Los Angeles, January 7, 2008 – Once again film critics were able to stage their award show while others have gone by the wayside thanks to the ongoing Hollywood writer’s strike.  One day after the New York Film Critics Circle Awards went on as planned, the Broadcast Film Critics Association’s 13th annual Critics Choice Awards, unfettered by picketers, had movie industry luminaries packing the Santa Monica Civic Center.  Broadcast on VH1, the Critics Choice Awards show is reportedly not subject to WGA contracts.

So this year’s critical darlings Javier Bardem and Daniel Day-Lewis, stars of award-heavy No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood, crossed the country after Sunday’s New York fete to join stars like Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes, Sean Penn, Don Cheadle, Julian Schnabel, Casey Affleck and George Clooney on Monday. 

Hairspray took a couple of Critics Choice prizes, and we were delighted to see the talented young stars Amanda Bynes, Elijah Kelly and Nikki Blonsky.  Angelina Jolie, nominated for A Mighty Heart, and Brad Pitt arrived late.  

Both the People's Choice Awards, scheduled for January 8, and the Golden Globe Awards, slated for January 13, have been effectively cancelled due to the writer's strike.