Mickey Rourke and “The Wrestler” have won top honors at the Spirit Awards, the annual eve-of-Oscars salute to the best of independent cinema. Rourke, a nominee at Sunday’s Academy Awards, won the best actor for his performance as a washed-up prizefighter in director Darren Aronofsky’s moving drama, which later scooped the ceremony’s best picture prize. Rourke’s award was the latest in a series of honors that have gone to the 56-year-old, who has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after his career suffered a prolonged slump through the 1990s. In a typically profanity-laced acceptance speech, Rourke dedicated the win to “Wrestler” director Aronofsky — and his pet chihuahua, who died last week. “I’ve just gotten thousands of letters from strangers and people that know me about my dog that died six days ago, Loki. This is for you baby,” he said. “Thank you Darren Aronofsky for believing in me. Directors like Darren come around every 25 years,” added Rourke. Aronofksy said he had been drawn to the “The Wrestler” because of its subject matter. “Wrestling was a world no one had tackled in a serious way, and the more we looked into that world, the more complex it seemed,” he said. In other awards Saturday, Oscar nominee Melissa Leo won the best actress award for her performance in the human-trafficking drama “Frozen River.” Tom McCarthy meanwhile took best director honors for “The Visitor,” which is notable for helping journeyman Richard Jenkins earn a best actor nomination at Sunday’s Oscars. In the supporting actor and actress categories, Spanish siren Penelope Cruz won for her performance in Woody Allen’s steamy comedy “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” Cruz will be seeking to emulate the success at the Oscars, where she is nominated in the best supporting actress category. “I didn’t expect this,” Cruz said. “I go to all awards like this, not expecting anything, so it’s always a surprise when I win.” Meanwhile James Franco picked up the best supporting actor award for his portrayal of gay politician Harvey Milk’s long-time lover Scott Smith in the Gus Van Sant biopic “Milk,” which also earned best first screenplay for writer Dustin Lance Black. Black later paid tribute to Sean Penn’s portrayal of Milk, California’s first openly gay elected official. “Sean’s performance really captured Harvey,” Black said. “That’s why this film has such a connection beyond gay and lesbian audiences. We need to continue building the coalitions that Harvey was so good at.” In other notable awards Saturday, France’s “The Class (Entre Les Murs)” won the best foreign film, while the best documentary went to “Man on Wire,” director James Marsh’s exhilarating account of Frenchman Philippe Petit’s tight-rope walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. “What Philippe did was to stop time, it was a little miracle,” Marsh told reporters.

Altho the Film Indepedent’s Spirit Awards are only 25 years old, I love that there is a place for Indie films to get their due when, overwhelmingly, the Motion Picture Academy tends to overlook many amazing performances due to, well, their indieness. True, some Independent Films and actors get honored at the Academy Awards but, for the most part, name recognition plays a huge part in the voting process. I’m sure many of you have never even heard of the film Frozen River and yet, it was one of the year’s strongest films. After the jump, check out a couple photos from the show itself and some pics of a few winners posing with their Indie trophies in the press room afterward …

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that James Franco took home the award for Best Supporting Male. He turned in such an amazing performance in Milk, I’m thrilled for his win. I’m also happy that Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler took home the top prize. I have been a HUGE Aronofsky fan since his movies Pi and Requiem for a Dream changed the way I viewed movies (ie. as an art form and not merely as entertainment). If you have not seen either of those films GO SEE THEM NOW! They are amazing. While I don’t think that The Wrestler will win Best Picture at the Oscars tonight, my money is on Rourke to win the Best Actor trophy tonight. In any event, much congrats goes out to the winners at this year’s Film Indepedent’s Spirit Awards.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Stars of actresses Sharon Stone, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen on the Hollywood Walk of Fame have been smudged with the words “FUR HAGS!” by anti-fur campaigners. While Stone’s star, received in November 1995, was smeared with “OLD FUR HAG!”, the actress twins’ shared marker bared the words “FUR HAGS!”, reports the Daily Express. Many other celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Socialite Khloe Kardashian have previously found themselves at the centre of controversies for wearing fur. Activists supporting People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have been on their feet to discourage the use of fur and protest against the torture inflicted on animals under the name of fashion. And it has been commonplace to observe anti-fur demonstrations outside the A-listers’ signings and public appearances.

In addition to referring to the Olsens as Fur Hags, the animal rights group also refers to them as the Trollsen Twins … going so far as to set up a website where folks can play dress up with ghastly cartoon-versions of the girls on the site:

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The credit crunch may be biting … but there was little sign of parsimony in Dubai [Thursday] night. The world’s rich and famous gathered for the most expensive private party ever thrown – costing some £20 million – to open Atlantis Palm Jumeirah, a £1 billion resort on a man-made island shaped like a palm tree in the Persian Gulf. Two thousand film stars, popstars, supermodels and billionaires were flown in from around the world for the all-expenses paid one-night party with many of them staying for four days. The highlight last night was a one-off gig by Kylie Minogue and her 113-strong dance troupe on the beach. Apart from getting a free holiday, Miss Minogue was also paid £1.5million for a 10-song 45-minute medley of her hits – which works out at some £33,333 a minute …

They were no ordinary fireworks of course – each one being a radio-controlled 27-inch shell with an on-board microcomputer to direct its flight. The display, which was visible from space, was also filmed by a squadron of helicopters hovering at 12,000ft and beamed on giant TV HD screens on the beach. Miss Minogue, 40, arrived at the lavish party dressed in a pink and black floral chiffon gown with flowing train and her blonde hair in a curly short hairdo. Speaking on Sky News, just two hours before she was due to go on stage, an excited Kylie said: “It’s staggering. I guess more is more here and they have done a great job. My room’s very nice. It’s a different set list to the tour I’m doing at the moment. It’s an edited show especially for tonight.” The 40-year-old star remained tight-lipped about how much she was earning for her set, she said: “I can’t tell you how much pocket money I get, it goes straight in my piggy bank.” Speaking about the hotel’s potential, she added: “I think there’s a lot of people who love this kind of thing you get sun and everything you could wish for. My crew and dancers have been having a great time.” Guests included filmstars such as Robert De Niro, Charlize Theron, Denzil Washington, Mischa Barton and Lindsay Lohan, supermodels Agyness Deyn, Petra Nemcova and Yasmin Le Bon, musicans Janet Jackson, Lily Allen and Shirley Bassey, sports legends like Michael Jordan and Boris Becker and some local royalty – the Royal Family of Dubai … Oprah Winfrey bagged the most exclusive £25,000-a-night suite high up on a bridge suspended between the resort’s two towers. Yet when she pulled out, the scramble for the suite was eventually won a man many Britons may have never heard of – Shahrukh Khan – who is apparently the ‘Tom Cruise of Bollywood’ and as such the most famous filmstar in Middle East. Robert De Niro – a partner in the Nobu restaurant chain which has a site in the resort – had to make do with a £15,000 presidential suite. That left filmstars Lindsay Lohan and Charlize Theron with £10,000 a night Lost Chambers suites submerged alongside one of the world’s largest aquariums in the depths of the Atlantis resort, each with a truly jaw-dropping bedroom view of 65,000 sharks, rays and fish. No one paid for an air ticket to get there. The travel bill alone was estimated to be £3 million. Yesterday, the starry crowd spent the day riding camels, stroking dolphins and trying out the resort’s giant waterpark. A cocktail reception last night was followed by dinner on the beach, Miss Minogue’s show and they the fireworks. Though Dubai is mainly a ‘dry’ country, there was not much evidence of that at the soiree with some 1,000 bottles of Veuvre Cliquot champagne being thrown back. All of that drink was presumably needed to wash down the 1.7 metric tonnes of lobster that was eaten, 4,000 oysters, 3,000 kilos of smoked salmon and 5,000 portions of the best sushi – all prepared by 500 chefs and served by 1,000 waiters.

Ye gods! Talk about excess. It never ceases to amaze me how economic strain can take its toll on so many people thruout the world and, yet, celebs never seem to feel the pinch. Forget the millions of starving and dying people suffering each and every day, the rich and powerful live extravagant lives that most people can’t even dream of. It really sounds like a spectacular event but the amount of excess is pretty staggering. I’m not hating, I’m just … boggled. Yeah.

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Man, PETA is showing no signs that they have any plans to let the Olsen twins off the hook for their love of fur. It’s been a few months since PETA launched their Meet the Trollsen Twins website and it looks like the anti-Olsen campaign is still going strong. I understand that the twins were targeted at their NYC in-store appearance a couple of weeks ago as well. Now, I’m not the biggest fan of the Olsens (well, I’m not much of a fan at all) but even I feel bad that the little munchkins are bearing the brunt of this anti-fur campaign alone. Meh, I’m sure I’ll get over it, tho.

[Photo credit: X17, INFdaily]

These pics are some of the tamest of the bunch. There are quite a few exposed body parts (well, mostly bums) in some of the other photos featuring Kate Hudson, Angie Harmon and others. Click HERE AT YOUR OWN RISK to see some of the other photos that are featured in this book by Timothy White (be warned, the link points to a NSFW site that appears to have virus problems — if you don’t want to risk it, don’t click the source link). They are interesting photos … the Olsens look good (the dark-haired one more than the blonde one, I’m not sure which is which) even.

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Actress Mary-Kate Olsen was involved in a minor car accident on Monday while out shopping with a female friend in Los Angeles. The former child star was leaving the Open Door furniture store when her unnamed pal accidentally reversed her Toyota Prius car into the back of another vehicle. The woman exchanged details with the other driver, an employee of the nearby El Pollo Loco store, while Olsen waited in the front passenger seat. No one was hurt in the incident.

Clearly, MK was not really interested in smiling for the cameras … which just so happened to video THE ENTIRE INCIDENT. After the jump, watch video of MK’s embarrassing fender bender (it’s kinda worth watching just to hear the paps MOO at poor Mary-Kate Olsen) …

The U.S. Attorney’s Office closed its investigation into Heath Ledger’s accidental overdose death and will not enforce a subpoena against Mary-Kate Olsen, a law-enforcement source told PEOPLE. The probe was closed without any charges being filed. Olsen, 22, was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury on April 23, but her attorney had been in negotiations with federal authorities since then, the source said. Olsen had wanted immunity before testifying. Olsen’s attorney released a statement saying the actress “had nothing to do” with Ledger’s drugs and had already provided “relevant information” to investigators. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Olsen’s rep both declined to comment. Ledger, 28, was found dead in his Soho apartment on Jan. 22, and the coroner determined the actor died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs for pain, anxiety and sleep.

And that, folks, is that. To be honest, I never thought that things would be brought to this point, I never anticipated that subpoenas would even be issued so I’m not all that surprised that the investigation was ended (called off?). By the sounds of it, the investigation shouldn’t've even gotten this far (since “a massive investigation … launched over an accidental death in which no criminality was even hinted at” has never happened before). Hopefully now Heath can just rest in peace and the world can move on … and MK can finally get a peaceful night of sleep (which doesn’t necessarily mean her conscience is totally clear).

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Despite her claim that she has no information that would help clear up the mystery of Heath Ledger’s overdose death, Mary-Kate Olsen has been issued a subpoena by the Drug Enforcement Administration office in New York, requiring her to testify in front of a grand jury. In a statement issued on Monday, Olsen’s lawyer said that the actress had nothing to do with the drugs that killed Ledger and that she has already cooperated with police in the investigation. Several media outlets also reported that Olsen had refused to speak to investigators unless she was granted immunity from prosecution. “Access Hollywood” broke the news about the subpoena on Tuesday night, but gave no timeline for when Olsen might be called to testify. Five different medications were found in Ledger’s body at the time of his death, three of which he’d gotten from doctors in Texas and Los Angeles. Officials are trying to determine how he got the OxyContin and Vicodin found in his apartment without a legal prescription. Olsen was the first person that Ledger’s housekeeper called after his masseuse found the actor dead from an accidental overdose in his New York apartment on January 22.

Veeeeeeeeery interesting. You know, I always thought it was a bit shady that Mary-Kate Olsen was the person who was first called once Heath’s body was discovered — she was called even before the paramedics were called. There is something not right there. I had a feeling this grand jury biz would be coming along sooner or later. That being said, I don’t really anticipate anything of substance coming from any of this grand jury stuff. Unless there is are hard evidence linking MK to the circumstances surrounding Heath’s untimely death, I highly doubt that anything will stick to her … tho, the investigation may have uncovered some evidence and they want to ask MK questions to see if she really is as innocent as she claims. Man, this grand jury shizz could be heavy … I guess we’ll have to wait and see what comes of it.

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They were classmates at a posh L.A. high school – and Mary-Kate Olsen doesn’t have fond memories of Spencer Pratt. “He does not have a good temper,” Olsen, 22, told David Letterman, during an appearance to promote her film The Wackness … “He used to play on the soccer team … (and) he walked out of a few games. He would walk off the field.” When Letterman pressed her for more stories on The Hills’s 24-year-old villain (whom Letterman called “wormy” and “oily”), Olsen just giggled and said, “The Wackness is a great film!” As for the rest of young Hollywood, Olsen simply advised: “Wear underwear! Wear your panties.”

The interview is interesting to watch, Mary-Kate seems regretful that she even started talking about Spencer in a negative way in the first place because she remained mum on spilling any further deets the more that David Letterman pressed her. After the jump, check out video of MK’s interview with Letterman …