New York, January 6, 2008 – Awards season is picking up, but unlike the Golden Globes, the New York Film Critics Circle Awards wasn’t affected by the writer’s strike – it wasn’t televised, and, presenters told us, most everybody wrote their own speeches.  Sarah Polley, who took a directing award for Away From Her, said that she won’t cross a picket line to go to an award show, nor would the star of her film, Julie Christie.  Polley recalled last year’s Canadian actors’ strike as a “proxy battle” for Americans.  “It’s really ugly”, she said.  “It’s a huge issue, and needs to be fought and resolved.” 

Best supporting actress Amy Ryan thinks Ben Affleck has been overlooked for his work directing Gone Baby Gone.  “I certainly would not have been able to give this performance were it not for him”, she said of her acclaimed portrayal.

Amy Adams worked with Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson’s War, but we wanted to know if she had any idea that her Enchanted costar James Marsden could sing and dance like he did in Hairspray.  “I knew he had a voice”, she told us.  “But he really is wonderful.  I want him to do a stage show”, Adams said. 

Maggie Gyllenhaal presented a cinematography award to There Will Be Blood's Robert Elswit, who she said is an old family friend.  “I’ve known Robert Elswit since I was a little girl”, Gyllenhaal told the crowd at Spotlight Live.   “My mom reminded me last night that he snuck into the delivery room and hid in a closet to take pictures of my brother being born.”  So those would be the first naked photos of Jake Gyllenhaal. 

Photos: Joy E. Scheller/LFI