The Irish win big as Michael Fassbender and Aidan Turner take home accolades at the 2014 Empire film awards

Sure aren't they a great bunch of lads...

You can shove your Oscars and forget about your Golden Globes; the awards ceremony for one of JOE's favourite magazines took place in London last night as Hollywood stars, selfie-obsessed fans and top-class Irish acting talent turned up to the Jameson Empire Awards 2014.

Here's what the (presumably now groggy-eyed) Empire team had to say about the event themselves... "The gongs have been handed over, the speeches have been given and host James Nesbitt has wrapped up the ceremony. Yes, the Jameson Empire Awards are, as we write this slowly winding down except for a few diehard party animals still keeping the flame alive. It was indeed a night to remember, even if some of the participants may not." "To say that this was the biggest Awards was an understatement: we had Tom Cruise, Hugh Jackman, Simon Pegg, Paul Greengrass, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emma Thompson and a wealth of other talent from across the film and telly spectrum in the room. Well-deserved awards went to the likes of Sally Hawkins, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy, and even though he probably needs to build an extension hold his awards haul, Alfonso Cuarón won two, accepting via video messages." The Empire event was hosted by James Nesbitt and, with Michael Fassbender and Aidan Turner taking home well-deserved gongs for 12 Years A Slave and The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug respectively, it's brilliant to see that award-winning Irish acting (and hosting) talent was well represented. The full list of winners is below but, one of the highlights of the night was the moment the Austrian Oak AKA big Arnie Schwarzenegger AKA the Schwarzen-Schnitzel turned up to collect 'The Action Hero Of Our Lifetime' Award and delivered a brilliant, funny and insightful acceptance speech. Jaysus though, he sure does get some amount of mileage out of that feckin' Terminator quote... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjO3BUhZBi4&feature=youtu.be And here is the list of winners in full: EMPIRE 25th AWARD: The Legend of Our Lifetime Tom Cruise EMPIRE 25th AWARD: The Action Hero of Our Lifetime Arnold Schwarzenegger EMPIRE ICON (presented by Jameson Irish Whiskey) Hugh Jackman EMPIRE HERO Simon Pegg

EMPIRE INSPIRATION (presented by Mazda Motors UK) Paul Greengrass BEST MALE NEWCOMER (presented by Tresor Paris)
 Aidan Turner (The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug)
 - WINNER Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips) George MacKay (Sunshine On Leith) Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) Tye Sheridan (Mud) Will Poulter (We’re The Millers) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvXgdDM6NqU&feature=youtu.be BEST FEMALE NEWCOMER
 Margot Robbie (The Wolf Of Wall Street)
 - WINNER Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue Is The Warmest Colour) Antonia Thomas (Sunshine On Leith) Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby) Freya Mavor (Sunshine On Leith) Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave) BEST HORROR The Conjuring
 - WINNER A Field In England Evil Dead World War Z You’re Next BEST COMEDY (presented by Magic 105.4)
 Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

 - WINNER Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues This Is 40 This Is The End The World’s End BEST THRILLER
 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
 - WINNER Captain Phillips Now You See Me Prisoners Trance BEST SCI-FI/FANTASY (presented by MediCinema)
 The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug

 - WINNER Gravity The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Pacific Rim Star Trek Into Darkness BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
 Michael Fassbender (12 Years A Slave)

 - WINNER Daniel Brühl (Rush) Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) Richard Armitage (The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug) Tom Hiddleston (Thor: The Dark World) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSr77exsD7s&feature=youtu.be BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
 Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
 - WINNER Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug) Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle) Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave) Mia Wasikowska (Stoker) BEST BRITISH FILM
 The World’s End
 - WINNER Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa Filth Rush Sunshine On Leith BEST ACTRESS
 Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks)

 - WINNER Amy Adams (American Hustle) Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) Sandra Bullock (Gravity)

Jameson BEST ACTOR
 James McAvoy (Filth)

 - WINNER Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave) Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf Of Wall Street) Martin Freeman (The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug) Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips) BEST DIRECTOR (presented by Air New Zealand)
 Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)

 - WINNER Edgar Wright (The World’s End) Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips) Peter Jackson (The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug) Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave) BEST FILM (presented by Sky Movies) Gravity 
 - WINNER 12 Years A Slave Captain Phillips The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

For more info about the ceremony head over to the Empire website here.