I didn't have breakfast this morning," admitted Halle Berry as she arrived at the 8th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on March 10 with a stomach full of butterflies. At least the best film actress winner (see story, page 75), clad in a white William Ivey Long gown, didn't have to worry about running afoul of the fashion police—unlike Gilmore Girls nominee Lauren Graham, who pulled up at Los Angeles's Shrine Auditorium fete in a long white limousine. "It's like a disco limo," moaned Graham, elegant nonetheless in a black strapless Carolina Herrera. "When I saw it, my heart sank."

Not for long. Good vibrations—aided and abetted by oscillating massage tables on hand for guests—marked the postshow bash, hosted by PEOPLE and the Entertainment Industry Foundation and held under a tent outside the Shrine. As stars snacked on shrimp gumbo and tiramisu, Law & Order's Jesse L. Martin snagged, he said, an "amazing" introduction to Denzel Washington, and C.S.I., star Marg Helgen-berger noted "that was cool" after meeting Nicole Kidman. Even Russell Crowe got in the mellow mood. "It's appreciated," he said of being voted best film actor by his peers. For others, comfort was key to the soiree's success. "This is the first time I've been at one of these things without any double-sided tape on me," said The Sopranos' Edie Falco. "I don't have to be held together today!"