Jagger leaves them laughing at BAFTAs

LONDON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Rock icon Mick Jagger won big laughs at the BAFTA Awards ceremony in London by telling the crowd he was part of a new actor-musician exchange program.

Taking the stage to present the top prize at the Orange British Academy Film Awards show Sunday night, Jagger told the star-studded audience: "I want to say how honored I am to be presenting this award tonight.

"Just in case you're wondering how this came about, I am the founding member of the RMEP, which is the Rock star-Movie star Exchange Program. Tonight, Sir Ben Kingsley will be singing 'Brown Sugar' at the Grammys. Sir Anthony Hopkins is in a recording studio with Amy Winehouse and Dame Judi Dench is gamely trashing hotel rooms somewhere in New York City. We're hoping that next week Sir Brad and all the Pitt family will be performing 'The Sound of Music' at the Brit Awards," Jagger quipped, eliciting howls of laughter from the likes of Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Pitt's longtime girlfriend and the mother of his six children.

Jagger then announced the winner of the BAFTA mask for best film of 2008 was "Slumdog Millionaire."