Los Angeles, February 5 – You’re not the only one tired of movie awards programs. The Screen Actors Guild awards are normally held on Sunday, but this year organizers changed it to Saturday in order to avoid an all-female guest list. With the Super Bowl game on Sunday, there would have been gaping holes in the program when it came time for Jamie Foxx, James Garner, Paul Giamatti and Morgan Freeman to pick up their awards - they would have all been at home watching the game. Ben Affleck was apparently already in front of the TV set with a bowl of chips, because his alleged girlfriend Jennifer Garner was dateless and ringless when she picked up her SAG trophy.

We’re not sure what they’re made of, but all the winners kvetched that the award statuettes were too heavy. Perfect for throwing at your TV screen the next day if your team loses the big game. Anyway, the SAG awards involved all the usual suspects, but their voting the Sideways cast best ensemble threw a wrench into the Million Dollar Baby vs. Aviator juggernaut. And gosh, we won’t see those Oscar nominees again until, um, let’s see, Monday. We’ll miss them.

Los Angeles, February 26 – The spirits hovering over the Santa Monica beach on Saturday weren’t those of long-lost sailors or even surfers. Hollywood stars floated to the Independent Spirit Awards, Oscar’s lighthearted, jeans-clad, beach-partying cousin. Actually, they didn’t float – many arrived in hybrid Toyota Prius’. Salma Hayek showed how truly independent her spirit is, being the only star to drive a Ford Escape hybrid to the awards show.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is keeping the men in her life so busy that they don’t even have time for grooming - brother Jake and boyfriend Peter Sarsgaard both sported shaved heads. Actually, Jake and Peter are sheared for the film Jarhead, currently shooting; Peter proclaimed the no-maintenance style the best thing he ever did. We didn’t get Maggie’s opinion of the crew cut look.

David Duchovny, Cate Blanchett, Selma Blair, Jodie Foster and Robin Williams were just a few of those trudging to the beach. Elijah Wood showed his spotless mind, and Kate Bosworth didn’t have to face her ex, Orlando Bloom, at this fete like she did the other night.

Noting that the Independent Spirit Awards started in a restaurant and now, after twenty years, has moved into a tent, host Samuel L. Jackson expressed hope that perhaps in another twenty years the show will be inside an actual building.

Los Angeles, February 24 – We never thought they’d show up as promised, but what do we know? Newly-split couple Orlando Bloom and Kate Bosworth both put on smiley faces and came to Global Green’s “Rock the Earth” party. The two arrived separately and maintained a distance, avoiding any awkward situations.

Global Green USA is the American arm of environmental organization Green Cross International, and the pre-Oscar party was to encourage clean energy solutions; guests walked a green carpet and signed a letter to President Bush supporting a “smart climate agenda”. (True, this took place in car-dependent L.A., but hey, that’s where all the stars are during awards season.)

Hiding their gas-guzzlers as they arrived were Salma Hayek, Emmy Rossum, Radha Mitchell, Tate Donovan and Sharon Lawrence. Penelope Cruz didn’t want to pose for photos, claiming she’d just had a lot of dental work done, but we managed to lure her into camera range. (Major dental work three days before the Oscars?)

Tim Robbins got there very early, in order to rehearse with his band; he reprised his Bob Roberts folkie persona for the evening, and brought down the house. Incubus, Perry Farrell and others also performed. Cruz’s squeeze, Matthew McConaughey, didn’t attend, and she left with her buddy Hayek.

Los Angeles, February 22 –Why wait for the Oscars to parade your products in front of A-list Hollywood stars? We have no idea how they did it, but just days before the big night, General Motors had Oscar nominees Jamie Foxx and Catalina Sandino Moreno strutting down a catwalk with new cars driving back and forth behind them. This was in a tent-covered parking lot in Hollywood, and Hilary Duff, Anthony Kiedis, Vivica A. Fox and Foxx’s Ray costar, Regina King, also worked the runway. The fashion show marked a sartorial leap for singer/songwriter India Arie, who ditched her usual billowy style to showcase a sleek, glittering dress.

And those were just the models. Grammy-winner Kanye West warbled a few songs. Demi Moore and her redneck boyfriend Ashton Kutcher were in the front row. She wore a red string Kaballah bracelet, but no diamond engagement ring. Amanda Peet, Dennis Hopper, Jamie Kennedy, Tori Spelling and John Stamos were also in the crowd.

General Motors describes its annual "Ten" Fashion Show as “charity-driven, combining fashion, automotive design and top entertainment”. Our favorite charity, the Open All Night Escalade Fund, wasn’t one of the beneficiaries. We’re getting the paperwork together for next year.

Daytona Beach, FL., Feb. 20 – It seems those rumors that Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore were headed to Mexico for a weekend wedding were unfounded, since Kutcher was in Florida on Sunday, waving the green flag that started the Daytona 500 auto race.

In an attempt to broaden the appeal of racing, NASCAR also invited Matthew McConaughey as Grand Marshal, and Vanessa Williams performed. But apparently Kutcher didn’t get the memo; he referred to the fans as “rednecks” during a press conference, and the remark was edited out of the transcript later released by NASCAR. Kutcher immediately tried to cover his faux pas, saying “Redneck in a good way. I’m a redneck.”

Anaheim, February 18 – Anaheim was rocking Friday night at Music for Relief’s benefit concert for tsunami victims. No Doubt performed together for the first time in months, and lead singer Gwen Stefani’s voice was in fine shape. Jay-Z stirred some rap in with the rock, joining Linkin Park onstage with songs from the album they did together. Backstage, one of the guys from Linkin Park jokingly grabbed a photographer’s camera – they played around with it, but gave it back undamaged.

Stefani’s husband Gavin Rossdale was a last minute replacement for Ozzy Osbourne, who had to cancel due to an unspecified family emergency. And this was truly last minute - Rossdale said he got a phone call at 7 p.m. asking him to fill in for Osbourne. He performed with Camp Freddy, Dave Navarro and Donovan Leitch’s cover band. Alexander star Jared Leto introduced Camp Freddy. Blink 182 also pulled out of the concert at the last minute, although we didn't get an explanation.

Contributions to Music for Relief go towards the rebuilding of the tsunami-devastated areas of South Asia. For information and to make donations, visit Music for Relief on the Web.

Los Angeles, February 17 – In a driving rainstorm, Steven Spielberg gathered hundreds of people inside a tent on a Universal Studios backlot on Thursday. Tom Cruise and Robin Williams were there, but this wasn’t a casting call. Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation held its fifth annual Ambassadors for Humanity dinner, and this year’s honoree was former president and best-selling author Bill Clinton. Cruise hosted, Williams made a hilarious speech, and a lady named Sheryl Crow provided musical accompaniment. The Shoah Foundation works to educate people around the world in order to overcome prejudice, intolerance and bigotry.

Los Angeles, February 15 – Obviously delighted about her engagement, Christina Aguilera kept showing us her ring at the Roberto Cavalli boutique opening on Rodeo Drive on Tuesday. And she happily obliged when we asked her to pose with her fiancé, Jordon Bratman, grabbing him by the wrist to bring him over. Aguilera’s publicist, however, was less delighted with this idea, and inserted herself between the couple, preventing any photos of the twosome. However, we did get a closeup of her engagement ring, the first. Nicole Richie’s fiancé wasn’t with her at the party, but she too was happy to show off her ring.

But the evening wasn’t just about the exploits of the newly betrothed. Like he did back in December at the Metropolitan Museum, red carpet designer to the stars Roberto Cavalli brought out a Hollywood A-list to welcome his new Beverly Hills digs. Mischa Barton arrived late, and was greeted at the door with a kiss from her guy Brandon Davis, whose mother, Nancy, hosted the private party. Mary J. Blige’s top matched the animal print of the backdrop. Salma Hayek and others who fill out his gowns nicely greeted Cavalli like an old friend.

The new store is conveniently located directly across the street from jeweler Harry Winston, making this part of North Rodeo a one-stop shopping destination for Oscar gear.