Men Takes More Critics Awards
January 8, 2008

Just as the Golden Globes were getting canceled, the 13th Annual Critics' Choice Awards were taking place and No Country For Old Men and Hairspray were the big winners for the year. The Coen Brothers flick, already a major award winner and Oscar frontrunner, landed three awards at the show that was not picketed by the striking writers and, therefore, unlike the Golden Globes, could move forward. Of course, the strike was the big subject with George Clooney saying, "They need to get people in a room and sit them down--and lock the door until they come up with a solution. You have to think of it from a different angle. This is a one-industry town...It is not about whether or not a film gets heard...What matters is it is not just actors and writers that are unemployed. There are 100,000 people that are in trouble."

Clooney was far from the only star on-hand with Don Cheadle (who won the inaugural Joel Siegel Award for his humanitarian work), Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Sean Penn, Katie Holmes, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Marcia Gay Harden on-hand as well.

Daniel Day-Lewis won the Best Actor award for There Will Be Blood (which also took home Best Score for Jonny Greenwood's work) and he thanked his peers. The probable Oscar frontrunner said, "It's the mystery of the work of all these people who I admire so much in the work they've done this year, it's like food and drink to me. I don't know how they did what they did. I'm just glad of it."

Javier Bardem won for his supporting work in No Country For Old Men, who also accepted the Best Director prize for Joel and Ethan Coen, who couldn't make the ceremony. Bardem said, as quoted by E!, "I think that something is wrong here. After watching the talent in those performances, I feel like I won the lottery...All the performers were truly heartbreaking. I'm just a lucky guy, that's all."

Most of the other winners couldn't make the show last night. Julie Christie won Best Actress for Away From Her, Diablo Cody took home Best Screenplay for Juno, Best Young Actor went to Ahmad Kahn Mahmidzada for The Kite Runner, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won Best Song for Once, Sicko won Best Documentary, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly won Best Foreign Language Film, and Amy Ryan won Best Supporting Actress for Gone Baby Gone. Ryan wasn't there but she sent up Casey Affleck, her Gone Baby Gone co-star, to accept. Affleck said, "I would like to thank the Academy-that must be a mistake. My deepest regrets for being unable to accept in person. Thank you, Casey, for-makes a joke about me-I would like to thank Miramax and, mostly, Ben Affleck for giving me this chance and for your unending love and support...Then she makes another joke about me. Goodnight."

Finally, Juno won Best Comedy Movie (making that two for the recent box office hit) and Hairspray won two as well for Best Young Actress for Nikki Blonsky and Best Ensemble. Blonsky said, "Thank you so much!" and thanked "my mommy who's sitting here crying and my other mommy who's at home, John Travolta."

Into the Wild has seven nominations but won nothing.

For other recent awards news, check out our stories on The Golden Globes, The Globe Nominations, and The CFCA.