Megawatt stars lauded Hollywood's next big things at Hollywood Life's third annual break through of the year awards.
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Is there anything more intoxicating than discovery? It's positively thrilling to find a few diamonds and hand them a crown. At our third annual Breakthrough of the Year Awards, emceed by Aisha Tyler at the Highlands nightclub at Hollywood & Highland, and sponsored by Estée Lauder, Hypnotiq and Ford Thunderbird, the only things more incandescent than the Charles Hollis Jones-designed Lucite awards were the luminaries who received them.
Tom Cruise sang the praises of his The Last Samurai costar Ken Watanabe, Nick Nolte commended Shattered Glass' Peter Sarsgaard (who then celebrated by smooching sweetie Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Robert Downey Jr. proclaimed, "I think this town could use a lot more Mathieu!" upon introducing his Gothika director, Mathieu Kassovitz.
Gael Garcia Bernal spilled a secret when congratulating best friend Diego Luna for Open Range ("Diego won 'Best Kisser of the Year' in high school"), as did writer/producer Ryan Murphy, who presented to his Nip/Tuck ladykiller Julian McMahon ("He wears Speedos and was once married to a Minogue").
Overachievers Mischa Barton (18) and Shia LaBeouf (17) were honored for The O.C. and Holes, respectively, by Barton's executive producer McG and LaBeouf's Constantine costar Djimon Hounsou. Triple-threat actress/writer/director Asia Argento embraced Jeremy Renner, whom she directed in the upcoming The Heart Is Deceitful above All Things, when acknowledging him for S.W.A.T., while director Robert Benton introduced his The Human Stain ingénue Jacinda Barrett with a cascade of compliments: "She's got wit, intelligence, vulnerability and sexiness."
And before the crowd could clink cocktails like Hypnotiq's "Breakthrough Martinis" and "Hollywood Life Mimosas" at the rooftop rendezvous, actresses Laura Harring and Gina Gershon presented this year's Original Vision award to Diesel owner-cum-fashion powerhouse Renzo Rosso, who jetted in from Italy to decree, "To be here tonight is incredible--sometimes dreams come true."
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Stephanie Scott