Kudos for Breakthrough Talent

The Scene: Tuesday’s Breakthrough Awards at the Love Lounge. Sponsored by US Magazine and E! Entertainment Television, the evening celebrates young talent--with a major stress on young--who’ve had a career surge. In the words of an US publicist, the youth focus, “blatantly expresses what the magazine is about.”

The Routine: As the honorees entered the club, they were met by US Editor-in-Chief Jann Wenner who, in a blaze of television and flash camera lights, immediately presented the award. There were many deer-in-the-headlights moments when a startled winner tried to make sense of what was happening. One advantage to the rapid disbursement was the brevity of the acceptance speeches--”Uh, yeah, wow,” would be representative.

Who Was There: The honorees present were Samuel L. Jackson, George Clooney, Julianne Moore, Chazz Palminteri, Laura Leighton, and Gary Sinise. Among the 300 guests were Jackson Browne, Valeria Golino, Greta Scacchi, Bill Pullman, Ellen DeGeneres, Jason Priestley, Lara Flynn Boyle, Kathleen Sullivan and E!’s Dale Hopkins and Lee Masters.

The Award: The 18-inch-high, spiral-shaped sculpture of polished metal was probably meant to evoke film celluloid. There were many comments on the design. “It looks like something Madonna would wear.” “Is it a corkscrew?” “It could be an IUD.” And, as one Oscar nominee said to his friend, “Look, I just got the rusty bedspring award!”

The Locale: The black-walled Love Lounge was transformed by Colin Cowie Lifestyles with velvet drapes, sofas and chandeliers. It created a living room effect one guest described as “early American bordello.” Of one of the many glittery, tasseled wall hangings, Steve Kmetko said, “I think Terence Stamp wore that in ‘Priscilla.’ ”

Triumph: Since all the usual tedious antics of an award ceremony were minimized, the evening turned into a great party. It was like a lively night at a good club. The food and drink were bountiful. The Mavericks played a great set (at one point Melissa Etheridge came on stage to sing along on “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”) And the crowd stayed late.

Best Reason for Coming: Oscar nominee Gary Sinise’s brother-in-law said: “I’m here because I wanted to go to the Academy Awards but Gary couldn’t get me tickets.”