Despite conspicuous no-shows James Spader ("I think he was embarrassed by the hair," Soderbergh said) and Harvey Weinstein ("This is like a tribute to Dr. Frankenstein and the monster doesn't come"), the director had a good-enough time with Andie MacDowell, Laura San Giacomo and Peter Gallagher, hanging out on the lip of the stage and reminiscing about those heady days of microbudgets, 120-degree Louisiana locations and agents who discouraged the actors from involving themselves with Soderbergh's ostensibly smutty tale of voyeurs, true confessions and infidelity.

"The idea obviously came from watching porn," Soderbergh half-joked during the 30-minute discussion that followed. "I'm happy to say I've never done that in my life. I viewed Graham [Spader's camera-wielding sex inquisitor] as kind of an intimacy junkie, and this was his sort of way of getting intimate information without actually having a relationship. But there's a long history of this kind of behavior, as anyone who's followed porn closely knows. It’s a more sophisticated version of the gonzo stuff that you see going on all the time. His new wrinkle was sort of shrouded in this patina of understanding. He's really nefarious."

It was the first time most on hand had seen the film since the filmmaker hand-carried it into Park City in 1989. Gallagher said it reminded him precisely why he wound up as one of Hollywood's go-to smarmy types for the better part of the '90s. "At the time this movie was released, I was at dinner and Sean Penn was sitting at the table next to us," he recalled. "He leaned over and said, 'Hey, man, nice job. I just wanted to meet the only other guy in Hollywood hated more than me."

But that was apparently the worst of it. The rehearsal and shoot were the fastest and most efficient any of the principals had experienced. MacDowell churned at the prospect of working opposite Spader. "One of my biggest memories from rehearsal was James Spader, because he intimidated me," she said. "I mean, James is kind of weird anyway. He's a great actor, but he's one of those actors who likes to really get into character. So I didn't know who I was meeting when I met him. I think he was kind of already there, sort of. He was weird and kind of sexy at the same time. He was scary as hell, actually."

But she wasn't even supposed to have the role, according to Soderbergh; the producers disliked her, but she returned for another reading with the director. "Remember?" he asked her. "You were in the room alone with me. You did exactly what you did in the film. I came out and said, 'Andie really is great, and I think that's who we should go with. And everyone went, 'Uh-oh. What happened in there?' And I said, 'No, it's not like that. She's really good.' "

San Giacomo arrived in Park City shortly after the 1989 premiere. "By the second screening, that's when it started to sort of catapult. And by the third screening, people were trying to sneak on line with ticket stubs trying to get in. It just blossomed from there; it was exciting. It was very much a darker place then! People were not in sporty clothes all the time! They were New York-looking! And very serious!" Pity! Just imagine all they missed.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Boston Legal - James Spader
Breaking Bad - Bryan Cranston
Dexter - Michael C. Hall
House - Hugh Laurie
In Treatment - Gabriel Byrne
Mad Men - Jon Hamm

Don't even bother, House fans. Though Hugh Laurie turned in the compelling, two-hour season finale as his submission, Emmy voters love three-time winner James Spader, and his submission (which finds him passionately arguing a case before the Supreme Court) provides Spader with his biggest tour-de-force yet. If he's ever to lose, it won't be this year.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Brothers & Sisters - Sally Field
The Closer - Kyra Sedgwick
Damages - Glenn Close
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Mariska Hargitay
Saving Grace - Holly Hunter

A toss-up! In a category filled with film refugees deigning to do TV (which Emmy loves), Sally Field won last year and notoriously gave a bleeped speech that will only solidify her as the incumbent in voters' memories. Her biggest threat is the cool, nefarious Close, but we'll side with inertia and predict Field as the winner once more.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Boston Legal - William Shatner
Damages - Ted Danson
Damages - Zeljko Ivanek
Lost - Michael Emerson
Mad Men - John Slattery

All but two of the nominees are newcomers to this category, and last year's winner Terry O'Quinn is nowhere to be found. We think voters will reward his co-star, Lost MVP Michael Emerson, whose blockbuster episode submission included horse-riding, piano playing, action scenes, foreign languages, and a juicy scene grieving the death of his daughter. Plus, Emerson is no Emmy novice: he won the award in 2001 for guest-starring on The Practice.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Boston Legal - Candice Bergen
Brothers & Sisters - Rachel Griffiths
Grey's Anatomy - Sandra Oh
Grey's Anatomy - Chandra Wilson
In Treatment - Dianne Wiest

If the category seems oddly mild this year, it's because of 2007 winner Katherine Heigl's infamous decision to pull her name out of consideration. As a reward to the co-stars who bit their lips and suffered in silence, we expect either Oh or Wilson to pull through as the winner, with a slight edge to Oh (after all, she once had to deal with Isaiah Washington, too).

Outstanding Drama Series
Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men

For party crashers Damages and Dexter, it's an honor just to be nominated. Like them, Mad Men is little-seen, but the difference is that it's watched by all the right people (and heavily appeals to older Emmy voters), so we expect a first-season surge to victory. What Would Don Draper Do if he had to go home empty-handed?

In today's star-studded holiday spectacular episode: Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon; Sean Penn; Jack Black; Antonio Banderas; Dustin Hoffman; Elijah Wood; James Spader and Michael Rapaport; Leonard Cohen; Malcolm Gladwell; Benjamin Bratt and Talisa Soto; Dylan Walsh; Amy Brenneman; Giovanni Ribisi; Chris Noth; Jeremy Sisto; Dave Annable; Christopher MacDonald; Vincent Gallo; Rachel Dratch and Chris Parnell; Eve; Catherine Bach; Brandon Davis; Sean Hayes; John O'Hurley; Monica Lewinsky; Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed; John Lydon; Paul F. Tompkins; Randy Spelling; and Trevor Penick.

· Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon with some other actorly types at the 5:35 Dome showing of Sweeney Todd 12/29. Reese was wearing a baseball cap w/"Jake" embroidered on the side. Awww. Both were casual and cute. She is teeny tiny. Seriously.

Jake and Reese part 2 - when I got into the line to exit the parking lot, I was behind a black Mercedes, which then proceeded to pull up to the ticket booth and sit for five minutes while the driver obviously searched for his ticket. I suppressed the New Yorker in me and didn't lay on the horn, and was rewarded with the realization that Jake himself was the culprit. Stars, they're just like us! P.S. When I pulled to the ticket booth myself, the attendant was giddy from her five mins w/Jake. Don't know how Reese felt about all this; she seems pretty organized.

· Wednesday (12/19) I'm at the car rental office at Ontario Airport when I see a guy walk past who I think looks a lot like Sean Penn. But I think: Why would Sean Penn be renting a car at Ontario Airport? And besides, this guy is tall, and most celebrities are short. And also besides, this guy has a lot of gray hair, and Sean Penn is young and virile. A few minutes later, he passes by again, this time hounded by a car rental office employee very eager to have an autograph, and I realize it IS Sean Penn. He's in a big hurry but says he can sign something if she finds something for him to sign really fast. She produces a piece of paper, which he signs, then takes off. He's all alone, no entourage or assistant or companion or anything. The employee runs off with her prize, literally whooping and leaping in the air. I wish Sean Penn hadn't been in such a hurry so I could tell him that I liked "Into the Wild," and that my brother sincerely believes he hates America. Alas.

· Sat (12/29) - Jack Black with assumed nuclear family (child in plastic car, wife and 2 old people) at the Geffen Murakami show. Jack had a shaved blonde hair trim and was wearing a Coltrane shirt and seemed eager to view some paintings of jism.

· 12-20 - I promised my visiting mother some good celebrity sighting possibilities at the Grove. Just as the day was ending, with nothing but unnameable character actors everywhere, my mother entered Duck Soup and ran into Antonio Banderas as he was leaving. Mucho apoplexy and self-fanning. Her verdict: thin, unshaven and gorgeous. Merry Xmas, Grove.

· I'm pretty sure I saw Dustin Hoffman at Third Street Promenade today (12-28). He was walking by himself, talking on his cell phone and wearing a Rolling Stones jacket.

· saw ELIJAH WOOD doing some last-minute Christmas shopping on Monday, 12/24, at Anthropologie/3rd St. Promenade. looked a bit overwhelmed and overloaded with bags.

most surprising? actually short + hobbit-like in person. least surprising? piercing blue eyes.

· At the Murakami at the MOCA on Friday 12/28, the line was very, very long—way out the door. Not for Michael Rapaport though, who probably lives in some sort of alternate reality where he's really famous and people give a shit about him. He was a huge dick and cut in front of the whole line to buy his tickets. I was in the middle of buying my tickets, and he didn't even wait until I finished. James Spader was also there but he obeyed the rules.

· He's my man: Leonard Cohen, younger Asian wife, and a white couple with a newborn that spent plenty in time in grandpa (guessing here completely) Lenny's lap during a particularly delicious brunch at Ammo on Sun, Dec 31. I mean it was totally gross! Keep waiting on line for Doughboys across the street! Much better!

· Visited LA over New Year's for a reunion of my college roommates (go UNC!) and was able to squeeze in a couple celeb sightings. First, saw Michael Rapaport sitting outside Brooklyn Projects on Melrose on Sunday afternoon 12/30. Only noticed him because I damn near tripped over the broken skateboard in front of him. Then, saw Ron Livingston and his "Standoff" costar, Rosemarie DeWitt, in line at Whole Foods by the Grove standing in an endless line on New Year's Eve to buy overpriced groceries with the rest of the masses.

Oh, and earlier that day around 1 pm, I was trying to get breakfast at Rockenwagner's cafe on Abbott Kinney, and took over the tiny outdoor table in front of the bakery from Malcolm Gladwell, the author of pop-science greats "Blink" and "The Tipping Point." He was dressed in skinny jeans and was wandering around by himself with what looked like a manuscript in his hands. His giant fro is unmistakable.

· Benjamin Bratt, looking very doable in all-black on my LAX to EWR flight on 12/18. Traveling with beautiful wife Talisa Soto and two cute kids on a rainy day, he kept his sunglasses on all the way from the back of the very long gate check-in line. When he actually reached the flight attendant, he popped them on top of his head and clearly poured on the charm with the holder of all crosscountry seats. Hmmm, did you not start out with those cushy front row of first class seats, Benjamin? In any case, was very low key and seemed very into his family. Too bad his hip length coat was hiding what looked like a luscious butt. Traveling is touch, Benj, give us SOMETHING to dream about on a 5 1/2 hour flight!

· AA's LAX to Boston flight Dec 22.... None other than Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck's Sean McNamara) looking fretful in 1st class, and upon de-planing at Logan, spotted a very normal-looking Amy Brenneman (TV vet of Judging Amy and the unwatchable Private Practice) with husband-type and kids. Looked like the neighborhood MILF...

· January 1, 8 pm- After finishing an early dinner at Osteria Mozza (crispy duck and burratta with leeks vinaigrette) and while still trying to conjure up the name of the b-list tv celeb/happily working actor having dinner with his family next to us, ran into Giovanni Ribisi at the valet. He was leaning James Dean style against the wall giving everyone a pointy eyebrow look, probably trying to hypnotize us with some kind of Scientology mind trick. He was small and pale with a very expressive face. Standing next to him was a small and pale little girl, perhaps his sister. Was very gracious when a valet shook his hand.

· A biggie — Pavillions, Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood/Boystown, reading Page 6, New Years Eve, in serious need of touching up his roots, with weirdly dark eyebrows, pale skin, and a paunch. You guessed it — Sex In the City 'hottie' Mr Big, Chris Noth. The gays were all filling their baskets calmly (sort of), so I guess SJP wasn't there with him.

· January 1 - Jeremy Sisto was standing outside of Arclight, totally alone & looking both confused and as maladjusted as most of his characters. Throngs of people everywhere, but Mr. Sisto was in a clearing and looking around as if he was waiting for someone. Scruffy, just like he was every other time I've seen him. Had a Borders bag with him...which, come to think of it, makes me think he really likes book stores, because I've seen him twice in two different Barnes & Noble stores. Maybe he's well read. Definitely, he's taller than you average actor.

· Saw cutie Dave Annable at the Nordstrom's Westside Pavilion location on Tuesday 12/18 afternoon. In jacket, baseball cap and jeans, with another similiarly-attired guy. No mini-blonde in sight...

Veteran character actor Christopher MacDonald spotted at the Ozomatli HOB show Thursday night, 12/20. Dude is aging well...looked like a C-O-O-L rider.

· For your holiday star sighting blog entry...I saw Vincent Gallo in the produce section at Whole Foods on sm blvd/Fairfax last night, 12-26.

· On either Dec 11th or 12th, Rachel Dratch and Chris Parnell of SNL (or formally i suppose), biding their time in the gift area at the Arclight around 10 PM. They appeared to be even heights, meaning he is comically short and she is about a phonebook taller than you would think. She did look done up, but overall they did not seem to be on any couple-related business.

· 12/25/07
I'm in the security line at LAX trying to get on my flight to start my Xmas vacation when who do I see in the line in front of me? The rapper Eve. She was lookin' pretty good and I must say that I find that Tambourine song very catchy. Gotta give her props because she only had one hanger-on with her although she was being escorted through the airport by some "official " looking dude. She had go through security just like the rest of us peons.

Honorable pseudo-celebrity mentions:
American Airlines flight to Maui in the first class section Catherine "I used to be Daisy Duke" Bach. Wow. Girlfriend has really let herself go big time. She had herself crammed in a red velour sweatsuit that looked like it was about to burst open. Also, REALLY BAD dermal filler of some type in her lips. They looked so fake!

01/01/08 I'm waiting for my several hours delayed flight back to LA from Maui (Thanks American Airlines!!!) and I spot Brandon "Firecrotch shouter" Davis in the airport. Not as fat in person, but walking around in all of his greasy faced glory. He ended up making his flight to LA on United wait for him. Who does he think he is? Someone famous?
That is all to report.

· Saturday 12/29 Wandering through that little alley at The Grove (J.Crew/Whisper Lounge/side elevator to the parking lot), spotted Sean Hayes braving the throngs of common folks. Boyfriend and I spotted him at the same time & looked to each other for confirmation—yes, it was him. He was with a smaller dude and had on his requisite baseball cap. Seriously, is that thing stapled to his head?

· Since all the A and B-list celebs were on holiday, I only managed to catch some lower-level celebs about town.

My friend and I were at the Bel-Air Hotel NYE champagne gala and saw the nimble J. Peterman, AKA John O'Hurley of "Dancing With the Stars" fame, with his wife and another couple. He sadly disappeared before the unlimited champagne fueled dancing session started, robbing us gala-goers of his fancy footwork.

The next day, Jan. 1st, my friend and I were lunching at Nate & Al's on Rodeo when we saw Monica Lewinsky with a male companion. It looks like she's gained back the weight she lost, along with Linda Tripp's weight. I wanted to ask her who she was going to vote for this year, but she was busy eating.

· So I was dropping my girlfriend off at LAX this morning. She was flying to Mexico on Delta. At the Delta International terminal (longest line I've ever seen to check in, literally wound out of the building and down the sidewalk). My girlfriend and I had just said goodbye. Suddenly as I was walking away I saw, being guided by a Delta robot/security guard, the whole Simmons brood — Gene, Shannon Tweed and the two kids. They were whisked past the whole line (ahhh, the privileges of flying first class, no doubt), and taken to a fancy elevator right to the screening area. I have it on good authority that they were all headed to Puerto Vallarta. Gene looked as you'd expect: tall and creepy. His son's tall, too, but not nearly as creepy looking. Didn't get a good look at the daughter. But man, Shannon Tweed still looks hot as f*&k! Go, Cougars! Thanks, Defamer!

· Took a walk in Venice today (12/25) and was overcome with a mix of nausea and intrigue when I noticed a shirtless John Lydon sunbathing while reading his paper. He was bloated, pale and hairless.

· 12-21 - Paul F. Tompkins helping his lady friend choose a plaid coat at Forever 21 at The Grove while wearing white plastic frames with no lenses

· 1/2 - Saw the least-offensive Son of Hollywood, Randy Spelling, on my flight from Denver to LAX. It was a coach-only Frontier trip, so apparently Tori wasn't the only one cut off by Aaron in the will.

· Thursday Night, 12-20. Saddle Ranch Trevor from O-Town. I'm a loser.

And just in case you thought that William Shatner slash-fic hasn't progessed passed the Star Trek stage, the internets deliver you some hot, Shatner-on-Spader Boston Legal action.

• Anki Cosmic Bath [All-Ages Kirk/Spock Archive via BoingBoing]

"When I came out here at 17, 18, staying at the Chateau with Jimmy Spader," he says, "there was this understanding that everyone went completely off their rockers for the weekend, then pulled together for the work on Monday. And there was something not very genuine about that, and I had no intention of adhering to that whatsoever. It's so funny to me," he adds, "so passé, the hard-partying movie stars and starlets — it's like demonstrating at a nuclear power plant that's already been shut down and turned to natural gas."

We think this Downey/Spader/Chateau set-up could become "The Aristocrats" of the bathroom stall scene. See, it's easy: "So there I was at the Chateau with a 17-year-old Downey and Jimmy Spader. Right in the middle of cooking up my spoon, a bellboy walks in. Spades and Bobby hold him down, he's screaming for his mommy, promising not to tell anyone what he's seen, but we're all in our third straight day without sleep, so I inject him right in the ass. Poor kid died in Downey's arms, and Spader spent the rest of the week parading around in nothing but the unlucky bastard's bellhop jacket, but the Chateau, they were cool about it. They told his family he drowned in the pool and mailed the body back to Peoria. Hey, that's drugs." We think this is really going to catch on.

• Spinning into control [LAT]