Hollywood Awards a family affair

Honorees give shout-outs, anecdotes

By ANDREW STEWART

Robert DeNiro at the Hollywood Film Fest awards.

Steven Spielberg presents Nora Ephron with a screenwriting award at Monday's kudos.

Monday's Hollywood Awards at the BevHilton felt more like a big family reunion than a meeting of Hollywood's elite. Several shout-outs and personal anecdotes were shared when honorees such as Hilary Swank, Christoph Waltz, Julianne Moore, Jeremy Renner, Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro accepted their kudos.

When receiving his Hollywood Actor nod, De Niro likened the crowd to a family saying, "We're just as dysfunctional, petty and vindictive as most families. But as with the best families, we're held together by dedication, respect and love of what we do, as well as a high threshold for pain," he said. "I'm happy to be here tonight with family."

Honoree Nora Ephron thanked longtime friend and neighbor, Steven Spielberg, who presented her with a screenwriter's award.

"Steven has been so helpful and generous to me. I met him because he bought the house across the street from us," Ephron said. "Now he owns all the houses in East Hampton, except ours."