Woody Harrelson, Mo'Nique win early Spirit Awards

Sitcom veteran Harrelson, 48, was honored for his supporting turn in "The Messenger," in which he played a U.S. Army captain who must notify soldiers' next-of-kin when they are killed in service.

Harrelson, who rose to fame playing naive bartender Woody in TV comedy "Cheers," will also vie for an Academy Award on Sunday, although pundits expect the prize will go to Austrian actor Christoph Waltz for his turn as a Nazi polyglot in "Inglourious Basterds."

Comedienne Mo'Nique, 42, won a Spirit for her supporting turn as an abusive mother in the urban drama "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire." She is expected to cap her clean sweep during awards season with an Oscar.

"Precious" also won the Spirit Award for best first screenplay, an honor that went to Geoffrey Fletcher. Along with the Tolstoy drama "The Last Station," it led the field with five nominations each, including best picture and director.

Other early winners included "Crazy Heart" for best first feature.

"He never directed a high school play before," Robert Duvall, one of the "Crazy Heart" producers, said of first-time director Scott Cooper.

The 25th annual Spirit Awards were held at night underneath a marquee on a rooftop parking garage in downtown Los Angeles, ditching the traditional midday setting at the beach.

Some observers had worried the famously relaxed and boozy ceremony would lose some of its edge, but organizers have been at pains to say the cocktails would flow and speeches remain unrestricted.

British comedian Eddie Izzard hosted the awards, televised live and uncensored on cable channel IFC.

Each year, a handful of Spirit winners usually go on to earn Oscars thanks in part to the success of low-budget films.

But this year's top Oscar race appears to be a showdown between the mega-budget "Avatar" and the indie war drama "The Hurt Locker," which was not eligible for the Spirits this year because it was nominated last year.

That leaves "Precious," which got six Oscar nominations, as the film likely to take the spotlight at the Spirits. It also will compete for best director (Lee Daniels) and female lead (Gabourey Sidibe).

"The Last Station," which revolves around the domestic drama besetting dying Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, also got Spirit nominations for best director (Michael Hoffman), screenplay (Hoffman), female lead (Helen Mirren) and supporting male (Christopher Plummer). Mirren and Plummer also earned Oscar nods for their turns as the battling Tolstoys.

The Spirit Awards honor low-budget American films based on such criteria as original, provocative subject matter and the degree of independent financing. The event is organized by Film Independent, a nonprofit group that champions arthouse movies.


/Reuters/