Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala

Last night I attended the 20th Annual Awards Gala for the Palm Springs International Film Festival. The black tie event was held at the Convention Center in beautiful downtown Palm Springs. Thousands of fans and celebrity-watchers lined the streets early for a glimpse of their favorite stars. When I arrived, there were stretch limousines lined up approaching the red carpet, dropping off celebrities non-stop. The press was in full force, hundreds of international photographers, TV networks, Entertainment Tonight, and newspaper reporters all packed along the red carpet entrance. As I walked in I saw Ron Howard giving an interview, Dakota Fanning signing autographs, Tom Bosley posing for photos, along with Kathy Bates, Mira Sorvino, Suzanne Somers and Mary Hart just to name a few. It was a night of celebrities galore. I took most of the photos here, although I borrowed a few of the red carpet from the Desert Sun. Enjoy!
The Red Carpet!

above: the Red Carpet entrance, where celebrities were ushered into the building.

above: Mary Hart, host of the evening's events

above: Mira Sorvino poses on the red carpet

above: Dakota Fanning who was so sweet and gracious to fans.

above: Leonardo Di Caprio looking dapper.

above: Leonardo DiCaprio really looks great up close too.

above: Kathy Bates says hi
The Awards Gala

Once inside, there was a cocktail hour to allow all the guests to arrive and be seated. The Pat Rizzo orchestra entertained the audience with terrific jazz and swing standards.

above: the dinner tables were festive and set with salads ready to go. Beautiful centerpieces of red roses adorned the tables.

above: Dessert was a delicious "chocolate bombe" cake. Yum!
The Award Ceremony

above: Amy Adams accepts the Spotlight Award

above: Anne Hathaway with the Desert Palm Achievement Award for Acting

above: Clint Eastwood accepting the Career Achievement Award

above: Ben Stiller was a presenter who introduced Dustin Hoffman.

above: Dustin Hoffman with the Chairman's Award

above: Dakota Fanning accepts the Rising Star Award

above: Donald Sutherland

above: Frank Langella

above: Freida Pinto accepts the Breakthrough Performance Award for "Slumdog Millionaire"

above: James Cromwell

above: Josh Brolin

above: Leonardo DiCaprio accepts the Ensemble Performance Award on behalf of the cast of Revolutionary Road, who were also present on stage.

above: Sean Penn accepts the Desert Palm Achievement Award for "Milk"

above: Ron Howard accepts the Director's Lifetime Achievement Award

The Glamorous VIP After Party!

Following the Awards Gala, I attended the exclusive VIP After Party, held at the Parker Palm Springs hotel and resort. The after party had a restricted guest list, most of the celebrities attended and chatted with the guests. The dance floor area had "Pop Art" images of the celebrity award recipients.

above: the curtain into the VIP area within the After Party. Leo DiCaprio's Pop Art image hangs at the entrance.

above: a Pop Art image of Dustin Hoffman

above: Leo Di Caprio and Amy Adams Pop Art outside the VIP seating area.

above: Anne Hathaway Pop Art above the dance floor.

above: here I am posing with a bejewelled guest with a fan that read "No Paparazzi", which illuminated when a flash went off. Great way to dissuade photos, huh?

The Palm Springs Savant Celebrity Friend Photos

above: With Freida Pinto

above: with the lovely and talented Anne Hathaway

above: Pals Ben Stiller and Josh Brolin

above: James Cromwell is so much taller than me. We had a nice chat.

above: With Suzanne Somers-she's practically my neighbor, and really, really sweet. We discussed her new book "Breakthrough".

Well that's all for today-hope you enjoyed my coverage of the Palm Springs Film Festival Awards Gala. I'll cover a few of the films later this week. Thanks for stopping by today!
-Rick Rockhill