New Line Senior VP Mark Ordesky hit Hollywood Reporter’s Next Generation bash at Montmartre on Tuesday to congratulate his studio’s own Next Big Thing: Craig Alexander, senior VP of business and legal affairs.

Ordesky, a close pal of Peter Jackson as a result of their collaboration on the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, looked pretty chill. But he’s excited about the 2006 Oscar race in which New Line’s Terrence Malick epic, "The New World," may compete against Jackson’s "King Kong."

"This really is the season of the auteur," says Ordesky. "You’ve got such amazing films from accomplished directors like Jackson, Steven Spielberg, Ang Lee and Malick, that it’s going to be an amazing time. But ask me again in a couple of weeks and I’ll have more to say about it."

Photo: Rachel O’Connell and New Line’s Mark Ordesky at the Hollywood Reporter’s Next Generation Bash.
(Jesse Grant / WireImage)

]]>By then, many voters may have actually seen "King Kong," " Munich," and Malick’s "The New World."

The auteurs behind those films are reportedly all racing to complete last-minute touches.
"The New World" is scheduled to premiere Dec. 15 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills. There is no firm L.A. premiere for "Kong," but there may be several all-media screenings on Nov. 30. The film premieres in New York on Dec. 5. No word on a "Munich" premiere on either coast.

So far, Lee’s "Brokeback Mountain" is the only film that’s actually been seen. And the buzz? Well, pardner, it’s pretty gosh-darn good–especially since there’s no competition right about now.

Party people less concerned with Oscars and more into congratulating pals included Aisha Tyler, Kevin Nealon, Michelle Trachtenberg, Ileana Douglas, and Paris Latsis, Paris Hilton‘s former kazillionaire-fiancé. Don’t worry, Paris still has his family money. He just lost Hilton, which, frankly, is probably a great way to hang on to that huge inheritance.

Posted by:LATimes