(MENAFN- Arab Times) LOS ANGELES Jan 5 (Agencies): Variety feted Steve Carell Chris Rock and Rob Marshall along with its 2015 class of 10 Directors to Watch at a brunch Sunday at the Palm Springs Film Festival. Coming the day after the desert festival's own gala the event was dubbed 'hangover 5' by Variety executive editor Steven Gaydos who presided at the Parker Palm Springs.
Julianne Moore who presented Carell with the Variety Creative Impact in Acting Award said she had been 'creatively impacted' by her frequent screen husband. 'I've been talking to Steve I've been acting with Steve and I've been stealing from Steve' she said. 'That's what actors do.' 'It's not just the nose' she said referring to how he inhabits his characters including in his latest role in 'Foxcatcher' where he sports a prosthetic nose. 'Steve never telegraphs or showboats. He puts his soul and that's not easy to steal.' Carell accepting the Dale Chihuly-designed glass prize returned the compliments saying when he saw Moore in 'Still Alice' he just blubbered for a few minutes. 'It was pretty embarrassing' he said adding 'I feted her yesterday and I will fete her again.' He then related an anecdote about how his second-grade teacher complimented his acting in a Thanksgiving play. 'He singled me out and supported my choice and that had an impact on me not that my life had been bad up to that point. If he had singled out my science project I would have won a Nobel Prize. Instead I have a Creative Impact Award and I'm OK with that.' Trophy Rosamund Pike presented Rob Marshall with his trophy for Creative Impact in Directing. Pike said she'd been eager to meet the director since Judi Dench told her 'Oh Rozzie he's divine.' Marshall acknowledged that musicals are few and far between and even though he had been warned off making one he was a fan because of Hollywood past helmers like George Cukor and Stanley Donen. 'Those are the directors I learned from and stole from' he said. 'I came from musical theater and never believed the genre is dead. It's a true American art form. So long as it's earned and believed it's not a parody. When you can't speak you sing when you can't move you dance. But be careful or it can become an 'SNL' parody.' Richard Linklater presented the Creative Impact in Comedy Award to Chris Rock. Discussing his impressive resume Linklater talked about Hollywood's past when studios 'were handing out cash.' But then the spigot turned off and 'this being Hollywood studios said 'You're not making money you all have to leave except for that guy who made 'Pulp Fiction.'' Meanwhile the first star-studded film-award ceremony of the new year was literally something to sing about. While not an honoree himself actor-producer Brad Pitt stole the spotlight with a sing-along for a few moments Saturday night at the annual black-tie gala for the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Pitt traveled some 100 miles (160 kms) east of Los Angeles to the desert town of Palm Springs California to introduce British actor David Oyelowo an honoree at the gala whose profile is only now on the rise in the US. Pitt is a producer of director Ava DuVernay's historical epic 'Selma' in which Oyelowo portrays civil-rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr. The festival honored Oyelowo with its Breakthrough Performance Award for an actor. In his introduction Pitt professed his admiration for Oyelowo both as a colleague and friend and at one point Pitt led the audience in a sing-along with lyrics spinning around Oyelowo's often-mispronounced last name. (It sounds like 'oh-yellow-oh' by the way.) The gala which attracts numerous locally based Academy voters who now have ballots in hand traditionally is the first of each calendar year's award-season ceremonies which include approximately two-dozen events significant enough to attract major movie stars between now and the Oscars set for Feb 22 in Hollywood. 'This is the first time I am a part of (the two-month award season)' said Morton Tyldum director of the Golden Globe-nominated drama 'The Imitation Game' earlier in the evening while doing red carpet interviews. 'When I saw the schedule' Tyldum continued 'I was in shock' Not so award-season veteran and Palm Springs honoree Reese Witherspoon ('Wild') who said 'It's a great opportunity for all of us to get together and celebrate this wonderful year of film.' The actress an Oscar winner for 'Walk the Line' (2005) said 'Wonderful performances wonderful direction and producing. And I feel like it has been a real great strong year.' At points love was in the air on the red carpet as festival honoree Eddie Redmayne ('The Theory of Everything') posed for photographers with his new wife public-relations executive Hannah Bagshawe and 'Imitation' star Benedict Cumberbatch briefly stopped for a few snaps with his fiancee theater director Sophie Hunter. Oyelowo actually did two photo sessions: one with wife actress Jessica Oyelowo and three of their four children. The actor returned to pose for photos with DuVernay. Both Oyelowo and DuVernay are nominated for Golden Globe awards to be handed out next weekend in Beverly Hills. 'The last time I was at the Golden Globes I was a publicist for (the movie) 'Dreamgirls'' DuVernay recalled. 'I was in a black suit on the (standing) side of the room. This time I have an actual seat. I'm very happy about that. So I get to sit down. No matter what I wear I won't be on my feet. So I'm very happy about that.'
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