When we awoke this morning to discover California hadn't yet crashed into the sea, we had little choice but to acknowledge that the culturally cataclysmic worst was behind us. Another profound symbol of recovery arrived shortly thereafter, when we heard that Harvey Weinstein actually paid tribute to exiled Reader producer Scott Rudin at the film's premiere Wednesday night.

Not that Harvey isn't a stand-up kind of guy. He'll be paying off his $1 million Reader bet any day now, and he did race to cloak Fergie's labia when the singer so indecorously exposed herself on the set of Nine. But the Rudin/Weinstein blow-up — triggered in large part by Weinstein's insistence to rush The Reader into theaters for 2008 Oscar consideration, opposite Rudin's other Kate Winslet drama, Revolutionary Road — reflected an ugliness stretching farther than just the point of no return, disappearing deep into the black horizon of mutually assured destruction.

Until Wednesday, reports Page Six:

Weinstein told the audience: "I'd also like to do something that isn't a very popular thing to do, which is to thank Scott Rudin for all the hard work on this film."

David Carr witnessed even more magnanimity before the screening, when Harvey boasted of his good mood and "how lovely it was that people were paying attention to the film." (What? Who'd miss the new Porky's?) We hope this leads to a gregarious new era of détente between Harvey and all his adversaries, from the folks at Bravo to the Fanboys cult to his indefinitely postponed fall release slate. Life really is too short to have Killshot mad at you forever.