Last night, illustrious film director James Ivory was honored at the Trophée des Arts Gala in Gotham Hall—a fittingly cinematic space with soaring, ornamented ceilings and dreadful acoustics. Uma Thurman didn’t attend the black-tie dinner, but she did arrive just in time to give Mr. Ivory his award, which pays tribute to those who promote understanding between French and American people.

Like some kind of Old World potentate—surrounded by a blushing, frenzied team of guards, handlers and publicists—Ms. Thurman was whisked from her car, which was curiously made to first circle the block a couple of times, through central gilded doors, flung open only for her fast approach, and into the main hall. We tried to ask the 37-year-old actress, who was draped in flowing black cloth, a question, but she had little things hanging out of her ears (iPod earphones? cell phone headsets? the new earrings?), so she apparently couldn’t hear our frantic calls for a quote. The Kill Bill star did, however, say that she was “so cold."

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