The wine country ramble “Sideways” lost out in the best picture Oscar race but dominated Saturday’s laid-back Independent Spirit Awards, winning best picture and five other prizes, including acting honors for Paul Giamatti, Virginia Madsen and Thomas Haden Church.
Giamatti, who stars as a sad-sack who finds the possibility of new love during a wine-tasting road trip with a buddy, earned the lead actor prize at the awards. (He was snubbed during the Oscar nominations.)
Catalina Sandino Moreno won best actress for “Maria Full of Grace,” in which she plays a Colombian woman thrust into danger when she signs on to smuggle heroin into the U.S.
“Garden State”–written and directed by “Scrubs” star Zach Braff–won best picture by a first-time filmmaker at the awards, which honor movies that are at least partly financed outside of the Hollywood studio system. Rodrigo de la Serna of “The Motorcycle Diaries” won for best debut performance.
Romancing the stone
Lesbian kisses aren’t just for “The O.C.” anymore.
Sharon Stone says her character will have a bisexual relationship in the upcoming sequel “Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction.”
“There is lesbian love,” Stone said in an interview on “Access Hollywood” that aired last week. “We’re testing for her now.”
When asked if she would mind if life ever imitated art, the 46-year-old actress said with a smile: “Why not? Middle age is an open-minded period.”
Split decision
Hilary Swank may have Sandra Bullock and Ashley Judd to thank for a glamorous Oscar night.
Apparently Swank was “Million Dollar Baby” producer Albert S. Ruddy’s third choice to star, the New York Post reports.
A source told The Post that Bullock and Judd were offered the role of boxer Maggie Fitzgerald before Swank. The source said Bullock turned the role down before Clint Eastwood was chosen to direct. When she reconsidered after finding out Eastwood was behind the camera, the source said, it was too late–Swank already was attached to star.
Green party
Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek kicked off the Oscar weekend party scene at the “Rock the Earth” event organized by Global Green USA.
Oscar presenters and “Bandidas” co-stars Hayek and Cruz are among the celebrities who planned to support Global Green USA by arriving at the Academy Awards in hybrid cars.
Oscar presenter Orlando Bloom and actresses Julie Delpy and Kate Bosworth also attended the event.
BABY ON BOARD: Stella McCartney, fashion designer and daughter of rocker Paul McCartney, has given birth to a baby boy in London, according to People magazine.
McCartney and her husband, Alasdhair Willis, a former magazine publisher, announced the birth of their first child, born early Friday morning. “Both mother and father are thrilled with the news,” the couple’s rep told the magazine.
McCartney married Willis in August 2003. Her new clothing collection will be unveiled Thursday in Paris. “Stella worked on and was able to complete the collection before giving birth,” People quoted her publicist as saying.
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Compiled from news services and edited by Leo Ebersole (lebersole@tribune.com) and Victoria Rodriguez (vrodriguez@tribune.com)
