Miley Cyrus was celebrated for her song "Dream As One" from Avatar: Fire and Ash at the Palm Springs Film Awards on Saturday. As she took the stage at the Palm Springs Convention Center, she showered praise on the orchestra playing her song, teasing, "You guys did amazing — if you’re available for the Oscars, that’s what we’re hoping for." She also joked that the night was "truly the most elegant Palm Springs party I've ever been to. There are fewer drag queens than I like, but I'll be stopping by Toucans on the way back to L.A. to get my fix."
Cyrus noted how refreshing it was to attend an awards show "without the stress of competition," as all 12 honors were announced in advance. "So often during awards season, we're set up as competitors, but we're meant to be a community, not opponents," she said. "There is no single best; it's only our personal best work." She added, "Numbers can make it feel like a sport, but performance runs so much deeper than a scoreboard, because each artist bare their soul in a completely unique way, and every contribution leaves its own mark on history."
"Whether you're in or out of this industry, we all have a persona, even the ones that are rooted in authenticity, because self-creation is an art form, and all of us perform genuinely," she continued. "That's something that I deeply admire in both award-winning actors and actresses, and the drag queens of Toucans — they're kind of the same."
Cyrus also expressed her appreciation for supporting "stories like Avatar by my friend James Cameron — it's always cool to say that," and thanked the room for "recognizing their work that I'm totally backpacking off of. They've worked on this movie for 16 years; I've been involved for like a month, and I get to go to all the same events!"
