
Looove Angie’s dress!!!
Aw, I love Thandie Newton – she’s so slinky beautiful – but yes, I think she may have some eating issues.
Love Angie’s dress – looks fabulous on her.
And, maybe I’m just easily distracted, but I couldn’t help but notice the bystander in the background of the pic with Brad & Angie. Yikes! What’s with the blue hose?!
I thought that was one of the better dresses Angelina has worn. It’s a great retro dress, but her hair needs adjusting to really pull it off. And better shoes, I agree.
When will Brad stop squinting?! It’s as bad as Beyonce’s pits pose.
@Mairead – now you stop your mockery, quite clearly, if there were no Ballinasloe, there’d be no award-winning fillum director. I loved this line, particularly in the context of Boyle’s films: Mr O’Sullivan believes Mr Boyle’s childhood memories in Ballinasloe have influenced his work. “The town is bound to have had a bearing on his films,” he explained.
LMAO! Shallow Grave? Trainspotting?! 28 Days Later?!! … Thanks for posting! 🙂
The dress looks pretty nice, I agree… it’s much better than some others I’ve seen. BP is the bland man – seems to wear the same thing every he’s at an award show. Maybe HE should have worn the dress.
Congrats to the winners! I’m a little “over” Slumdog Millionaire already, but otherwise everyone is deserving of the recognition.