2009 Independent Spirit Awards

Before we were overcome with Oscar mania, lots of stars headed to the Independent Spirit Awards in LA on Saturday. After the exciting red carpet, the show was full of parodies and dance numbers featuring Teri Hatcher, Christina Applegate and Rainn Wilson goofing it up onstage. The Wrestler was a big winner, taking home honors for Best Film as well as Best Male Lead. Mickey Rourke gave an off-the-cuff acceptance speech, dedicated to his recently deceased dog Loki. Check out the video here.

Other winners like Penelope Cruz and James Franco celebrated with their trophies in the press room. Mary-Kate Olsen and Ben Kingsley were two of the many famous presenters along with Jessica Alba, Lucy Liu and the newly engaged Claire Danes. Elizabeth Banks and a scruffy Bradley Cooper also took the stage to present. This awards show honored films that cost less than $20 million to make but gave the stars a preview of what was to come on Oscar Sunday.

To see tons more photos from the awards show including Anne Hathaway, Aaron Eckhart, Kerry Washington, Bradley Cooper and many others just read more

The women at the Independent Spirit Awards looked beautiful but kept things more casual with their shorter dresses for the afternoon event. Anne Hathaway shined in her off-white dress with feminine details as many other actresses showed off their flirty styles. Cameron Diaz rocked the stripes, as did Michelle Williams in her sleeveless dress with pockets. Mary-Kate stood out with her shoulder pads and long sleeves and the award-winning Penelope Cruz — who had a run in with ex Tom Cruise the night before — look perfect in a frilly hemmed brown dress.

Meanwhile, the men ranged from jeans to suits, but still looked handsome as usual. James Franco didn't manage to shave for the event but wore his pinstripes proudly. Aaron Eckhart, Emile Hirsch and Blair Underwood sported the denim look while Mickey Rourke had fun running around the blue carpet chatting with everyone. Make sure to check out all of Buzz, Fab and Bella's coverage of an event that many of Hollywood's finest came out to see.

To see tons more photos including Elizabeth Banks, Jon Hamm, Jessica Alba and many others just read more

Mickey Rourke was at the Independent Spirit Awards last night, and boy was he on fire during his acceptance speech for best actor. (Is this a prelude for what's to come tonight? I'm crossing my fingers!) I mean, can you win an award for best acceptance speech? I saw more emotions in this few minutes than most performers can give in an entire film! He ran the gamut from funny, to weird, to irreverent, to tearful. (His beloved Chihuahua mix Loki died six days ago, and you could tell he was choking down the tears.) This man is such a bundle of contradictions, but I heart him. Go Mickey, you crazy son of a b*tch!

Some of my favorite parts of the Independent Spirit Awards are the parody songs the show's writers whip up for each of the Best Feature nominees. I still can't hear Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly" without hearing the jokey lyrics poking fun at The Diving Bell and the Butterfly last year ("I can't move my toes/and I can't move my nose . . . ").

This year, Teri Hatcher took the stage to pay a special kind of tribute to Wendy and Lucy, Rainn Wilson donned spandex and grabbed the mike for a homage to The Wrestler, Christina Applegate retold Frozen River to the tune of "Proud Mary," and Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson broke it down for Ballast. Unfortunately — or fortunately, depending on your perspective — Rachel Getting Married didn't get a parody, but Robyn Hitchcock showed up to sing "Up to Our Nex" from the film's soundtrack.

In case you missed it, I've clipped all the videos together, and you can check out all the celebrity parodies if you read more

This year the Film Independent's Spirit Awards spread the love around, dealing out prizes to a wide range of projects. The Wrestler was a big winner at today's ceremony, snagging several of the major awards including Best Feature, Best Male Lead for Mickey Rourke, and even Best Cinematography. Vicky Christina Barcelona's star Penelope Cruz began what many hope will be an awards filled weekend for her, winning for Best Supporting Female.

Her director, Woody Allen, took home an award for Best Screenplay. Milk received its share of accolades as well including a Best Supporting Male prize for James Franco and a Best First Screenplay award going to young up-and-comer Dustin Lance Black.

I really enjoyed The Class and am thrilled it won in the foreign film category. Interestingly, Rachel Getting Married didn't win much despite leading in nominations. Finally, Synecdoche, New York, a movie virtually ignored by the Oscars, walked away with several prizes including Best First Feature.

Don't forget an edited version of the ceremony will air tonight on AMC at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. That's it folks! Next stop: Oscars! To check out the winners for yourself, read more