The King’s Speech Reigns Over the NMAs

(Wakey Wakey News) The fourth annual National Movie Awards were held on May 11 at Wembley Arena, hosted by Daybreak presenter Christine Bleakley. To the surprise of no one, The King’s Speech walked away with the most awards of the evening. Following its domination of the BAFTAs and the Oscars, the movie about King George VI’s struggle with a debilitating speech impediment won Best Drama – beating out 127 Hours, The Black Swan, and The Social Network – as well as a Special Recognition Prize, while star Colin Firth won for Performance of the Year. Firth was unable to attend due to filming commitments, so the actresses who played the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, Freya Wilson and Ramona Marquez, accepted the award on his behalf. Gwyneth Paltrow, in a little black Roksanda Ilincic dress with a dramatically plunging neckline, presented the Special Recognition award and described the movie as “a simple story, beautifully told and perfectly played.”

Other winners included Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Parts 1 and 2. Part 1 got the award for Best Fantasy, and Part 2 won for Must See Movie of the Summer. Bonnie Wright, who plays Ginny Weasley, accepted both awards. Wright’s fiancé, Jamie Campbell Bower, was awarded One to Watch: Brits Going Global. Best Comedy went to Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s sci-fi movie, Paul, about a runaway alien. Pegg told the crowd, “This means a lot to us because it’s voted for by people who go and see films and that surely has to be the most important opinion of all.” The Best Animation gong went to Tangled, an animated film loosely based on the Brothers Grimm story, Rapunzel.

The Screen Icon gong went to Johnny Depp, who accepted it by video link. Geoffrey Rush, who co-stars in the evening’s reigning champ, The King’s Speech, presented the award. “Johnny Depp is so cool he can come to rehearsal in a crazed blouse with a bit of mismatched jewelry and he looks hip,” Rush said. “If I did that, I’d look like my mother.”

Musical performances by JLS, Take That, and Eliza Doolittle rocked Wembley Arena, which hosted the NMAs for the very first time. JLS performed their new single, “Eyes Wide Shut,” and Take That performed their brand new release, “Love Love.” Doolittle, who sang “Pack Up,” created quite a stir in her very short, thinly striped Missoni dress that could easily have been mistaken for a blouse, but she carried it off well, no doubt helped by her long, gorgeous legs.