Palm Springs, CA, January 6, 2007 – Every January, in a resort area 100 miles from Los Angeles, golf and sunbathing take a backseat to film-going when the Palm Springs Film Festival alights in the desert. The weather was a little nicer this year than last for the awards gala, when the stars came to claim their trophies.

Brad Pitt, who’d been shooting a movie in the Caribbean with Babel costar Cate Blanchett, flew in for the festival, but came solo, having first dropped Angelina Jolie and the kids off at their Malibu pad. (While some whispered about how tired Pitt looked, we noticed that his hair stylist went overboard with hair product.)

Blanchett and Kate Winslet both received awards, and both wore blue, but, thankfully, not the same dress. Both actresses appeared in highly acclaimed but little-seen movies - Babel and Little Children, respectively – this year. Hopefully, the award buzz will translate to the box office.

Sienna Miller, Jessica Biel, Jon Favreau, Sydney Pollack and Little Miss Sunshine’s Abigail Breslin also roamed the Palm Springs Convention Center at the gala.