Three Studios Merge Party Lists

Picturehouse (Pan's Labyrinth), Universal (Children of Men) and Paramount Vantage (Babel) threw a joint party Wednesday night at Simon's at The Sofitel to celebrate their three Oscar contenders Guillermo Del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. It was the most fun I've had in ages. Great piles of sushi and seafood. Circulating platters of red and white wine. Mariaches. Cool directors. I introduced genial Happy Feet director George Miller (who is plotting another animated film) to DGA winner Walter Hill (Broken Trail), who is plotting a western series for AMC. Ian McShane admitted that he was as bored as he looked at the SAG Awards, and told us he's trodding the boards on Broadway in Howard Pinter's The Homecoming. That should keep him amused.

Gonzalez Inarritu regaled us with stories of his early days in 80s radio, when he got to do whatever he wanted for three hours a day. That explains a good deal. He has a great supple voice and tells colorful stories really well. Then he did interstitials for TV, like MTV spots. That explains how inventive and playful he is. He and Del Toro made a brief speech, explaining that Cuaron and his family were stuck in London with the flu. It was unusual to see three guest lists mingling—and it was great. Universal's Marc Shmuger talked to Vantage's John Lesher. Del Toro is multi-tasking as usual, writing one script while he promotes Pan's Labyrinth and preps the next Hellboy installment.

HBO honcho Chris Albrecht admitted that they've torn down the costly Italian sets for Rome, so this season is it. The series has done about as well as Deadwood. Hmmm. I love Rome, even when it goes wildly over the top.

Babel producers Steve Golin and John Kilik are in giddy moods; Kilik is back from Paris where Julian Schnabel has directed his first film in 8 years, since Before Nightfall, Scaphandre et le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) in French. It's the story of Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, after suffering a paralytic stroke, used his left eye to blink out his memoir. They hope to present the movie, if the Gods are willing, in Cannes.

As I waited for my Honda, Curtis Hanson and Rebecca Yeldham took off in a splendidly over-sized vintage white car with massive fins.
[Photo by Jeffrey Wells]