The great, good and truly god-like (yes, Sir Ian McKellen, we're looking at you) were in attendance to celebrate the Jameson Empire Awards in London tonight. Dressed to the nines - or in Gwyneth Paltrow's case, tens - they gathered to discover that Empire readers had plumped for Avatar as Best Film, with James Cameron also winning Best Director for his Pandoran epic.
After previous awards disappointment, it was a triple triumph for Avatar, with Zoe Saldana also rewarded for her mighty performance-captured turn as Neytiri. Best Actor, meanwhile, went the way of Christoph Waltz for his unforgettable portrayal of Col. Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds. That's a clean sweep of awards for the Austrian actor who adds his Empire gong to a trophy cabinet that already contains a Bafta and an Oscar, and presumably needs a bit of an extension.
The special Empire Icon award was presented to Sir Ian McKellen by his old mucker, stage mate and X-Men nemesis, Sir Patrick Stewart.
Click here to read our live minute-by-minute blog from the event and check back on Monday for all the Jameson Empire Awards night low-down, videos and scurrilous gossip that we probably shouldn't print. The winners in full:
Best Film
Avatar
Best Director
James Cameron
Best Thriller
Sherlock Holmes**
****Best Horror
Let The Right One In
****Best Comedy
In The Loop
****Best Sci-fi ****
Star Trek
**
**Best Actor
**Christoph Waltz
Inglourious Basterds*
Best Actress
**Zoe Saldana
Avatar
**Best Newcomer
**Aaron Johnson
Nowhere Boy **
**
Best British Film
Harry Brown
Empire Icon
Sir Ian McKellen
Empire Inspiration
Andy Serkis
Empire Hero
Jude Law
**Outstanding Contribution To British Cinema
**Ray Winstone