(sorry about the cruddy pix, I will enhance them once I get home so you can see more detail)

* The Peabody awards were lovely. New York is always a bit more traditional and black-tie than Los Angeles when it comes to formal settings, and this was no exception. Held at the Waldorf=Astoria hotel in the city, it simply radiated historic elegance. The Peabody Awards are given out for “Exellence in Electronic Media,” which can be radio, television or movies. They tend to skew toward documentaries and hard-hitting news expose’ type programs, but they also occasionally recognize television shows and movies. It is considered one of the most prestigious awards a project can win, even above the Emmys and Golden Globes, because it is awarded by and to people who are driven to create serious, uplifting and informative media.

* I could almost hear the hum of concentrated brain power in the grand ballroom, seated among some of the top political, journalistic and filmmaking minds in the country. We had a delicious gourmet meal of herbed chicken in wine sauce, arranged in a tower over a vegetable and nut compote-like salad. Strangely, Coca Cola was a sponsor so we had small bottled of Coke at every table, next to the china and (real) silverware. But what I couldn’t take my eyes off of was the dessert: A delicious vanilla custard topped with a layer of dark chocolate mousse, then whipped cream and a few crushed walnuts, served in tall clear glass goblets. There was an empty place setting beside me, so in the course of the evening I ate my dessert and the extra one. I felt pretty sick after that, but it was worth it!

* Katie Couric hosted, and the various projects which received awards were all incredibly fascinating, making me want to go home and find a way to see every single one of them. When they came to “Soldier’s Girl,” Frank, Doro, Ron and I were ushered from our table and up onto the stage. Doro gave a beautiful speech about what the movie meant to us, and what the award meant. As she spoke, we were also shown on the giant screen behind us up on stage, but I didn’t dare look at that (and look like an idiot staring at myself on screen).

* After that, we went into the press room and did some interviews for the Peabody archives. It is a great honor that they will now put “Soldier’s Girl” into their archives, along with decades of other groundbreaking media, to be studied and watched by generations to come. I made sure to say this in the interview: “I plead with all creators and conduits of information who see this, that you take inspiration from “Soldier’s Girl” to stop writing transgender and transsexual women as prostitutes, punchlines and psychos, and instead reflect the full humanity of our community.”

* Everyone dashed back to their hotels for a break, but the winner’s reception was only two hours away and I couldn’t afford to spend another $20 on a cab ride back to the apartment, so I walked over to the location of the reception at the Museum of Film and Television History to look for somewhere to waste two hours. I was wearing my comfortable but spiky heels, and although they were no problem for walking around (which surprised me), the ankle strap on the left one broke and some of you know how that adds a slight awkwardness to your step. Oh well…

* Next to the museum was the “21 Club”, a well known hangout for New York style bigshots of the suit-wearing variety. I was all dressed up, so I didn’t feel nervous about going in and taking a seat. It was almost completely empty… just some girl with her gay British friend arranging to have her boyfriend’s birthday party there. I overheard the coordinator say, “So you want to have about 30 people? With the wine cellar, it would be about $500 per person.” The girlfriend didn’t blink an eye, just said yes that’s fine, and moved on to the next topic. OMG!

* Once they left, I sat there in my nice dress all alone in the empty club. I was in a comfy old leather chair next to an empty fireplace, and stared around at the paintings of people hunting various animals on horseback. I drummed my fingers. The big clock ticked. I tapped my heel. The ancient bartender grumbled his throat clear. I adjusted in the big chair. The clock ticked. You get the picture.

* So… I called my mom. Yes, yes, I know! Anyway, she seemed glad to hear from me, still using my old name, of course, and with that usual soul-crushing sad note in her voice every so often. But glad to hear from me. We talked and talked, I told her I had won a Peabody award (which she had never heard of, so I had to explain), and that I was in New York. I told her about my movie roles coming up, and about life in general in LA. It was nice, but I kept subtly editing everything I said to soften it a little… never mentioning certain aspects of things directly, although I knew she knew them. We caught up and I finally had to go because my phone was running down and it was getting to be time for the reception. I hung up, glad we had talked.

* The reception was small, but I got to talk to most of the winners a little more in depth. We got up and gave another mini-speech, and I said the same thing to the winners that I had said in the archive interview, about writing better characters. It got a lot of applause. We cleared out pretty quickly and decided to go back to Frank’s hotel, every bit as opulent as the other one. We closed the night out with sushi and I had about 2 inches of a margarita, which pretty much wasted me. Then it was into a cab and back to the apartment for some much-needed shuteye.

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* A voice over the sound system keep saying, “Please sit down! Dinner is served! Please take your seats!” and I got that ‚ÄòHigh-School Assembly’ feeling again that I remembered from the Emmys. Pretty much right when everyone finally sat down for good, someone popped up on stage and gave out an award. It was broadcast live, so I suppose it had to keep pace. During commercial breaks, everyone jumped up and ran around congratulating each other and saying hello and running to the restroom. In the women’s restroom, a cosmetics company had set up with two makeup artists offering free touch-ups to anyone who needed them. But once the show had started, I stayed in my seat the whole time.

* I can hardly remember all the celebrities I saw walk by or talk on stage… It would be safe to just say “every one of them.” Well, actually I didn’t see Julia Roberts…

* When the announcements for Soldier’s Girl’s categories came up, we all waited in tense anticipation. We pretty much knew we weren’t going to win against “Angels in America,” but the Golden Globes have a bit of a rep for acknowledging things off the beaten path, so we couldn’t be 100% sure. Unfortunately, the moment came and went… We all clapped loudly for Angels and raised a toast anyway. It was still good to be there.

* When everything was finally over, Leonardo DiCaprio hopped up on stage to wish everyone good night. We all started to stand and Jane took me by the hand and made sure I stayed close by. I hadn’t been sure what I was going to do afterwards, so I was very happy to go along with her and Troy. We slipped through the crowds and began a very interesting night of party-going.

* Of course Jane Fonda is a legend in Hollywood, which is something that is difficult to grasp in it’s full scope until you see it in action. To me, she is a kind, powerful motherly figure I met through Troy. But as we went through the hotel to the various parties, there was a wave of awe and excitement that preceeded her in the crowds and staff and media. People would stop in place and echoes of, “That was Jane Fonda!” “Jane!” “Jane Fonda!” bounced and clattered in our wake. We moved through barriers and security stops like ghosts, and there were no such things as lines.

* The first party was in an enormous room whose vaulted ceiling was draped in acres of fabric the color of black oil. Pink cubes of satin and down were scattered about to be used as cushions, and undulating curtains of crystal flowers and leaves glowed above the bar where gorgeous people served serious looking drinks. Lee was already seated with friends, and we went over to join them. We laughed and talked and I sat in Lee’s lap for a picture, kicking my heels up. Someone told me I had great legs, which made me laugh. If the lights had been up, they would have seen the varicose veins earned from a dozen years of making a living in combat boots and high heels.

* This party had an elegant, urban-LA feel to it, and a wonderful live soul band, but the night was young and we had to move on. We gathered up our things and headed out the door.

* Next was the Miramax party, where most of the cast and team from “Lord of the Rings” was hanging out. These rooms were also covered in fabric, a pale ivory white from floor to ceiling, and had a very cool and clean feel. I met Peter Jackson’s girlfriend, Elija Wood and dun dun DUN! Angelina Jolie’s dad! John Voight was really nice (probably one of the most engaged people I talked to) and even did a bit of his minister character for me when I told him about my Dad. We met LeeLee Soblieski, who was lovely, and many other people as well.

* From this party we went on to a larger party in “Trader Vic’s,” which is the famous restaurant area of the Beverly Hilton. It was outside under a clear tent. We met Nona Gaye, Katie Holmes, Alicia Silverstone, and tons of other cool people. This was kinda the final stop at the hotel, and Jane went ahead home to bed.

* Troy and I hopped in the limo and jetted over to the CAA party in West Hollywood. This was more dark and clubby feeling, being in a dark club as it was. Everyone was actually dancing in earnest here, so I got out on the dance floor next to Leonardo, Juliette Lewis, Woody Harrelson, Tyra Banks and others. Uma Thurman and Quentin Tarantino were towards the back, and Troy had introduced me to Quentin much earlier in the night before the show.

* We met some fun girls and just basically danced the rest of the night away. By the time the place closed down, it was just us, Woody and Juliette and a few other people. We said our goodbyes, got back into the limo, and I was soon curled up asleep on a soft leather seat awaiting drop off at my little house, ready for a hot shower and a long night of sleep.

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