BAFTAs quietly shine light on top-notch performances

There wasn’t much publicity leading up to Sunday’s British Academy Film Awards shown by BBCA and that’s unfortunate as it was a good, fast-moving show that many moviegoers may have missed. Except for a few categories, the BAFTAs are open to all nationalities.

Prince William presented Helen Mirren with the Fellowship Award. The prince, in the front row, earlier took a high-five from rapper Tinie Tempah after he came rapping into the London crowd from the stage. My word, such audacity!

The Brits got it right by naming Aussie Cate Blanchett ("Blue Jasmine") best actress from a brilliant quintet that included Amy Adams ("American Hustle"), Sandra Bullock ("Gravity"), Judi Dench ("Philomena") and Emma Thompson ("Saving Mr. Banks"). Blanchett dedicated the award to her friend, actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was found dead Feb. 2. I was also pleased to see Jennifer Lawrence getting the best supporting actress prize for her role as the nutty wife in "American Hustle." Look for Blanchett and Lawrence to win Oscars at the Academy Awards March 2 …

BLANCHETT stands out among a top cast of male actors in "The Monuments Men." The cast includes George Clooney, who directed and co-wrote the film; and Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville and Jean Dujardin. Remember Dujardin? He’s the guy in the silent film "The Artist" who beat Clooney ("The Descendants") for the best actor Oscar in 2012. "The Artist" also won best picture, beating out "The Descendants," from the book written by local girl Kaui Hemmings. Still tough to take …

PALAKA ATTIRE was worn by the many men, women and children who filled Punahou’s Thurston Memorial Chapel Saturday where a funeral for longtime Hawaii architect Michael "Mike" Leineweber, 68, was held. Mike died Jan. 8 of cancer.

Palaka shirts were one of Mike’s favorite pieces of clothing. He often wore a suit and tie at work but sometimes it was a palaka shirt and blazer. And he always drove his classic 1971 Mercedes convertible with the top down.

Mike could always be counted on for a smile and chatter that brought laughs. He met his wife, Spencer, also an architect, at Cornell. They wed soon after both graduated in 1969 and Mike spent 10 years in the Navy, much of it in the Asia-Pacific region, before leaving the service as a lieutenant and making his home in Hawaii in 1975.

Mike’s dad, Col. Thomas Leineweber, was named commander of Marine Barracks Pearl Harbor in 1963. His mom, Mary, was an accomplished artist. In 2006 Mike served as president of the Honolulu Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He was a member of the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, Rotary Club of Hono­lulu and the Japan-America Society of Hawaii, and held the title of "sake samurai" in the Kokusai Sake Kai organization. Survivors include his wife and their daughters, Punahou teacher Eliza Lathrop and architect Amy Hinkley, both Punahou grads; brothers Tom, Dave, Paul and Joe Leineweber; and sisters Mary Jo Culvyhouse and Martha Ray …

Ben Wood, who sold newspapers on Honolulu streets in World War II, writes of people, places and things. Email him at bwood@staradvertiser.com.