Oscar Wilde once said: ?We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.? There were plenty of stars to look at at the U.S.-Ireland Alliance?s seventh annual ?Oscar Wilde: Honoring the Irish in Film.?
Three Academy Award nominees?John Logan, Melissa McCarthy and Michelle Williams?were honored at J.J. Abrams? Santa Monica production company, Bad Robot.
Among the 300 guests in attendance were locals Stephen Spielberg and Cate Capshaw, as well as Motion Picture Association Chair Chris Dodd, Colin Farrell, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Jim Sheridan.
Abrams welcomed guests, calling the bash one of the best in L.A. He was followed by Senator George J. Mitchell, who spoke about the nonprofit U.S.-Ireland Alliance and the connections it has made between the U.S. and Ireland, both for the entertainment community and the scholarship program that bears his name.
In presenting John Logan with his award, Kenneth Branagh said Logan gives each of his characters ?humanity, and compassion and humor, and sometimes a little madness. In fact, I think you write them all as Irish.?
John Logan did double duty on the night by introducing Michelle Williams. He joked that Michelle is not actually Irish, but her Norwegian ancestors were the Viking hordes who came to Belfast and pillaged. He talked about what it is to be Irish and why Williams qualifies: ?It means an incandescent twinkle in the eye, the love of mad poetry… and more than anything … a generosity of spirit. And so for tonight, you are as Irish as any of us.?
Williams said the award meant so much to her ?because I consider it from a land and from a people who are known for poetry, for literature and lore, for myth and legend, and in a business that?s ultimately about storytelling. I?m honored to be acknowledged by the original storytellers.?
Incredible music was heard from Irish singers Sharon Corr, Cathy Davey and Colin Devlin and Size2Shoes, aka Moley and Eoin O?Suilleabhain. Many Irish performers have had significant career breaks playing at this event, and the room had a generous sprinkling of music supervisors on hand, including Grammy Award-winning music producer George Drakoulias and Wayne Jobson.
Actors on hand included Jason O?Mara, Dana Delany, Richard Schiff, Donal Logue, Brian F. O?Bryne, Brit Marling, Kerry Condon, Colin O?Donoghue, Catriona Balfe, Elaine Cassidy, Amy Huberman, Sonya Macari and David Keoghan. Many of the cast of ?Star Trek,? the film Abrams is currently shooting, were also on hand: John Ho, Alice Eve, Zach Quinto and Karl Urban.
With the change of venue to Bad Robot, a more intimate space than the previous Wilshire Ebell venue, the alliance still managed to maintain the casual, fun, Irish-party feel that has made the event one of the hottest tickets during Oscars week. The outdoor event was blessed by good weather?the Irish did not bring the rain with them. The delicious food was provided by Irishman Richard Mooney?s Kensington Caterers, which has a tradition of keeping it Irish, yet modern. And there was a playful atmosphere with film clips projected on the walls as well as cool animations of the Bad Robot, alliance and Oscar Wilde logos. No better reason to go green!