Houston Film Critic Award - Humanitarian of the Year

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THE SOCIAL NETWORK, George Clooney, Sissy Spacek: Houston Film Critics Awards


David Fincher's The Social Network was the shocking Best Film winner at the Houston Film Critics Society Awards, announced today. Fincher was named Best Director, Aaron Sorkin was the author of the Best Screenplay, and Jesse Eisenberg was the year's Best Actor for his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. [List of Houston Film Critics' winners.]

More interesting, perhaps, was the Houston critics' selection of George Clooney as Humanitarian of the Year and Texan Sissy Spacek as the recipient of the Society's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Houston's Best Actress was critics' favorite Natalie Portman for her obsessive ballerina in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. Christian Bale was once again chosen as the Best Supporting Actor for his junkie in David O. Russell's The Fighter, while newcomer Hailee Steinfeld was the Best Supporting Actress for Joel and Ethan Coen's True Grit.
Global blockbuster The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was selected as the Best Foreign Language Film. The Afghanistan War documentary Restrepo topped the Best Documentary category while Toy Story 3 was the expected Best Animated Feature winner.

So do people actually go to these awards to pick them up and be seen? Or are they more "on paper" awards? I know that George has attended the New York Film Critics Awards, but what about all these others?