New York, November 27, 2007 – Award season began on Tuesday with the Gotham Awards' nod to Indie films that had us schlepping to the totally inconvenient Brooklyn Navy Yard.  We’re hoping this is not the start of a trend – the trek out there was even longer than Mira Nair’s acceptance speech!  (Actually, the longest speech was Uma Thurman’s introduction of Nair that had co-presenter Tabu looking bored and had the audience nodding off into their mashed potatoes.) 

One of the evening’s other big honorees, Javier Bardem, was much more popular: “I think brief is good”, he began his mercifully short speech.  “I want to dedicate this award to my mommy!” the Spaniard added at the end.  Chatting with Bardem before dinner, we asked about his bizarre accessory in No Country for Old Men  - not the hairdo, the oxygen tank.  “That is from the book; it’s Cormac McCarthy”, Bardem told us.   “And that’s a very insane thing, but it really exists for cattle; not for people.  Don’t try that at home”, he added.  (You’ll know what he’s talking about when you see the film – we’ll avoid the spoiler here.)

Sarah Jones (Bridge & Tunnel) of the thousand accents, served as the evening’s emcee. “I’m hosting!” she told us on her way in.  “Everybody come on in.  Would you like a drink?”