Dale Wilcox/WireImage.comTake that, Julie Christie! AARP's Movies for Grown-Ups Awards is, hands down, one of the most exciting nights of the year here in Los Angeles. This year, Jamie Lee Curtis had to drop out from her cohosting duties at the last second because of a bad cold, but Desperate Housewife star Dana Delany was game to step in—very game. She totally kept up with funnyman John Cleese.
She also talked to me about the Oscars. "I'd love to see Marion Cotillard win," she said, in this very doubtless manner. "La Vie en Rose was amazing." Dana's a straight shooter—not a phony-baloney bone in her body.
After all, a mere few feet away, Away from Her's Christie, the favored nominee, was roaming around, accepting compliments, looking ridiculously gorgeous and making all the women feel insecure—women of all ages, mind you. And mark my word, Cotillard is becoming somewhat of a front-runner—people love this woman's work. Delany is hardly alone.
Also fun was Old Hollywood stalwart Martin Landau. We had a cigarette together—yes, he lit mine; he is a gentleman—and he raved about Ellen Page's work. He likes all the nominees, of course, but like the rest of the world, he's excited to see what Page does next, etc. (P.S.: Thank goodness it isn't Diablo Cody's Jennifer's Body, which people were whispering about and calling "way too self-involved." Ouch.)
Anyhow, Landau did concede that Crimes and Misdemeanors, my personal favorite of his, is special. "They don't make 'em like that anymore," he sighed. Amen, brother.