•  Anne Thompson was at the Governor's Ball, and she has a thing or two to say about it. (Lucky!) [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  Jeffrey Wells has 11 observations on the night's festivities, including some stage coaching for the Coens, a cheers to Colin Farrell for supposedly urging producers to let Marekta Irglova speak, and some fashion criticism for Jon Stewart. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  Even though it was a tight, swift show, apparently no one watched.  Maybe it has something to do with the vast unpopularity of the nominees? [The Hollywood Reporter]

•  Sasha Stone sticks it to the jerks who can't help themselves but continue to give Diablo Cody hell. [Awards Daily]

•  David Carr rounds up the show and the Ball. [The Carpetbagger]

•  Tom O'Neil rounds up the critics' reactions to the show, which was apparently "a bore and a sporadic thrill."  Uh, ok. [Gold Derby]

•  David Poland spoitballs reactions to the festivities. [The Hot Blog]

•  New York Magazine wraps up its coverage with some Jon Stewart talk. [Vulture]

•  David Edelstein, meanwhile, has some reactions as well (he dug the decision to bring Irglova back as well). [The Projectionist]

•  Pete Hammond writes up what is becoming the most over-done talking point of the past 12 hours: the international love fest that was the Oscars. [The Envelope]

•  David Halbfinger files for the Gray Lady. [New York Times]

•  And Erik Davis thinks the performance of "Falling Slowly" was the night's best moment. [Cinematical]

I didn't make it to last night's Miramax festivities in West hollywood, though there is plenty of coverage of the event out there on the Oscarweb this morning.  I did, however, waltz down the beach following last night's Spirit ceremony to Shutters for the awards' after party shindig.

It was good times all around, though considerably packed and difficult to move.  I did, however, finally come face to face with Diablo Cody.  We've missed each other all season and finally had the opportunity to chat a bit.

Media distaste be damned, this girl has the charm.  She's beautiful and more gracious than you might expect.  In that stunning red dress, she really lit the room up, as far as I'm concerned.  Let's face it, I was in the process of falling head over heels in love with her until Pete Hammond came along and stole my thunder (he hasn't managed to meet her all eason either, it turned out).

Cody said she didn't exactly expect to win the Best First Screenplay award because she wasn't sure the Indie Spirits would want to give it to the film that's raked in $100 million at the box office so far.  She also pointed out how taken aback she was by the fact that her hairstylst would be kicking things off at noon the next day (that'd be about now) for Oscar preparations.  All of this before running over to Ron Jeremy to get a snapshot with the ubiquitous pornstar.

Anyway, she doesn't have a whiff of presumption or entitlement about her, which, for a person in her shoes (Best Original Screenplay is probably tonight's easiest pick), is certainly refreshing.  I dig her, end of story.  Here's hoping her career opens up beyond the snarkiness of the media and even the film industry at large.  She's a talented young lady.

Later on I finally met up with some old friends (and nominees for the John Cassavettes award for "Quiet City), filmmaker Aaron Katz and producer Brendan McFadden.  Despite having lost to Chris Eska's "August Evening," the two were in good spirits and having a blast surrounded by a who's who of Hollywood talent.  Cinematographer Andrew Reed told me the crew was sitting right across from "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" table, and that he was more than enthused when Janusz Kaminki won Best Cinematography for the film.  "He absolutely deserves it," Reed said.

Also milling about were the usual journo suspects (David Poland, Mark Olsen, Jeff Wells, Anne Thompson, Mike Jones).  I never did run into th Bagger this year, however, which makes my cold heart weep.  Oh well, there's always next season!

I did, however, notice one lively individual closing the party down like no other (since yours truly, in any case).  That was John Carney, director of "Once" and recipient of the evening's Best Foreign Film award.  Carney said it was a definite surprise, given the competition in the category, but that he honestly thought "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" probably deserved it more.  "It's a better movie, I think," he said.  He also told me that, at the drop of a dime, he would work with Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova again.  He agreed that there is just something about their music that injects a sort of sublime enjoyment into the process, so maybe we'll see them together again in the near future.  "Once 2: Twice," maybe?

Anyway, it was a grand evening all around.  By the time 8:00 p.m. rolled around, it seemed like midnight to everyone in attendance (the Spirits start uber early on the west coast).  Some went to The Night Before party, others headed out to the Miramax gathering, but I went out with my friends to enjoy their moment of film awards glory.  It seemed a better fit the day before diving into the maelstrom that is Oscar night.

And now...here we are.

Alright, now that a hectic morning of updating is safely behind me, it's off to the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica.  I'll be there all day and into the night, live blogging from the press tent and grabbing discussion with winners and nominees when I can.  It should be a lovely and...spirited affair.  Always a fun party for those who cover the season.

Until later...

•  George Clooney: Oscar prognosticator. [Time]

•  Andy Trudeau profiles the Oscar nominated scores once again -- always a delight. [NPR]

•  Sasha Stone previews tomorrow's Independent Spirit Awards. [Awards Daily]

•  David Carr verbally spars with Paul Thomas Anderson at last night's Paramount Vantage party... [The Carpetbagger]

•  ...then he makes his final calls in the main categories. [New York Times]

•  Nathaniel Rogers, too, goes on the record as well. [The Film Experience]

•  Meanwhile, Jeffrey Wells drinks milshakes 45 or 55 feet away. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  David Poland wraps up the Oscar season.  As usual, he's not surprised by the way the year has rolled out. [Movie City News]

•  Gary Dretzka looks at Oscar-nominated films centered on Iraq. [Movie City News]

•  New York Magazine seems to think Javier Bardem has it in the bag. [Vulture]

•  Finally, Gina Piccalo writes up the whole affair as Hollywood's "holiday." [Los Angeles Times]

Variety sets about detailing the infrastructure of Oscar week this weekend with a number of stories, starting at the top with Bill Higgins' lede regarding the ghost town that is the post-Oscar party scene this season.

Mia McNeice follows it up with a look at the red carpet's sky-rocketing popularity, quoting our own Army Archerd, who first stepped onto the rug way back in 1948!  McNeice also passes on some sage wisdom regarding the art of the acceptance speech, as well as some beauty tips for the stars.

It isn't a one-woman show, however, as Anna Stewart digs into the "zenith of men's fashion" with a look at male apparel this year.  And speaking of apparel, Shalini Dore wraps things up with a profile of FIDM's costume design showcase, on display through April.

For the event-obssessed, there is also a calendar of the week's soirees that is painfully detailed.  Check it all out here!

It seems more and more studios are putting out a concerted effort to rally behind tech categories this season, as a number of films have received publicity treatment for craft nominations in the form of high profile demos and Q&A events.

The "Transformers" team got together at the end of last week for just such an event, and I kept forgetting to link to Anne's reaction piece.

Toward the end of the story, Anne gets to the subject of sound mixers Kevin O'Connell and Greg P. Russell, as well as their combined 32 Oscar nominations without a win.

I'm sure it was a splendid session (I regret that school took priority on the evening in question), but I wanted to know even more about what each specific contributor added to the film after reading Anne's piece, and even though I'm friendly with Russell and give a lot of attention to the tech categories, I still don't have all the screws tightened on this stuff (nor does, I'm sure, a large number of Academy members).  So I called him up to get a little more out of him.

This is how Russell broke down each individual contribution on what he calls the most difficult and complex sound job of his career:

•  Production mixer Peter Devlin (one of the three nominees for Best Sound Mixing) provided dialogue tracks to the sound team that were "well-recorded," Russell said, despite the challenging circumstances Devlin faced on the set.

•  Russell had the responsibility of handling all of the film's many aural effects, while sound editing nominees Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl created a vast palette of sounds for the mixers to work with.

•  (This is where it becomes greek to many -- myself included -- but certainly reflects a rather involved process.)  Russell and company pre-dubbed sound effects for five weeks and had a total of 29 "sound effects pre-dubs" per reel, nine of which were dedicated just for the robots.

•  The biggest challenge, Russell said, was conveying a quotient of believability to the robot stars of the picture.  Russell said it was "like a kid in a candy store" for him and co-nominee/former mixing partner Kevin O'Connell.

•  Creating the robots' voices was a challenge for co-sound supervisor Mike Hopkins, Russell said.  Together with O’Connell, he used clever processing techniques and even placed the voices in each of the speakers at times (including the subwoofer), giving the robots that "larger than life feeling."

•  Finally, Van der Ryn and Aadahl had to come up with signature sounds for the different robots to give them variation and personality.  Thompson touches on this in her piece when she writes that "the sound of Optimus Prime, voiced by Peter Cullen, is about air.  Bumble Bee is about buzzing."

Well, there you go.  You learn something every day and I honestly think I could hang around with these guys a solid week and still be dizzy with the amount of work that goes into post-producing a flick like "Transformers."

Other stories of interest:

•  Gerard Kennedy interviews Kevin O'Connell about the ubiquity of Oscar. [In Contention]
•  Martin Grove talks to the sound team behind "Transformers" [The Hollywood Reporter]
•  Greg P. Russell chats up his 12th nomination with yours truly. [Red Carpet District]

Finally I came across the panels for the crafts behind "No Country for Old Men."  Miramax has put each of them up as a handomse effort to generate buzz and support for the cinematography, sound and art direction of the piece.  Check it out.

Slim pickins this morning...

•  Anne Thompson responds to Vanity Fair's decision to close up shop on the annual Oscar party. [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  Jeffrey Wells thinks it's a clear opportunity for downsizing. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  Tom O'Neil coyly breaks the news that Entertainment Weekly will also be cancelling its Oscar party. [Gold Derby]

Cinematical points us to the news that AMC Theaters will be showcasing this year's five Best Picture nominees on Feb. 23, starting with "Michael Clayton" at 11:00 in the morning and wrapping up at 9:00 in the evening with "No Country for Old Men."  So if you missed them the first time around, you've got a chance to play catch up!  The screening fee is a rather inexpensive $30 and that'll get you in for the duration.  You also apparently get a large popcorn with that and free refills all day long.  All...day...long.  But make sure you fit in some protein, friends.

•  Anne Thompson rounds up a couple of upcoming Oscar events and seminars. [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  Jeffrey Wells is hearing that the Oscar-nominated Iraq documentaries might cancel each other out, paving the way for a "War/Dance" win. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  The homoeroticism of "There Will Be Blood" is back -- and with teeth. [Defamer]

•  Sasha Stone points us to the EW cover featuring "Juno" -- "the little movie that did." [Awards Daily]

•  Gina Piccalo covers yesterday's nominees luncheon. [The Envelope]

•  Michael Cieply reports on Sid Ganis' "sweetly diplomatic" speech to luncheon attendees, urging "the importance of keeping Oscar night on track." [New York Times]

•  Diane Garrett covers things in-house. [Variety]

•  Tom O'Neil ponders the correlation between Vanity Fair covers and future Oscar success. [Gold Derby]

•  Carly Mayberry reports on the antics of George Clooney, affable as always, at yesterday's festivities. [Gold Rush]

•  Another interview with the always entertaining Julian Schnabel lands on the net. [CBS]

•  Patrick Goldstein profiles Mandate Pictures, the unsung backers behind the success of "Juno." [Los Angeles Times]

The Hollywood publicity machine is well-oiled at the start of this week, to be sure.  I count at least four studios with events lined up this evening, and who knows what shin-digs I haven't been invited to today.  We all make our blacklists.

First, there's Picturehouse's celebration of Marion Cotillard, Oscar nominated for "La Vie en Rose," if you're into a poolside gathering at the Chateau Marmont.

If a nuts and bolts dialogue is more your speed, Paramount Vantage has set up the "There Will Be Blood" crew for a screening and Q&A over at the Harmony gold Theater on Sunset.  Film editor Dylan Tichenor, cinematographer Robert Elswit, sound designer Chris Scarabosio, supervising sound editor Matthew Wood, and set decorator Jim Erickson -- nominees all of them -- are expected to attend.

Down the street at Book Soup, screenwriter Christopher Hampton is participating in a book signing of his Oscar-nominated adaptation, "Atonement," while Ariana Huffington will be hosting a screening of Charles Ferguson's "No End In Sight" at the Paley Center for Media out in Beverly Hills, for those really jonsing for a political experience, what with Super Tuesday right around the corner.  Huffington just hosted a similar "No End" event over the weekend at the Hotel Plaza Athenee in New York.

Oh, and Tamara Jenkins was just at Book Soup yesterday reading from her "Savages" screenplay.

All of these events come on the heels of last weekend's spotlight of the below the line nominees from "No Country for Old Men" -- coverage of which I've yet to stumble across, by the way.  Come on.  Somebody was there, right?

Anyway, lots of media exposure for lots of deserving contenders this season.  Some might think no more than usual, but the agression on the part of campaigners and strategists seems to have slid up a notch to me this year.  Lucky us, eh?

Anton Corbijn's "Control" screened again last night for the SAG Nominating Committee, and the reaction was pretty exceptional.  Exceptional because nearly the entire crowd waited an extra 30 minutes for actor Sam Riley to show up because his plane had been .  Seriously, maybe ten people out of at least a hundred left the auditorium.

I was moderating, and the only alternative was to sit down up front with the film's uber-cool producer, Orian Williams.  We bandied about something resembling a Q&A whilst awaiting Riley's arrival, and it was good for the crowd to get the background Williams had to offer.  Then Sam shuffled in, jet-lagged with luggage in tow.

"Hello everybody!"

Cheers and applause, naturally.  They love this guy.  He's eminently likeable, has a superb sense of humor, and even though he was just fine folding shirts over a year ago, he's been a sport with the awards campaign particulars.

Anyway, I've done a lot of these things, and it's pretty special for a crowd to wait this long to hear an actor -- an unknown, at that -- speak about his or her performance in a film.  We didn't wrap up until at least an hour after the film's credits had rolled, and that's unusual to say the least.

Riley had just flown in from New York, where his girlfriend, Alexandra Maria Lara (who also stars in the film) had just atteneded the premiere of "Youth Without Youth."  One attendee afterwards told the young actor that "Control" might be "one of the best films [he's] seen in years."  Let's see if that love translates throughout the awards season.

I told Johnny Depp he was beautiful last night.  Kind of fell out.  Not in any stalker-ish way, just sort of happened: "Johnny, you're beautiful, man, nice work in the film."

Weird.  Freudian?  I don't know.  But he is a pretty man...

Anyway, big, huge, massive crowd yesterday evening at the event, which immediately followed a screening of "Sweeney Todd."  I missed the movie due to another committment, but zipped on over for the reception just in time to be whisked away by Tom O'Neil for a Gold Derby podcast (God knows what I said in that thing).  I lost track of the money men and women in the crowd at some point: Joel Silver, Rita Wilson, Gary Shandling, James Franco, Sacha Baron Cohen, Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, and, of course, Depp (in a rare publicity appearance), Burton and the man himself, Stephen Sondheim.

I did manage to find out what grosses Depp and Burton out, by the way.  Nothing explosive, but hey, it seemed a fitting question.

For Depp, it's boogers.  Not a fan.  He didn't even hesitate.  Burton took a little extra time, however.  He didn't seem to have anything in mind until he apparently flashed back to childhood and proclaimed forced schooling as something that grossed him out.  Fair enough, dark one.

The crowd seemed enthusiastic (who wouldn't be?).  I mingled with Anne Thompson long enough to exchange unpleasantries on "I Am Legend" before getting out of dodge, but it was good times all around.  O'Neil told me the crowd stayed in their seats, transfixed after the credits rolled -- but we all know how much Tom O loves this thing, so who knows.  I wouldn't say it's a stretch, though, as the mood was an excited and jovial one.

Lots of heavy-hitters on board for this thing, though.  Lots.

(Note: Of course that's not a pic of Depp from the event last night, but that IS the same fedora he was sporting.  My camera wasn't in tow, so this is the best I can offer.  Cheers.)

Todd Haynes was on hand last night for a rather intimate screening of his latest, "I'm Not There."  It was my first time seeing the film, which has been on the festival circuit since Telluride back in September.  I don't think I can even begin to qualify it.  I'm pretty sure it's an undeniable work of art, but beyond that, I need time to let it soak in and, most assuredly, I'll need another viewing.  I didn't even mosey over to Haynes during the reception because, quite frankly, I have no idea what I would have said to him.

In any case, my opinion isn't what's important.  What IS important is how floored the viewers in attendance were.  There was even a cryer.  Yeah, a cryer.

Michael Mann was in attendance, said he enjoyed the film, and spent quite a while making the rounds during the reception.  Most enthusiastic, however, was Ben Foster, who could not contain his sheer glee, not only at "I'm Not There," but at what he calls a "great year for movies."  He had recently come from seeing the Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men," which had him on a high to go along with the Chivas Regal he was throwing back.

Foster said he thought filmmakers were finally giving in to silence and stillness in the cinema this year, an insight I hadn't previously stumbled onto, what with my declarations that it is simply a downer year at the theaters.  This notion of filmmakers taking their time with audiences, forcing serenity into the frame and allowing for a sort of marination, I think Foster is on to something.  And truly, the guy's enthusiasm is infectious.

Excitement over Hayne's Dylan-inspired work dominated the scene, however.  I also bumped into Jack Coleman ("Heroes"), who kept bouncing back and forth about his favorite sequences, favorite performances, etc., with another equally excited viewer.

Indeed, "I'm Not There" seems to be one of those films that becomes more of an experience than a passive exercise in observation.  It'll be interesting to see if last night's enthusiasm translates during the Oscar season.

I moderated a Q&A last night with Laura Linney and Tamara Jenkins for "The Savages," one of Fox Searchlight's hopefuls this awards season and Jenkins' first feature film since "Slums of Beverly Hills" nine years ago.

The crowd was mostly WGA, with some SAG members here and there.  Questions centered on Jenkins' obvious impusle to write about familial matters (a trend that stretches back to her student film days), the casting process that yielded Philip Bosco's surprising turn and Linney's on-set rapport with Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

The crowd wanted to know a number of insights, picking out nuances from the screenplay (Hoffman's character crying over a plate of cooked eggs, the use of seemingly Peter Pan-inspired character names Wendy and Jon).  One viewer was curious as to whether there was much improvisation involved in making the environment seem so true and genuine.  Apparently, there wasn't.  Jenkins charmed the crowd with her shoot-from-the-hip humor and everyone seemed to hold a considerable amount of respect for Linney and her portrayal.

Following the screening, the usual fawning from the crowd greeted the filmmaker and her star with this intimate note of gratitude or that, but I was really struck by one woman who brought Jenkins aside to tell her how much the screening hit home, and how the film felt so authentic, as her own father had passed away a few months back.

"The Savages" has been in the ether for nearly 12 months now, ever since a bow in Sundance back in January.  It's beginning the crucial guild/Academy screening circuit now, and reactions like this may be key if the film is going to make a play on the major categories.  The older-skewing Academy is, after all, at that age where dealing with life without one's parents, watching mothers and fathers get older and taking responsibility for loved ones is part of the daily consciousness.

It was fitting that the first major guild screening of "There Will be Blood" took place last night at the WGA theater on Doheny Blvd., considering Daniel Day-Lewis' Daniel Plainview character was based largely on oil mogul Edward Doheny (in whose Beverly Hills home the film's climactic final scene was shot).

The crowd was a mixture of numerous guilds: WGA, SAG, ASC, and, of course, press.  Applause lit up the joint upon the film's closing credits, with notable rounds swelling up for Day-Lewis' credit and, interestingly, Robert Elswit's.

When moderator David Ansen introduced Paul Thomas Anderson for the Q&A, half the crowd lept to their feet in a standing ovation.  At first sight, it seemed the film was a hit, but I looked around at those who weren't standing, and they included many older guild members, as well as at least one notable Oscar-nominated producer who sat in front of me and seemed to be scowling as he patiently awaited the noise to settle.

Indeed, the third act clearly confused a considerable portion of the crowd, leaving a great number unsettled.  I talked to a SAG member outside during the reception who said the film was "a bit much," though there was no argument from her that the performances were outstanding.

Personally speaking, the film settled very nicely on a second viewing, filling in a few of the cracks I noticed upon an initial look, embossing other areas that remain bothersome to me (notably Paul Dano's performance, though he shed some light on this when addressing the notion that he was hired to take on the role of Eli Sunday at the last minute when the first actor wasn't up to the task).

Day-Lewis was the treat for the crowd, which showed grand affection for the actor's work both during the movie (via applause and laughter) and during the Q&A.

It was good to take in some critical responses afterward.  CHUD's Devin Faraci seemed to be a big fan, but wanted a second viewing before committing a review to print.  Jeffrey Wells told me one critic asked him, puzzled, "You saw it a SECOND TIME??"

Yes, it seems there might be a critical split waiting to happen, just as appeared to be the case with the guild members in attendance last night.

Eddie Vedder popped up tonight outside the Paramount theater for a modest crowd, performing songs from the "Into the Wild" soundtrack after a screening of the film.  And he killed.

Sean Penn and Emile Hirsch introduced Vedder to the crowd, which included a who's who of the entertainment industry: Cameron Crowe, Ringo Starr, Mark Ruffalo, Emilio Estevez and Wynona Rider among them.  Vedder cranked out "Guaranteed," "Rise Up," "No Ceiling" and "Society" before steering into Pearl Jam B-side "Drifting" as well as "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" from the "I Am Sam" soundtrack.

Watching the performance from maybe five or six feet away and studying Vedder's face, I suddenly felt the sensation that this fixture of the grunge era had hit a new stride in his musical and lyrical career.  Something more textured, fuller, perhaps more mature.  There's no arguing that his is one of the great voices in rock history and that he can turn a lyric with the best of them, but what Vedder has accomplished on the "Wild" soundtrack is possibly the crowning jewel of the film.  Tonight was a testament to that.

The singer is showing aging, but not necessarily showing his age.  The lines are there, the years of celebrity and activism taking their toll, perhaps.  In any case, it was with a strange combination of sadness and pride that I watched a rock star fully embody this new, more cultivated phase of his career this evening.

I chatted briefly with the film's editor, Jay Cassidy, about his journey with Penn on each of the actor/director's works.  I also caught up with Penn himself, who said he was certainly feeling the toll of the awards campaign, but nonetheless, he seemed like he could take any given event by the horns then and there, regardless of fatigue.

A good event all around for Paramount Vantage, who is in high gear on a campaign that could lead all the way to a Best Picture nomination for the film.  We shall see.

(Photo courtesy of Hollywood Elsewhere)

It's always helpful to an Oscar campaign if high-profile supporters are willing to be ambassadors for the cause.  Just ask controversial director Roman Polanski, who experienced a marshalling of troops in 2002 that led to three unexpected Oscar wins for his Cannes sensation "The Pianist," including Best Director.

Perhaps in the way of giving back a little, Polanski himself hosted a screening last week of Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" at the Pathé Films headquarters in Paris - and he invited a slew of friends, sources tell me.  Guests in attendence included Oscar-nominated actress Anouk Aimée and filmmaker Jean-Jacques Annaud.  Also attending, of course, was Polanski's wife, Emmanuelle Seigner, who plays the pivotal role of Céline in Schnabel's film.

It's always difficult for a foreign film to push into Best Picture contention.  It's only happened four times in the past, after all (five if you count last year's "Letters from Iwo Jima").  But it's also worth keeping in mind the cronyism involved when you have someone like Roman Polanski campaigning for your film, not to mention the producing combo of Kathleen Kennedy and Jon Kilik, six Best Picture nominations between them.  "Diving Bell" could have a healthy amount of support heading into the race that we may not have suspected before.

Miramax is actually enjoying a lot of good will from the industry this year, it seems.  In this week's issue of Newsweek, western author Larry McMurtry writes an essay about Cormac McCarthy and the Coen brothers' adaptation of "No Country for Old Men."  According to Miramax honcho Daniel Battsek, McMurtry approached the studio about writing something for the film, they didn't seek out his sponsorship.  And what a sponsor to have.

Perusing the "Hollywood Elsewhere" comments sections (always a colorful atmosphere), I came across this clip of Joy Division performing "Transmission" on the BBC's "Something Else" in 1979 mashed up with the same sequence from Anton Corbijn's "Control."  Take a look:

The visual similarities between Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis and Sam Riley remain the most eerie aspect of Corbijn's casting decision.  I just sat next to Riley Monday evening at a SAG screening and Q&A for the film, and the guy just seems to have been made to play the part.

Riley had what he called a "failed experience" fronting a band himself, which certainly helped at least build some foundation for playing the part of Curtis.  But now he just hopes to keep working as an actor.  Noting to the crowd that this was his "first acting job," the audience let out a few gasps of disbelief.  (He's had some experience on television, but "Control" is Riley's first real barbecue.)

The actor was in town for one night only this week, sitting down for a few interviews on Monday, handling Variety's praise as one of 10 Actors to Watch at the Hollywood Film Awards and taking queries at thethe evening screening before heading back across the pond Tuesday morning...to which he and his film were greeted by a field-leading 10 British Independent Film Award nominations.

By the way, Movie City News' Gurus 'o Gold chalked Riley up Tuesday as one of a slew of potential "unexpected" Oscar nominees come January, and I happen to think they might be on to something.  Riley is a revelation in the film, and he certainly charmed the pants off that SAG Nominating Committee screening, Heineken in hand, nervous at the sudden attention.

Not a bad week for those involved with this Cannes-sensation-turned-Oscar-hopeful.