This May Be an Awards Show First

If Glenn Close wins an Oscar on Sunday night, it's unlikely her appearance at the podium will be as unusual as it was Saturday night at the Independent Spirit Awards. That's because she was accompanied by her dog Pip, who at one point rolled onto his back and wiggled on stage, reports E! Online. Pip, of course, has his own Instagram account, under his full name of Sir Pippin of Beanfield. "He's my date," Close explained. The 71-year-old actress, who has never won an Oscar, is a best-actress favorite Sunday night for her role in The Wife.

As the appearance of Pip suggests, the Spirit Awards out of Santa Monica are a "casual, oceanside preamble" to the Academy Awards, per the AP. They put the focus on lower-budget American films. The big winners:

• Best film: If Beale Street Could Talk
• Best female lead: Glenn Close, The Wife
• Best male lead: Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
• Best supporting female: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
• Best supporting male: Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
• Best director: Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk

(More Glenn Close stories.)