Present:
Abbie Cornish. Picture: Getty Source: The Sunday Telegraph
Ros Reines, The Sunday Telegraph, reports
It was the Australian film industry's night to shine in Los Angeles, so where were some of our most stellar stars? Were they having a rare night in, washing their hair?
The Australians In Film 8th Annual Breakthrough Awards on Wednesday, and the announcement of the Heath Ledger Scholarship winner at the InterContinental Hotel's Grand Salon Ballroom, attracted Miley Cyrus and her fiance Liam Hemsworth, Hollywood powerbroker Harvey Weinstein, Natalie Imbruglia and even the notoriously icy Abbie Cornish, who was both sweet and accommodating (who knew?).
However with the AIF boasting an ambassadors list which pretty much includes every famous A-list Aussie heavyweight including
Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Baz Luhrmann, you would have thought that some of them might have felt tempted to come along and support the event.
And not all of them were busy shooting movies.
Even the choice of Renee Bargh, an Aussie TV reporter working on US show Extra, as the night's Master of Ceremonies, was a strange option for the glittering film event.
Despite the snub by some of the big name stars, it was still a fantastic night dominated by young lovebirds, Australian Hunger Games star Hemsworth and Cyrus.
In fact the teenage American singer showed all the signs of being the daughter-in-law that Australia will be happy to adopt.
Wearing a black, short Zimmermann dress, so snug that one guest marvelled that it fitted her like a sausage skin, Cyrus arrived proudly on the arm of Hemsworth and was accessible to even the most fringe reporter on the red carpet.
But she stopped short of saying when and where the couple plan to get married.
Hopefully not too soon, after all she is only 19 - not even old enough to legally drink in the US.
Meanwhile, her fiance Hemsworth, John Polson, Yvonne Strahovski and Weinstein were honoured at the awards, while the Heath Ledger Scholarship went to Underbelly Razor star, Anna McGahan.
The late Ledger's rebellious, talented and generous spirit was definitely in the room. Even his good friend Cornish was positively bouyant on the night.
The Dior clad-actress, who has clearly not succumbed to Hollywood's size 0 fetish, presented an award to Weinstein (the American was the only person on the night to receive a standing ovation).
Proving he has a suitably laconic sense of humour, Weinstein told the story of dating a famous, but alas unnamed Australian model, whose father asked him whether he should invest $500,000 in a yet-to-be-made film which became Crocodile Dundee. Weinstein advised against it and the relationship did not go the distance of the film's overwhelming success.
Another highlight of the night was the auction. On offer were a series of framed photographs by Rupert Thorpe featuring Ledger and Rose Byrne.
Cyrus and Hemsworth had fun bidding against each other, with the Hannah Montana star finally scoring the limited edition snaps for $22,000.
Now her name will be added to a list of benefactors at a special Heath Ledger exhibition at the Western Australian Museum.
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