Movie Awards Press on, Despite Strike Woes

Jan 07, 05:00 AM

"The season of trophies is truly a season in hell."

That was Sean Penn speaking the feelings of so many Saturday night at the 19th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, where all the men wore tuxes and all the women sparkled in jewels lent by gala sponsor Cartier.

But Penn, accepting director of the year for Into the Wild, went on to explain that awards shows get "butts in seats" to see films, which is why many were glum over the predicament of Sunday's Golden Globes. Faced with promised picketing from the striking writers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which gives out the Globes, is to announce its plans today. It's possible the show won't go on.

"This could be the big awards show of the season," noted Entertainment Tonight's Mary Hart, the Palm Springs gala's host.

No one, including such foreign-born nominees as Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood), Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose) and director Joe Wright (Atonement), said they would cross writers' picket lines.

"If they find an arrangement, I will go, but I won't cross any picket lines," offered Cotillard, who is not a member of any union in France.

Bruce Willis, there to present an award to producer Jerry Weintraub, steered clear of strike questions; his daughter Rumer is this year's Miss Golden Globe. "Of course she was excited," Willis said. "But in the Willis family, we're very optimistic. These little hiccups come along from time to time."

Hairspray's Nikki Blonsky, winner of a Rising Star award at Palm Springs, also is a Globe nominee. She said her Globes gown is being sewn. She just hopes she gets to wear it. "I'm covering all the bases if they do happen," she said. "And if they don't, I'll just put it in my closet and save it."

Blonsky was looking at the positive: "I told my mom, 'People are going to call me the Golden Globe-nominated Nikki Blonsky.' Having those three words is mind-blowing."

Hairspray director Adam Shankman believes the Writers Guild of America should have given the Globes a waiver. "It's not an elegant way of saying it, but it completely sucks," he said. "All of the people who achieved all of this pre-strike, including the writers, can't have a platform to go up and enjoy their success and also have a position to ask for empathy for the strike. The arbitrariness of these waivers is driving me insane. It's not like the ratings for the Golden Globes is so big that they're taking down NBC." (The WGA cleared a waiver for the Screen Actors Guild's Jan. 27 award ceremony and the Spirit Awards.)

"If they don't make a deal, we can't go," said Juno director Jason Reitman. "It's hard for us because I'm so proud of this film. I'm so proud of Ellen (Page)'s work and of Diablo (Cody)'s work. I wanted to see them celebrated. But sometimes things are bigger than personal celebrations."

At the New York Film Critics Circle Awards on Sunday night, other stars echoed that sentiment. Among the guests who said they would not attend the Globes if it is picketed: No Country for Old Men's Javier Bardem, Enchanted's Amy Adams and Away from Her director Sarah Polley. Gone Baby Gone's Amy Ryan summed it up best: "I can't cross the picket line."

William Keck reporting in Palm Springs; Donna Freydkin

reporting in New York. (c) Copyright 2005 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. Movie Awards Press on, Despite Strike Woes
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