While we’re at the Oscars, Vanity Fair throws one of the three swanky private dinners in town. (The other two are Elton John’s, and Dani Janssen’s). Here’s the Vanity Fair list, by table:
Table One
Elizabeth Wiatt
Allen Grubman
Paula Wagner
Irwin Winkler
Julie Chen
Jim Wiatt
Deborah Grubman
Rick Nicita
Margo Winkler
Les Moonves
Two-time Oscar winner Jane Fonda finally met Kate Bosworth last night. And she proclaimed, “I want her to do the ‘Barbarella’ sequel!”
And that’s what Vanity Fair’s big Oscar party is always like: It’s like the whole industry is stuffed into one place. People meet and make deals or have romances.
Jane’s beau, famed record producer Richard Perry, fell into conversation with Jennifer Lopez.’ Her whole recording career could be changed if Perry produces some tracks for her.
That’s how it goes. Folks dine on delicious In ‘N’ Out burgers and sliders and pigs in the blanket. Nearly every nominee was in the house, from Gabby Sidibe to winning director Kathryn Bigelow. The latter was in a daze, sitting on a couch with her gold statue while “Hurt Locker” actors Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty fell in for pictures. There were lots of flashbulbs popping. Someone must have’gotten a very cool picture of Carey Mulligan kneeling before Bigelow, with Renner sort of bent over, listening to them.
Hilary Swank came by, just looking’swell in a gown, and made a comic face for me–puffed up cheeks, eyes popping. It’s our secret handshake.
Starz Channel’s Chris Albrecht kibbitzed on the’patio stairs with Ben Silverman, who wore’what looked like a possibly’flammable, very shiny silver jacket. Michael Barker from Sony Pictures Classics kvelled over Mulligan and his usual win for best foreign-language picture — Argentina’s’”The Secret in Their Eyes.” Christoph Waltz was beaming over his win, and showed off his Oscar. So did Mark Boal, who wrote “The Hurt Locker.” Anthony Mackie shlepped it around for a bit.
 |
Near the party’s entrance — it was hard to move! — Sandy Bullock and husband Jesse James met Jane Fonda. Fonda introduced everyone to Tyler Perry, whom she knows from Atlanta. And someone in the crowd realized that Jane would be perfect for the film version of “August Osage County.”
“You’d better tell Harvey Weinstein,” Jane said. Luckily, he was just a few feet away.
The VF shindig also had Olympic medalists like Apolo Ohno, and Serena Williams, Shaun White, and Ryan Lysacek. But VF gets the gold medal in parties!
It’s Oscar eve which means parties all night in Hollywood.
While some stars hit The Night Before with $25,000 tickets underwritten by the studios or their talent agencies, most everyone rode the elevators to the Penthouse floor of Luckman Plaza for The Weinstein Company gala at Soho House. The party was underwritten by Mont Blanc and raised money for UNICEF, so there was even a good cause.
But there was also a mile long list of celebs from Leonardo DiCaprio in his trademark baseball cap to Cameron Diaz–one of the actors I really look forward to seeing. She is a doll.
They weren’t alone in the packed rooftop aerie. Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Jacqueline Bisset and Seymour Cassell–the mix at this party of parties was amazing. Quentin Tarantino spent a long time chatting with comic Chris Tucker, and also with “Precious” star Gabourey Sidibe. It was nice to see Woody Harrelson just taking in the festivities with his wife, while Eli Roth and BJ Novak kept the “Inglourious Basterds” crew laughing.
In fact, Christoph Waltz–who’s won every conceivable award so far for his role in “Basterds”–told me: “If they open the envelope and announce another name, you will hear one person laughing very loudly. That will be me. It will be the perfect ending to everything that’s happened.” That’s what they call European ironic’humor.
Then there was nominee Carey Mulligan from “An Education,” not to mention Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, Adrien Brody, Gina Gershon, Mira Sorvino, Marisa Tomei and Logan Marshall Green, nominee Colin Firth from “A Single Man” and his director, Tom Ford, as well as “Nine” composer Maury Yeston, Arianna Huffington, “Factory Girl” director George Hickenlooper, famed director Wes Craven, Kate Bosworth, Gerard Butler, Rhona Mitra, Emmy Rossum, Kate Mara, Russell Simmons, Brett Ratner, Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson, Brian Geraghty from “The Hurt Locker.”
Wait! More! Ben McKenzie, of “Southland” and “The O.C.” Kate Walsh. Matthew Rhys and Dave Annable from “Brothers & Sisters.” Kristin Davis. Topher Grace. Zachary Quinto.
Tonight’s Oscar parties are going to have to go a long way to top this group. Harvey Weinstein still has ‘it’ some 14 years after “The English Patient” won Best Picture. Not bad.
|
Tonight’s Academy Awards show kicks off with who else, Neil Patrick Harris, in a musical number. Then Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin appear, and we’re off to the races.
Who we won’t see: Nicole Kidman. The Oscar-winner is in Australia with husband Keith Urban and daughter Sunday Rose. Last night was Nicole’s mom’s 70th birthday, and they had a big celebration.
Who we might see: Barbra Streisand may give the best director award. The thinking is that Kathryn Bigelow will’be the first female winner. Streisand, who directed “Yentl” and “The Mirror Has Two Faces,” is very excited about’Bigelow and will be a great choice. They should also have Penny Marshall, Nora’Ephron, Amy’Heckerling, and Nancy’Meyers, frankly. But Streisand is the Star, and it’could make’for a magic moment.
Bigelow, by the way, has been way low-profile all weekend. Screenwriter boyfriend Mark Boal has been at most events where “The Hurt Locker” should be represented, but Bigelow has been cooling her heels. Sources say she’s nervous. And why not? She’s up against her ex-husband, and all the women in Hollywood are pulling for her.
Monique Imes calls herself Mo’Nique, which sort of translates to the clumsy “more unique.”
Tonight she will be the first winner of the Academy Award to have an apostrophe in her name. That’s more unique than almost anything else.
She may also be the first winner to bring her husband up on the stage. At the Independent Spirit Awards on Friday night, Mo’Nique’s husband of four years, Sidney Hicks, walked her right up to the stage and almost up on it.
It’s hard to say whether or not Mo’Nique is shy, arrogant, or a combination of both. When a stranger approached her at the awards with a hand outstretched to shake, she said. “This is my husband.” After Hicks had cleared the stranger for conversation, the actress felt free to chat briefly. Tonight’s red carpet will be a long walk if that’s the approach taken.
|
At her Spirit Awards table, Mo’Nique was a portrait in reserve. It’s possible she’s anxious, although at this point she’s won every award possible. When her name was called there was no look of relief or happiness. She is able to hide whatever emotion is guiding her and remain stone-faced.
There are those who have surmised that her “Precious” run will be a one-time thing for Mo’Nique. After all, her role as Mary, Precious’ violent mother, is larger than life. The key moment comes at the very end of the film, during Mary’s meeting with Precious and Mrs. Weiss, the social worker played so beautifully by Mariah Carey.
Mo’Nique could travel the road of former winner Cuba Gooding Jr., who made “Show me the money!” a catchphrase in “Jerry Maguire” 14 years ago and then has traveled an odd career path. It’s true that there aren’t many roles for women of her age or color, so Mo’Nique will have to develop material if she wants to stay in the game. The odds are she’ll do it — she’s smart and tough, and loaded with potential. And she has that apostrophe, which makes her more special than most.
Joaquin Phoenix is back.
On Thursday’night at Soho House I ran into the gifted actor who’s been nominated for Oscars twice–in “Gladiator” and “Walk the Line.”
Joaquin never looked better–clear eyed and clean shaven, a 180 degree turnaround from his digression into rapping and riffing last year on talk shows.
He told me with certainty that he will likely return to acting now after a relatively short break. He’s just hoping to read some good scripts. “Why don’t you write one?” he asked facetiously.
We can’t! We’re too busy scooting around Hollywood looking for scoops!
Phoenix is much missed from the acting scene. Let’s hope it doesn’t take long to find him a good new role.
Meanwhile, Soho House was ablaze with stars last night. The evening’s official purpose was a party given by Elton John (and sponsored by RADD–Rockers Against’Drunk Driving).’That dinner went off without a hitch, with Jane Fonda and Richard Perry, “Avatar” director James Cameron and Suzy Amis, and Elton’s partner David Furnish in the house along with Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Quentin Tarantino, Dustin Hoffman, and Harvey Weinstein all on the scene.
But soon after dinner’Elton and Furnish vacated the room and it seemed rather sudden. It’s not’known if there’was cause and effect, but none’other than Madonna had’popped up on the’magnificent Soho House terrace’that’s dotted with olive trees brought in from Palm Springs. Later I was told that Elton–who famously does not get along with Madge–made a point of saying hello to her before he left. Elton is classy. Madonna is brassy.
Madonna certainly energizes a room; the weight of the Soho House crowd was suddenly surrounding her and business partner Guy Oseary. Juliette Lewis was right in there, and in time we saw former Oscar nominees Clive Owen and Clifton Collins Jr., Jason Lewis (no relation to Juliette), as well as singer James Blunt, Oscar nominee Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emil Hirsch, Eva Longoria, Ryan Phillippe, Jason Bateman, Piers Morgan and TV powerhouse David E. Kelley.
Whew!
Also in Madonna’s orbit: hit pop songwriter producer Mikkel Eriksen without his partner Tor Erik Hermansen. The pair, as Stargate, provide half the hits were hear these days on pop radio. They’re in town working with Rihanna, and getting ready to do some work for Beyonce. Is Madonna their next client? We shall see.
And so Soho House rolls on. There are lots of other parties in town every night (the Hollywood Reporter had a nice one last night at the home of LA’s stargazing mayor) but Soho House is A List Central this week. The food is great and the chairs are the most comfortable for miles!
Senior stars and others associated with the Motion Picture & Television Fund home are going to be out in force tonight across the street from the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Starting at 6pm, a group including Jamie Farr from “MASH” fame, Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna, Ken Howard, and George Chakiris hopes to bring around 300 placard waving seniors to’protest Jeffrey Katzenberg’s star filled The Night Before party.
The Night Before has become a Hollywood tradition as Katzenberg and other execs raise money for the Motion Picture & Television Fund, which supports the lavish $100 million dollar-plus assisted living’compound in Woodland Hills, California.
But the Fund has been embroiled in controversy since it decided to phase out its Long Term Care medical facility. So far, the number of patients in Long Term Care has dropped from around 120 to 60. According to a rep for the patients, 30% were moved to other facilities, and 20% have passed away.
The Fund claims that it can no longer afford to take care of the Long Term Care patients despite these massive fund raising events featuring A list stars. Tickets to The Night Before cost thousands of dollars. In return, the people who attend receive enormous gift bags full of swag usually including IPods, Flip cameras’and running shoes.
Even so, according to the Fund’s 2008 tax filing, both The Night Before and another event, The Evening Before, held on the eve of the Emmy Awards, look like losers. For those two events combined the MPTV Fund says it had net income of minus–negative–$3,420,387 in 2008. The gross receipts for the two events is listed at $11,188,748. Charitable contributions of $10 million were subtracted.
The Seniors trying to keep the Long Term Care facility are trying to help. According to Melody Sherwood of www.savingthelivesofourown.org, Taylor and Bologna are going to try and deliver a check for $30,000 to the MPTF earmarked for the Long Term Care facility. The check comes from an impromptu fundraiser held at the Bologna home.
But Sherwood says the Fund has said it won’t accept the check or any other money specifically designated for the remaining 60 patients. The Fund’s’aim remains to shut the place down as soon as possible.
Meantime, Sherwood says that since the number of patients has been reduced, the Long Term Care facility has become a “ghost town.”
“I was there the other day and I couldn’t find anyone to help in one area,” she said.
The Saving the Lives of Our Own Group will be handing out gold ribbons tonight, as well, to remind the Hollywood community what’s going on.
The top three executives of the Fund will never have to worry about living in a nursing home. David Tillman, MD (recently departed from his position) in 2008 received total compensation of $928,000; Frank Guarrera got $711,325; and Seth Ellis’s total was $399,074. These figures come from the MPTV Fund’s 2008 Form 990 filed with the IRS.
Conan O’Brien is hitting the road.
Sources tell me the great comic and talk show host will hit the road beginning in mid-April. The first stop will be on the West Coast, probably San Diego or Seattle. Details are being worked out now.
The tour will not start in Phoenix, despite a TMZ report today. Indeed, my sources say that the Phoenix date announced by TMZ was from overzealous promoter. “It might not even happen now,” my source says.
O’Brien will likely have sidekick Andy Richter with him on the dates. Plans are also being worked out now for a live band, hopefully with Max Weinberg. But that part is still being sorted out, says my source.
The national tour will of course eventually include Los Angeles, where Jay Leno is located, and O’Brien’s stomping grounds of New York. I’m also told right now that several promoters including AEG Live and Live Nation are involved.
More to come shortly … but talk about a hot ticket. This will be THE event of the spring, without a doubt …
Exclusive:
My favorite show, “Lost,” won’t come to an end without bringing back a few favorite characters.
I am told exclusively that the actors who play Desmond, Penny, Charles Widmore, and the French doctor, Rousseau, are all on their way back to the island.
That means we’ll see Henry Ian Cusick, Sonya Walger, Alan Dale and Mira Furlan, respectively, all returning. I am told that the trouble with getting back some of the recurring, non contract players to reprise their roles is that either ABC or Bad Robot Productions is offering very little money. Ironically, “Lost” will sell and sell for years on DVD and in syndication. Why not pay these actors appropriately for their contributions?
Anyway, let’s hope everyone from the six seasons gets to make one last visit to the island …
… Other TV news: I’m told ABC has renewed “Brothers & Sisters” for a fifth season. The Sally Field soap opera has had, I think, five show runners in four seasons. Maybe they can somehow get back to the show’s basic premise, from which it has seriously drifted, next fall …
You’d think with 10 best picture nominees, you’d see somebody from one of the films on the first night of real Oscar partying.
But the lone nominee who made an appearance was “Precious” director Lee Daniels, at the Artists for Peace and Justice cocktail party thrown by Vanity Fair at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Daniels was the only nominee but not the only celeb, as director Paul Haggis, so involved with Haiti even before the earthquake, has rallied more and more bold-faced names to the cause. Among’those crammed into the BHH’s bar were’Gerard Butler, Maria Bello (a steadfast supporter), Ben Stiller, Jon Hamm and Jennifer Westfeldt,’ Nia Vardalos and Ian Gomez, Matthew Bomer, Kristen Bell, and Paula Wagner and Rick Nicita. That’s what they call a nice crowd in Hollywood.
Here’s what we gleaned from this gathering: Daniels confirms the imminent arrival of Mariah Carey, who will attend tomorrow night’s Indie Spirit Awards and may even hit the Oscars. Jon Hamm told me the wait for “Mad Men” is nearly over, as shooting begins in April. What will happen? “Only Matthew Weiner knows,” he said. Even Hamm hasn’t seen a script. A movie Hamm made with Josh Lucas two years ago is being released finally, but even Jon can’t remember much about it. He’s much more interested in Ben Affleck’s “The Town,” which opens this fall.
|
I do love Nia Vardalos. She’s written a script with Tom Hanks that he’s directing and starring in, along with Julia Roberts. “Tom came back from a trip and he said, ‘Remember that script? Let’s get it out. I’ll direct it,’” Nia recalled over the din of Haiti supporters. “Then he said, ‘How about Julia Roberts in it, too?’” Vardalos made a comic face of joy at that point. She will not be in the film herself, though. “There’s really no part for me,” she said. She could make a Hitchcock-like appearance, however.
Meanwhile, over at Luckman Plaza, the big office tower on Sunset and Doheny, Nick Jones‘ famous Soho House is back. And I do mean back in a big big way. Soho House (which is also owned by Richard Caring) now occupies the two top floors of Luckman. Here’s a recap: The NewYork-London private club opened in the raw space on the top of Luckman two years ago. Then last year, while they pondered what do with the space, they opened Cecconi’s in the old Mortons restaurant on Melrose.
Now the Luckman space is totally renovated, and it’s the most glamorous new room in Los Angeles. Jones invited over a small coterie of friends to preview how the whole thing will work. You now enter on the floor below the penthouse and ascend a wide’lighted’ marble staircase that curves heaven-wards below a gigantic crystal chandelier. Clark Gable and Jean Harlow should be at the top, but instead there are lots of really cool people from Hollywood and the media. Last night, Elisabeth Murdoch (Rupert’s liberal daughter) had a big table, CAA’s Bryan Lourd got a tour, and Andre Balazs (who has his own rooftop aerie in NY — the Boom Boom Room) sampled the goods. There were a lot of British actors, including Matthew Rhys from “Brothers and Sisters” (he’s really Welsh) and Will Kemp and so on. Tonight Elton John takes over and Saturday night Harvey Weinstein celebrates those “Inglourious Basterds.”
Still: Where are the nominees? Not even at Chateau Marmont, where billionaire Nicholas Berggruen tossed a rambunctious welcome party for just about everyone in town. Funniest moment: A 25-year-old German actor bopped over to two-time Oscar winner and legend Jane Fonda, who’d stopped by for a minute’with boyfriend Richard Perry. The guy started hitting on Jane! “Don’t I know you?” he asked exuberantly. “I think we met at the Golden Globes! What’s your name?”
“Jane,” replied the Hollywood royalty, and shook his hand. And then she and Perry skedaddled into PR maven Peggy Siegal’s car.
And that was just the first night!