Mariah Carey Connection

The Harlem drama “Precious” won five prizes Friday at the Spirit Awards honouring independent film, including best picture and trophies for stars Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique and director Lee Daniels. Sidibe won best actress Friday for “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” playing an illiterate teen pulling herself out of an abyss of neglect and abuse. Mo’Nique earned the supporting-actress honour as the girl’s loathsome mother.

Jeff Bridges won best actor for the country-music tale “Crazy Heart” and Woody Harrelson won supporting actor for the war-on-terror drama “The Messenger.”

All four acting winners are up for the same honours at Sunday’s Academy Awards, where Bridges and Mo’Nique are the front-runners and newcomer Sidibe was nominated for her screen debut.

“Gabby, you are truly a special gift to the universe, baby,” Mo’Nique said. “For people to get to know you and be in your presence, they are all honoured.”

Though she has dominated her category at earlier film honours, Mo’Nique said backstage she had not prepared a speech for the Oscars, “because I think the universe would say, ‘You have a lot of nerve.”‘

“Precious” swept every category for which it was nominated, including best screenplay by a first-time writer for Geoffrey Fletcher. He and director Daniels also are nominated at the Oscars, where “Precious” is among the best-picture contenders.

Sidibe said her mother used to give her two dollars to go to school and that she saved the money to see an independent film, “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” at a theatre her bus would drive past.

“Hey, I could do that,” Sidibe said. “To be corny, you could say that’s when my independent spirit was born.”

Accepting the directing award, Daniels wisecracked, “Kathryn Bigelow’s not here tonight. I am,” referring to the maker of “The Hurt Locker,” the favourite to win best director at the Oscars.

The Spirit Awards normally are handed out at an afternoon ceremony along the beach in Santa Monica the day before the Oscars. With the event marking its 25th year, organizers made it a Friday night bash in downtown Los Angeles.

Presented by the cinema group Film Independent, the Spirit Awards honour movies that cost less than $20 million to make, with a significant part of their budget originating outside the Hollywood studio system. Other criteria for nominations include originality and provocative subject matter.

Source: The Toronto Sun