Oscars
The star-studded night began with Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 19th annual Oscar viewing dinner and after party at the Pacific Design Center’s tented courtyard. Stars — many who were attending the awards ceremony later on or just wanted an opportunity to mingle with co-stars and friends during the event — attended the party. Guests included Prince, Matthew Morrison, Taye Diggs, Anne Heche, Steven Tyler, Smokey Robinson, Seal, Heidi Klum, Rufus Wainwright, Chaka Khan, Jamie Foxx, Emma Roberts, Chace Crawford, John Waters and Jane Lynch. Later on Glee stars Chris Colfer, Ashley Fink, Lea Michele and Cory Montheith showed up, as well as Kim Kardashian, Kelly and Sharon Osbourne, Betty White, Victoria Beckham and Miley Cyrus. The long list of star-studded guests enjoyed goat cheese soup, beets, marinated seared beef tenderloin, salad and apple tarte tatin for dinner and dessert. British band Florence and the Machine performed.
While many of the stars watched the Academy Awards from the courtyard at Elton John’s highly anticipated party, others eagerly headed over to the 83rd Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. There were many highlights of the night include Anne Hathaway’s and James Franco’s opening montage featuring clips from Inception and Kirk Douglas’ introduction to the award for Best Supporting Actress. Celine Dion also took the crowd’s breath away as she performed “Smile” during the ceremony’s “In Memoriam” segment to honor all those in the performing arts community that have passed away, and Billy Crystal, beloved Oscars host, gave a heart-warming tribute to Bob Hope. To brighten the mood, the Academy Awards also featured auto-tuned renditions of Harry Potter, Toy Story and Twilight, and fifth-graders from PS22 in Staten Island harmonized in their version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
As far as the awards are concerned, The King’s Speech and Inception dominated the ceremony, winning eight awards total out of the 24 categories. The King’s Speech received trophies for best picture, actor, directing and writing for an original screenplay while Inception captured the awards for sound editing, cinematography, sound mixing and visual effects. The Social Network came in third place winning three awards total for film editing, music (original score) and writing for an adapted screenplay. Honorable mentions go to Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story 3 and The Fighter, which each took home two awards.
After the ceremony, those who didn’t head back to the Pacific Design Center for the continuation of Elton John’s party, headed over to the Governor’s Ball, the official after party of the Academy Awards, within the Hollywood and Highland complex. For many stars, this was their first post-Oscars party stop for the night. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck planned out the menu, which consisted of salad, diver sole and lemon cheesecake, to compliment the night’s Copacabana theme. Christopher Nolan, Social Network stars Jesse Eisenberg and Armie Hammer, Jeff Bridges, Billy Crystal, Helen Mirren, Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Zachary Levi and Melissa Leo attended, as well as Natalie Portman, Russel Brand, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening and Justin Timberlake.
In addition to the Governor’s Ball, many of the stars also attended Vanity Fair’s Oscar’s party hosted by Graydon Carter at the West Hollywood Sunset Tower Hotel. Black and white photos of movie icons decorated the walls, framing a beautiful wooden dance floor for the celebrities in attendance to let loose. There seemed to be more pop stars at this event than movie stars, however. Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Moby, 50 Cent, Steve Tyler and Mick Jagger were a few of the musical artists who attended the party, while actors and actresses Emma Stone, Natalie Portman, Larry David, Kevin Spacey, Jimmy Kimmel, Charlize Theron, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Hudson, Hugh Jackman, Donald Trump, Michelle Williams, Amy Adams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Rudd, Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan, Anderson Cooper, Hillary Swank, Vanessa Hudgens, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Meryl Streep, Cameron Diaz, Kristen Davis, Nora Ephron and Sandra Bullock were also there. The stars enjoyed mini burgers and Moet champagne the entire night.
