Brevity is not a virtue typically observed at award shows, but David Lynch gave it a spin at Sunday night’s Governors Awards
 The Mulholland Drive director was on hand to accept an honorary Academy Award—alongside fellow honorees Geena Davis, Wes Studi,  and Lina Wertmüller—and he did so quickly, delivering a speech that clocked in at well under a minute
 “To the Academy and everyone who helped me along the way, thanks,” he said. Then, he spoke to the Oscar: “You have a very nice face
 Good night.” Or did he say “fate”? According to Vanity Fair’s Anthony Breznican, who was on the scene, there was some debate in the room about which one he said—and given that it’s David Lynch, either seems entirely possible
 Lynch’s award was presented to him by friends and frequent collaborators Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern, and Isabella Rossellini
 The filmmaker, who has directed classics like Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man, and the TV series Twin Peaks, received a standing ovation from the room, eagerly applauded by attendees like Quentin Tarantino and Leonardo DiCaprio
 Unlike the Oscars, the Governors Awards ceremony is not televised and only has a handful of honorees, which means there’s no play-off music
 In theory, winners can take their time thanking every single person in their life and delivering a thoughtful monologue about the peaks and valleys of the movie business—but Lynch isn’t one to go the traditional route, is he? His charmingly short speech now resides in the halls of history alongside the likes of Patty Duke (“Thank you”), Joe Pesci (“It’s my privilege
thank you”), and  Merritt Wever, whose 2013 Emmy acceptance speech for best supporting actress in a comedy was barely 20 seconds long and consisted of her saying, “Thank you so much,” and “I gotta go
 Bye.” Now that’s truly Lynchian. — Our cover story: Joaquin Phoenix on River, Rooney, and Joker— Plus: why a neurocriminologist left Joker completely stunned— Charlize Theron’s transformation in the Fox News movie wows at the film’s debut— Ronan Farrow’s producer reveals how NBC killed its Weinstein story— Read an exclusive excerpt from the sequel to Call Me by Your Name— From the Archive: How a near-death Judy Garland’s 1961 Carnegie Hall performance became showbiz legend Looking for more? Sign up for our daily Hollywood newsletter and never miss a story
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