02:37 PM EDT 07/22/2008

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Independent Spirit Awards 2008

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Ellen Page, Cate Blanchett Take Home Indie Spirits | Cate Blanchett, Ellen Page

Ellen Page, Cate Blanchett Take Home Indie Spirit Awards

Originally posted 02/23/2008 10:50PM

Ellen Page took top honors at the Film Independent's Spirit Awards, winning best actress for her role in Juno, but Angelina Jolie's baby bump was the show stopper.

Page was up against Jolie's A Mighty Heart performance and took everything in stride.

"I'm just trying to go along with it, staying with a friend, having fun," Page told PEOPLE of Oscar weekend. "Just trying to remove myself in a way, and remember it's about film ... These nominations are a huge honor. It's exciting."

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Rainn Wilson Plans Exposé at Indie Spirit Awards

Independent Spirit Awards 2008

Rainn Wilson Plans Exposé at Indie Spirit Awards

Originally posted 02/23/2008 11:00AM

As host of Film Independent's Spirit Awards, Rainn Wilson is forgoing traditional formal attire for a more revealing look.

"You see a lot of my unfortunate body," Wilson told PEOPLE about stripping down in pre-taped segments that will air with the show on Saturday on cable's IFC and AMC. "You see a lot of my body of work – let me put it that way." Specifically, Wilson says he plays to show off his "buttocks" for comic effect.

Looser than most award shows, the Spirit Awards will feature a fleet of taped skits featuring Wilson in "a lot of crazy getups," as he pokes fun of nominated films and actors. "The conceit is that I've auditioned for all the [movies] up for best picture, and that we've tracked down my audition tapes," he says. (Several clips have already surfaced online, including one hilarious segment in which Wilson attempts to audition for Michael Cera's role in Juno in skimpy jogging shorts.)

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VIDEO: Rainn Wilson's Indie Spirit Outtakes Hit the Web

Originally posted 02/20/2008 10:00AM



The Office's Rainn Wilson is prepping for his role as emcee at the Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 23. Could he be adding entertainment journalist to his resume?

The actor appears on the Web in a series of new video segments (titled "Rainn on Film") featuring Wilson sitting down for tongue-in-cheek interviews with directors like Juno's Jason Reitman and I'm Not There's Todd Haynes. (View all the clips here.)

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Rainn Wilson to Host Independent Spirit Awards | Rainn Wilson

Rainn Wilson to Host Independent Spirit Awards

Originally posted 12/21/2007 12:55PM

Another awards show will go on, despite the writers' strike. The Office star Rainn Wilson will host Film Independent's annual Independent Spirit Awards honoring indie films.

The writers' union granted a waiver to the show, which will air live on the Independent Film Channel Feb. 23. Wilson, a Writers Guild of America member, will contribute to the writing on the program.

"The Spirit Awards and Film Independent have a long-standing, positive relationship with the Writers Guild," Film Independent executive director Dawn Hudson said, according to the Hollywood Reporter. "We've worked over many, many years to have parity for writers as they're represented on our show."

The WGA rejected requests for similar waivers from organizers of the Golden Globes and Academy Awards, both of which may be impacted if the strike is not resolved. The Jan. 8 People's Choice Awards was forced to change formats due to the strike.
–Gerri Miller

Credit: Armando Gallo/Retna
Angelina Jolie Nominated for Indie Spirit Award | Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie Nominated for Indie Spirit Award

Originally posted 11/27/2007 02:10PM

Angelina Jolie is already attracting movie awards attention.

Jolie was nominated Tuesday for a Spirit Award for her role in A Mighty Heart, which was co-produced by Brad Pitt and based on the life of slain American journalist Daniel Pearl.

"She could make any film she wants," Dawn Hudson of Film Independent, which gives the awards, said after the announcement. "It's a feat for such a movie star to be so much in that role."

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