It’s Oscarweekend,which in LA, is biggerthanChristmas,Hanukkah and NewYear’sEve rolled intoone explosion of flashing bulbs, red carpet events and cocktails, cocktails, cocktails!
Last night,I popped intoLosAngelesConfidentialMagazine’s annual, star studdedpre-Oscarbash at Skybar, in Hollywood’sMondrianHotel.The soiree honored Academy Award nominee, and March cover star, Forest Whitaker who already took home a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.
The party was very Hollywood, in every sense. Hot Spot on theSunsetstrip,beaucoup famous people, a fair amount of attitude (some burly guy at the door berated me saying that if I weremedia, I should be standing by the red carpet, working. I waslike,"I’m ajournalist, meathead, not a photographer... hence lack of camera’"Luckily one of the ladies in charge swooped inand saved me from his bear-like clutches).
Apart from that, it was a beautiful event. Yummy horsd'oeuvres,a gorgeous view of the city andI got to sampleHendrixElectricVodka!The 100% grain, carbon and crystalfiltered vodka comes in original colored glass bottles depicting the late musician. Sets the tone for a par-tay, no?
Talk about a winning pair! R&B diva Mary J. Blige, who has been having her own trophy-laden year, shares some face time with Oscar nominee Forest Whitaker at the Los Angeles Confidential magazine party thrown in his honor on Thursday.
THE Los Angeles Confidential magazine party for Forest Whitaker at the Mondrian looked more pre-Grammy's than pre-Oscar. Naomi Campbell and Terrence Howard showed up hand-in-hand. Also hanging out with the guest-of-honor were Alice Cooper, Mary J. Blige, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Bow Wow, Deborah Gibson, Natalie Cole, Vanessa Williams and Russell Simmons. "My husband is bringing sexy back," Whitaker's wife, Keisha, announced. "He's hot, hot, hot!" Everyone else was on his or her best behavior, including Isaiah Washington, who chatted with Whitaker about, "doing the right thing."
Malibu Seen By Kim Devore / Entertainment Columnist
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Hail to the king! Hollywood's biggest, loudest and longest bash of the year came to and end on Sunday with honors for the king and queen, accolades for a former vice president and overdue recognition for one of the industry's most celebrated directors. The build up began back in January with the Golden Globe Awards, the SAG Awards, the DGA Awards, the Independent Spirit Awards and, finally, the Oscars. Then there were the parties-the kick-off parties, the pre-parties, the post-parties, the after-parties, the A parties and the B parties.
Coordinating these mega-events takes military precision and sometimes you feel like party planning should have an honor of its own. My winner for creativity and quick thinking goes to "L.A. Confidential," which hosted a wet and wild soiree for cover-king-turned-Oscar winner Forest Whitaker.
On any other night, the Skybar in Hollywood, with its cool pool and see-forever views would be the best place in town for an Oscar extravaganza, but a massive downpour threatened to turn the red carpet celebration into a soggy mess. "We are in emergency mode now," said one staffer, scrambling to sweep up as many puddles as possible. "What happened to the pool?" I asked. "You're standing on it," was the reply.
With all hands on-deck and no time to spare, party planners put down an expansive wood floor and tented the entire outdoor patio. In the end, even Mother Nature couldn't keep celluloid scenesters away from this fab fling. DJ Pesce got the party started with a little Donna Summer and was already mulling over the rest of her repertoire. The fact that the guest list included major music makers like Mary J. Blige, Ludacris and Natalie Cole only made the evening more exciting. "I'm not worried," she said. I'm really glad they're here. I'm going to give them some '80s and see how it goes."
With the area nice and dry, FOFs (Friends of Forest) started to roll in. Locals Jane Seymour and James Keach caught up with old pals like David Carradine, while servers made the rounds with Last King Cosmos and Whitaker Sours. Soon, the space was so cozy you completely forgot about the rain.
Sure, Academy week is all about movies, but DiCaprio underscored the importance of the really, really big picture saying, "It's urgent that we all take steps to reduce our impact on the environment."
Four days later, he was at the Oscars sharing the stage with "his hero" former Vice President Al Gore. Through his acclaimed documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," Gore brought the realities of global warming to millions. DiCaprio praised the ex VP as "an inspirational leader and a true champion of the cause."
Even though the "Blood Diamond" star lost to Whitaker as best actor, standing before a billion people as one of Al's best pals wasn't a bad consolation prize.
ActorForest Whitaker is in the lead to win the best actor Oscar for his performance in 'The Last King of Scotland', predicts Jason Binn, publisher of the Los Angeles Confidential magazine.
Binn has got it right most times by putting eventual winners on the cover of his annual Academy Awards issue, reports pagesix.com.
Last year, it was Philip Seymour Hoffmann, who won for 'Capote'. The year before, it was Jamie Foxx on the cover, and he won for 'Ray'. Liv Tyler's 'Lord of the Rings' won best picture in 2004, and prior to that, Renee Zellweger's 'Chicago' won best picture award.
The Simple Meal: While Nicole Richie had dinner at Asia De Cuba at the Mondrian in Los Angeles, anL.A. Confidential magazine party for cover guy Forest Whitaker raged on a few feet away at the hotel's Skybar. Whitaker's wife, Keisha, swooned over her hubby's pics in the mag, even declaring that he was the one "bringing sexy back!"
For its fifth annual pre-Oscar party, L.A. Confidential magazine feted cover subject and Best Actor nominee—and, ultimately, winner—Forest Whitaker at the Mondrian Hotel’s SkyBar. But guests expecting to party poolside found a surprise: The magazine’s West Coast event director, Tonya Toone, had a crew equipped with scuba gear construct a custom-fit platform over the pool. White carpeting covered the platform, which featured Vox Entertainment’s line of white leather ottomans and benches at one end for lounging and a roped-off area at the other for Whitaker and friends. “We decided on white because all of the attending talent and Forest are the real accents,” Toone said. Guests dancing to tunes spun by DJ Pesce flocked to the platform, which proved to be a sturdy dance floor.
