Eating Cucumber Sandwiches at the BAFTA/LA Awards Season Tea Party

One of my favorite things to do during Awards Season is attend with my British friend, Maggie, the tea party that BAFTA/LA throws every year for the British and American BAFTA awards nominees. Usually it is held on a weekend when British film and TV nominees living in the UK might be in LA from the UK for another big Awards shows, since the BAFTA awards are held in England. Usually, like this time, it's the Golden Globes.

What I like about these British events is that no matter where someone might be in his/her career, the Brits see themselves as journeymen actors and producers and hence, everyone is equal, unless you have Lord or Lady or Princess in front of your name. For them, this is a meet and greet with colleagues and friends and so none of the actors come with large impenetrable entourages, as happens too often at American events. The only one I ever saw with a security entourage was Fergie and hers were the real kind of bodyguards that accompany all persons of state. And yet, even they hung back, so she could say hello to each person that year.

Here, if you had something to say, you could go up to talk to CLINT EASTWOOD, who looked very handsome in a tan leather jacket, BRENDAN FRASIER, LEONARDO DI CAPRIO, JOSH BROLIN, STEVE VALENTINE, DAMIEN LEWIS, PAUL BETTANY, FRANK MARSHALL, MARISA TORMEI, DAVID CRONENBERG, PAUL HAGGIS, as easily as any other attendee at the party. And sometimes it was a lot easier to approach them than the rest of the attendees.

There were many more recognizable people, but these were the ones I came in contact with and talked to.

The food this year was somewhat disappointing. I don't know if it was the economic times or the fact that it was at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The two things I especially look forward to each year are the salmon open-faced sandwiches and the cucumber sandwiches. There was a lot of cost saving going on because the salmon sandwiches was just a little bit of salmon in a sea of other things rather than the fish lying on top of bread like sushi. And the cucumber sandwiches, which are usually abundant, were fairly scarce this year. But I did manage to locate a few and scarf them down. More in abundance were the egg and cheese kind, neither of which I find very exciting.

Now all that remains is seeing for whom all this hob-knobbing pays off.