Tinseltown has been busy partying it up – before awards season officially ends for another year. It won’t be long before a new one kicks off in a few months, with a whole new crop of films to route for and cheer on. But until then, Hollywood is celebrating the filmmakers and actors that won big at the Oscars on Sunday night (24.02.13).
From the official after-party of the Oscars – the Governors Ball – to Madonna’s annual soiree and the famed Vanity Fair party, there are always plenty of options for the movie industry to keep the festive atmosphere of the awards ceremony going until early into the next day. Or for those nominated who didn’t win, there are loads of places to drown one’s film-themed sorrows, and commiserate with like-minded people.
There was only joy at the Elton John Aids Foundation Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party. The event that Elton and his partner David Furnish put on every year turned 21 this year, and with the help of hosts, Grey Goose, and a few fun celebs, the evening was another success for the charity that raises funds for those affected by HIV/Aids in Africa and beyond. Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj and Glee’s Chris Colfer were just some of the attendees who enjoyed the spunk and sincere lyrics of Brit-winning singer Emile Sande who performed straight after the Oscars telecast was over.
Nia Vardalos and her husband Ian Gomez looked like they were having a whole lot of fun, drinking the Grey Goose Best Picture-nominated themed drinks. It’s one of the best things about Oscars night – celebs from every aspect of film and TV get together and have fun. At the Grey Goose pre-Oscars party held inside the famed Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard on Saturday night, the likes of Taylor Lautner, Josh Hartnett and Gossip Girl’s Ed Westwick stayed until quite late, each having a good time with their respective group of friends. Even Joaquin Phoenix, Best Actor nominee, looked like he was having a good time, and he granted an earnest fan an autograph on his way out.
Included among the party-goers after Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony was a pair of South Africans who feature in the Searching for Sugar Man film that picked up Best Documentary. Journalist Craig Bartholomew-Strydom and Stephen “Sugar” Segerman, owner of Mabu Vinyl in Cape Town, were in LA for the awards, together with the film’s Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul and British producer Simon Chinn. It was cheers all around for “the little film that could” – made on a low budget but done so with great passion and a love for Detroit-born singer Rodriguez that helped resuscitate his career. He himself wasn’t in LA for the ceremony, preferring instead to let the filmmakers and his fans take the spotlight, while he recovered from his recent big tour to South Africa.
- Nadia Neophytou