'Ridiculously Excited' at the BAFTA Awards

Feb. 11, 2008 — -- The glitz and glamour of Hollywood came to London Sunday for the British Academy Film Awards, with celebrities in an especially festive mood on word that the 14-week writers' strike may be over.

The BAFTAs, from the British Academy for Film and Television Arts, took on an added significance this year after the Hollywood writers' strike led to the cancellation of the Golden Globes last month. With fewer parties of their own, dozens of American filmmakers, actors and celebrity guests made plans to hop the pond, including Kate Hudson, Kevin Spacey, Harvey Keitel, Sylvester Stallone and Jeff Goldblum.

"I was in complete support of the strike, but I think everybody at this point is just ready to party," said screenwriter Diablo Cody, who took home the original-screenplay award for Juno. "This year we didn't know if the Oscars were going to happen, so people have been focusing on the one party that seems to be a certainty," she said.

She said the BAFTA trophy was the first significant award of her career. "I am so completely freaked out right now. I'm just ridiculously excited. I will put (the trophy) on a mantle; show it off. It won't be on the toilet tank."

Other American winners included Joel and Ethan Coen, who took home the director award for No Country for Old Men.

"This feels great," said Joel Coen. "We have made movies for many years, many of which have actually gotten a very warm reception, sometimes a warmer reception in Europe, in the U.K., even more than they have in America. So for that reason and other reasons, (the BAFTAs) are very special to us."

But Europeans or European-themed films were the big winners of the night. Atonement was named best film of the year, though its stars, James McAvoy and Keira Knightley -- both snubbed by Oscars -- lost again. Britain's Daniel Day-Lewis and France's Marion Cotillard were named best actor and actress for There Will Be Blood and La Vie en Rose, respectively. Spain's Javier Bardem won supporting actor for No Country while Britain's Tilda Swinton nabbed supporting actress for Michael Clayton. All four are nominated for Oscars.