Royal Sightings

joannes@sph.com.sg

The film awards season is into its final lap, with Sunday's 2014 EE British Academy Film Awards (Bafta) paving the way for the Oscars on March 2.

Here are our top 10 moments of the posh celebrations at London's Royal Opera House, which was punctuated by excellent acceptance speeches, Brit wit and attended by both British and Hollywood royalty:

1) GOOD SPORT

Prince William gamely posed for selfies with fans and worked the carpet like a Hollywood pro.

The prince, who serves as president of Bafta, also sat with the masses in the middle of the front row - a clear departure from his father's and grandmother's practice of sitting discreetly in the royal box.

He laughed at host Stephen Fry's jokes about him being Dame Helen Mirren's "grandson" - she won an Oscar for playing Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 - and when Fry introduced him as "Prince Will.i.am", borrowing US rapper will.i.am's moniker.

He joined in the fun when he presented the Fellowship award to Mirren, calling her "granny".

2) HE EVEN GIVES HIGH-FIVES

Since Prince William was the coolest VIP, he deserves another "moment".

He returned a high-five - to the amusement of onlookers - when British rapper Tinie Tempah walked past him before he opened the ceremony with a performance.

3) BRANGELINA'S BACK

Hollywood golden couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - who attended the event in support of the acclaimed drama 12 Years A Slave, on which Pitt also served as producer - pulled off the "couple look" in sexy his-and-hers tuxes, and boy, did they look fabulous!

Any Brangelina sighting is always a big deal, especially since their last joint red carpet outing was for Pitt's World War Z premieres last year.

4) UNDERDOG RULES

The Best Supporting Actor category provided the biggest upset of the night, when former limo driver and first-time actor Barkhad Abdi, 28, won for his performance as a pirate in Captain Phillips.

The Somalian, who moved to the US at age 14, beat out more famous nominees like Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender and Bradley Cooper.

5) MOST GRACIOUS LOSER

Tom Hanks might not have made it to the stage - he was nominated for best actor for Captain Phillips - but that did not stop the Hollywood veteran from dishing out some of the loudest cheers of the night.

He enthusiastically wolf-whistled when co-star Abdi won and also posted a funny Instagram with him.

And when British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor pipped him for Best Actor, Hanks once again had his fingers in his mouth for another congratulatory whistle.

6) ENGLISH LESSON

British comedian Fry - who returned as Bafta host for the ninth time - kept the audience chuckling, particularly when he gave grammar lessons to David O. Russell when the US film-maker won the award for Original Screenplay for American Hustle.

"David, it's a writing award. I think you meant not 'who it was a great privilege to work with' but 'with whom it was a great privilege to work'," Fry quipped.

He continued his English lesson with fellow Brit actor and writer Steve Coogan, who received the Adapted Screenplay award for Philomena.

"If you're going to win for writing, you can at least speak properly," he said.

7) CHARM OFFENSIVE

Leonardo DiCaprio was in the mood to melt hearts. The Wolf Of Wall Street Best Actor nominee obliged Fry's request and blew a kiss into the camera for all his female fans watching the telecast.

8) BEST EULOGY

Australian actress Cate Blanchett touched many hearts when she dedicated her Best Actress win for Blue Jasmine to her friend, the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.

"Phil buddy, this is for you," she said, looking to the sky as she fought back tears. "I hope you're proud."

9) IDENTITY CRISIS

Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron took home the Best Director honour for Gravity, the lost-in-space film that raised eyebrows when it was listed in the Outstanding British Film category.

"You can't tell from my accent, but I consider myself part of the British film industry," joked Cuaron, who has been living in London for the last 13 years.

Gravity, which starred two Hollywood actors, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, was produced by Harry Potter's David Heyman, a Briton. The film was shot at Shepperton Studios hiring British artistes and technicians, and used British company Framestore for its visual effects.

10) TRULY A DAME

The ever-classy Dame Helen Mirren delivered one of the best acceptance speeches of the night.

She paid a passionate tribute to all her teachers, mentors, directors, actors, and even the "honey wagon (mobile toilet) drivers".

The elegant thespian ended with quotes from William Shakespeare's The Tempest.