Brangelina Peeps

I’ve seen a thing or two in the past several years of peeping the Film Festival, but Saturday night was a whole different animal. I got to the Arlington to check in pretty close to when I was supposed to, which is to say, nearly two hours before the thing even started, and already a crowd had gathered, hugging the velvet ropes that cordoned off a huge chunk of State Street for the arrival of the Hollywood royalty known as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Loitering just outside with my pals, deliberating on where to grab a bite, we ran into Roger, and I took the opportunity to ask if I was going to score the hot-man trifecta: I’d already met McSteamy and McDreamy (that’d be Javier Bardem and James McAvoy, respectively), and spot number three could only go to someone: well, Brad was certainly a candidate. But Roger’s reply threw me: “Oh, you mean the presenter?” I was baffled, I mean, I’m sure Pete Hammond’s a lovely guy and everything, but really?

Figuring that riddle would be solved in due time, we made our way to dinner and away from the madding crowd. Post-tapas, turning back onto State Street we were greeted by light rain, a roaring crowd, and enough flash bulbs to light up the night sky. We fought our way through the scrum, and into the theatre, where the red-carpet circus scene was being broadcast live. I’d like to take this opportunity to marvel at the oddity of celebrity, and what a serious pain in the ass it must be to go anywhere wearing so famous a face. That said, though, Brangelina were gracious as could be, signing autographs and smiling for pics with their fans. Though the thought of it made me really want a nap.

Eventually, the show got under way and Angelina, wearing the perfect Is-She-or-Isn’t-She ensemble, suffered through it with the best of them: I came away liking her a lot more than I anticipated – and she was even prettier in person, too. But the biggest, and best, surprise of the night came when it was time for the award presentation – the Outstanding Performance of the Year award, honoring Jolie for her work in A Mighty Heart. “Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Clint Eastwood!” Hello! The Durls speaketh the truth.