A happy trio: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly director Julian Schnabel, wearing his trademark pajamas, Best Supporting Actor nominee Javier Bardem, and producer-director Gil Cates, who is in charge of this year’s Academy Awards show.

Actress-turned-writer-director Sarah Polley poses with her Muse, Best Actress nominee Julie Christie, the star of Polley’s debut feature, Away from Her.

A small section of the nominees applauding one of their fellows during the group photo session. Seated up front are Hal Holbrook, Ellen Page, Julie Christie, Sarah Polley,
and Marion Cotillard; immediately above her are George Clooney and a bearded
Viggo Mortensen.

Academy President Sid Ganis presents an official certificate to Best Actress nominee Ellen Page, who’s all of 20 years old. She’s about to be directed by Drew Barrymore in a new feature project.

A radiant Laura Linney poses with her fiancé Mark Schauer, who’s holding her Oscar luncheon swag.

Two talented writer-directors were in attendance as members of the Academy Board of Governors: Alexander Payne and Curtis Hanson.

Hal Holbrook, the oldest actor to be nominated for an Oscar, presents an award at the Publicists Guild Luncheon.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse goes off on a tear about how writer-director-producer has changed his life by casting him in Superbad.

Harrison Ford was classy and funny accepting his honorary award from the Publicists’ Guild. He told me he had a lot of fun making the new Indiana Jones movie, and I hope that translates to the screen.

The contemporary king of movie comedy, writer-director-producer Judd Apatow celebrates Knocked Up making the AFI List with his wife—and the film’s delightful costar—Leslie Mann

Writer-director Lawrence Kasdan, a member of this year’s jury, chats with Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner.

LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS

January, 2008

Current LAFCA president
Lael Loewenstein shares a happy moment with presenter
Christine Lahti.

Jack Fisk, winner for
the Production Design of
There Will Be Blood, with
his wife, Sissy Spacek.

A beaming Paul Thomas Anderson,
writer-director of There Will Be Blood.

Master cinematographer
Janusz Kaminski playfully poses
behind his award for shooting
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

For the second year in a row, LAFCA honored a great film from Roumania; last year it was The Death of Mr. Lazrescu. This year it was 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, written and directed by Christian Mungiu (at left) and costarring Vlad Ivanov, who won our Best Supporting Actor award for his chilling portrayal of an abortionist.

AMERICAN RADIO ARCHIVES FUNDRAISER, OCTOBER 2007
Rehearsal and Run-through

Around the rehearsal table: clockwise, Norman Lloyd, Samantha Eggar, producer Peggy Webber, Norman Corwin, Carl Reiner, Linda Kaye Henning, and Gil Stratton.

Carl Reiner poses a question to writer-director Corwin, as Linda Kaye Henning and Gil Stratton listen in.

Norman Lloyd, who just turned 93, enjoys a chat with Norman Corwin, who’s 97: two men who are still involved and engaged with life. What great role models!

Sound-effects man
Tony Palermo pays close attention, surrounded by
the tools of his trade.

Samantha Eggar prepares to run through a scene as sound-effects man Tony Palermo awaits his cue. Eggar has worked with Peggy Webber in her CART productions for many years, and has become a superb radio actress. There is a special technique of acting only with one’s voice, and she has mastered it.

Janet Waldo looks up from her script shortly before performance time. Radio fans may know her best as Corliss Archer, while a later generation will recognize her voice as that of Judy Jetson, one of the many characters she performed for Hanna-Barbera.

Peggy Webber and Norman Corwin keep an eye (and ear) on the performances during a final run-through at the Thousand Oaks Public Library. Peggy acted on scores of radio shows in the 1940s and 50s, and is fondly remembered for her performances as Jack Webb’s elderly mother on Dragnet. She was actually younger than Webb at the time!

Fabled actor Edwin Booth (brother of the notorious John Wilkes Booth) appears in character in the middle of Gramercy Park, opposite his longtime home—now The Players club.

The Players’ insignia appears on the flag outside of its home on Gramercy Park South, to the left of the National Arts Club.

The National Arts Club is housed in the historic Tilden Mansion, which is designated both as a New York Landmark and a National Historic Landmark.
This detailed wall panel honors Shakespeare and Milton in the top row, Goethe and Dante in the bottom row, while Benjamin Franklin has the center row to himself.

Writer-directorTamara Jenkins came with her widely-praised movie The Savages, which won't be released until December. Her husband, screenwriter Jim Taylor, was along for moral support... and enjoyed the opening-day brunch, which was the last "normal" meal many of us had during a hectic weekend of moviegoing.

Jennifer Jason Leigh was honored at Telluride some years ago; she returned this year with husband Noah Baumbach to present his film Margot at the Wedding, in which she costars with Nicole Kidman.

Jon Krakauer, author of the book Into the Wild, joins Sean Penn, who wrote and
directed the film adaptation, Telluride regular Werner Herzog (who debuted his
new documentary Encounters at the End of the World), and film critic Scott Foundas
for a well-attended outdoor panel discussion.

First-time director Alison Eastwood is joined by film enthusiast extraordinaire Pierre Rissient and the star of her film, Rails & Ties, Marcia Gay Harden, for a discussion on stage at the Opera House.

Director Wayne Wang discusses his newest film, Thousands of Years of Good Prayers, with Yiyun Lee, who adapted her short story into a finely-tuned screenplay.

Another familiar face at Telluride is actor-writer-director Buck Henry, who shares a casual moment with Telluride resident Laura Linney. She was seen in this year in Tamara Jenkins' The Savages. 

Master of ceremonies Ben Cooper welcomes stuntman and stunt coordinator supreme Buddy Van Horn.

Powers Boothe, who loves Westerns and has made his fair share of them, returned as a presenter this year.

Viggo Mortensen, accepting his Golden Boot, tells us that as many people (including kids) come up to him to talk about that wonderful film Hidalgo as The Lord of the Rings! He now owns the Mustang he rode in Hidalgo.

Eva Marie Saint may not have made many Westerns, but she charmed the audience with her recollections of The Stalking Moon with Gregory Peck and playing James Arness' wife in the television version of How the West Was Won.