If you didn’t look at your calendar, you might think you were at the Oscars when some of Hollywood’s biggest names turned out at the Beverly Hilton for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards.
They all got gussied up to celebrate BAFTA Los Angeles, which honored entertainment excellence at its Jaguar Britannia Awards. Locals Sean Penn and Julia Roberts mingled in the crowd along with Ralph Fiennes, Salma Hayek and Sigourney Weaver, just to name a few.
Rob Brydon hosted the event, which honored Kathryn Bigelow, George Clooney, Sacha Baron Cohen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Idris Elba and Sir Ben Kingsley.
The 2013 Jaguar Britannia Awards lauded Academy and BAFTA Award-winning “The Hurt Locker” director Kathryn Bigelow with the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing. Academy, Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning actor, screenwriter, director, producer and global humanitarian George Clooney went home with the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film. Funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen got the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy.
But there’s more. Emmy and BAFTA nominated-actor Benedict Cumberbatch was given the Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year. Golden Globe Award-winner and Emmy-nominated actor Idris Elba got the Britannia Humanitarian Award, and Academy and BAFTA Award-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley received the Albert R. Broccoli Britannia Award for Worldwide Contribution to Entertainment.
Proceeds from the gala ceremony support BAFTA Los Angeles’ on-going education, scholarship, community outreach and archival projects.
EARLY OSCAR ACCOLADES
The big Academy night is still many weeks away, but that didn’t stop 88-year-old Angela Lansbury from picking up a golden statuette. The famous actress, known for her longtime TV role in “Murder, She Wrote” as well as acclaimed performances in memorable films like “The Manchurian Candidate,” was given an honorary Oscar at the fifth Governors Awards presentation.
Angela attended her first Academy Award ceremony in 1945 when she was nominated for her role as a Cockney maid in “Gaslight.” Many famous film roles followed and now, nearly seven decades later, she takes home the coveted statuette.
Comedian Steve Martin and Italian costume designer Piero Tosi received similar trophies, while Oscar-winning actress, philanthropist and supermom Angelina Jolie was the recipient of the Jean Hersholt prize.