Critics’ Choice Awards: Memorable Quotes
Everyone tends to let their hair down after a couple of drinks, and celebrities are no exception. At the Critics’ Choice Awards, the champagne loosened tongues, providing the evening with color commentary that, in the case of Leslie Mann, sometimes turned blue. We caught the famous folk talking candidly on the red carpet, onstage, back stage and in the post-show party. Whether it was the news about the Golden Globes’ impending cancellation or a fervor from just being surrounded by their peers, the actors and actresses in attendance had plenty to say. They might have been vying to see who could be the most charismatic — even if Javier Bardem had that quality pretty much locked — but none were sweeter than Nikki Blonsky.
“I thought of Bush.” — Javier Bardem’s witty response to host D.L. Hughley’s question about how he channeled such murderous horror into Anton Chigurh, the ruthless killer in the Coen brothers’ No Country for Old Men
“You can say f*cking on VH1, right?” — Leslie Mann onstage, at once proving just how contagious her husband Judd Apatow’s brand of humor really is, while simultaneously lending credibility to the idea of Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen hooking up.
“Who else have you gone down on tonight?” — Casey Affleck querying our Red Carpet hostess Carrie Keagan after she kneeled down to help him tie his shoe
“Sometimes an American guy needs to go to France to make an American film.” — Julian Schnabel, director of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, an artist capable of exacting nuance from a big huge paintbrush, so to speak, discussing his win for Best Foreign Language Film and also, perhaps, inverting Alexis de Tocqueville
“I loved it when you said, ‘I didn’t think he had it in him’.” — Hairspray starlet Amanda Bynes gushing to J.K. Simmons, the actor who played the gruff but understanding father in Juno, about the line of dialogue that exquisitely unmans Michael Cera’s awkward nerd
“I’m following you to your car.” — Ross Matthews, one of VH1’s hosts for the night, warning celebrities that if they thought they could escape without speaking to him on-camera, they were very, very, very wrong
“I’m upset that Ellen won’t be there to receive her reward . . . I mean, award.” — Allison Janney expressing both her solidarity with the striking writers and also her regret over NBC’s decision not to air next Sunday’s Golden Globes Awards because of what it meant to her nominated co-star from Juno, Ellen Page
“We’re family now.”
“Thank you, Nikki.”
“We’re brother and sister now . . . whether you like it or not.” — Hairspray stars Nikki Blonsky and Elijah Kelly on the ties that bind, on-set and off
“I’ll go to the men’s room and get him!” — Siobahn Price, VH1’s eCritic Contest winner, attempting to help crews locate and interview Casey Affleck, albeit with slightly ulterior and less than altruistic motivations (which we wholeheartedly endorse)
“My father.” — George Clooney’s response to a particularly tepid question about who he’d like to see in office
“It would be great if the writers could return, and the critics go on strike.” — Steve Zahn
Bonus overheard snatchlet of dialogue:
“Yes, my name’s Tina. But I’ll answer to whatever rhymes.” — A crew member back stage delivering a line that, although it probably makes sense given the exceeding amount of confusion that goes into a live television show, was outrageously flirty
