LOS ANGELES?Jewels and parties. Stars and stand-ins. Rehearsals and news conferences. So many free luxury items, known as swag, that even Hollywood canines could rack up goodies. The city is abuzz with all things Oscar as celebrities flock from all over the world for Sunday?s Academy Awards (this morning in Manila).
Nothing like this
They don?t have shopping quite like this in Kazakhstan. Sergei Bodrov, the Russian director of ?Mongol,? Kazakhstan?s entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category, spent Friday afternoon browsing luxurious swag at the Main Event Red Carpet Lounge and Green Suite at the 9900 Club in Beverly Hills.
Celebrity attendees were invited to fill green gift bags full of such gratis goodies as jewelry from Alyse Ziede and Heather Hyde, bottles of Icelandic Glacial H20, desserts from Nothing Bundt Cakes and watches from Curtis and Co.
There were even some goodies for pampered celebrity pooches and kitties, including accessories and clothes from John Paul Pet, Happy Go Lucky Dogs and K9 Duds.
Talking Oscar
The 80th annual Academy Awards show promises lots of surprises and less than four hours running time, producer Gil Cates said Friday as he, director Louis J. Horvitz and film academy President Sid Ganis took questions from the press.
Sitting beneath a clear plastic rain tent that shielded the red carpet and its occupants from drizzly skies, Cates promised a dry Oscar day.
?I?m confident the weather is going to be OK,? he said, ignoring a forecast to the contrary.
Viewers can also expect a thrill, Cates said, when they tune into the Academy Awards, which will reflect Oscar?s 80-year history.
Jack Nicholson and Keri Russell have been added to the A-list presenters, he said, and the telecast opens with a 90-second film, ?arguably the most exciting piece of film that has ever opened an
Oscar show.?
Irish alliance
After running through his lines on the Kodak Theatre stage Friday morning, Colin Farrell joined a handful of stand-ins and other Oscar workers to watch a rehearsal of ?Falling Slowly,? the nominated song from the Irish indie film ?Once.?
Wearing a torn T-shirt topped with a vest and blazer, his shaggy hair tucked under a gray fedora, the Irish actor tapped his toes as the film?s stars, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, played their original ballad.
When the song ended, Farrell bounded onto the stage to hug Hansard. Gil Cates chatted with the two Dubliners, and Farrell joked that he would ?do some accent work tonight? so his Irish lilt would be show-ready.
Stars in sneakers
They?ll don designer tuxedoes and gowns on Sunday, but stars dressed down for weekday rehearsals at the Kodak Theatre.
Denzel Washington wore sneakers, track pants and a backward ballcap as he ran through his lines Thursday afternoon.
A ponytailed, makeup-free Hilary Swank embodied superstar casual chic in a silky white blouse, skinny black pants and towering high heels. She stepped on stage, read through her lines and quickly disappeared into the Kodak commotion.
Party time
Oscar week is party week.
Paramount Vantage toasted its nominees?Best Actor favorite Daniel Day-Lewis, ?There Will Be Blood? writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson and ?Into the Wild? supporting actor Hal Holbrook, among others?with a private dinner-and-drinks soiree Thursday night at the week-old STK restaurant in West Hollywood.
John C. Reilly, Sissy Spacek, Maya Rudolph and celebrated cinematographer Roger Deakins joined the nominated guests, nibbling on tuna tartare, mini steak sandwiches and oversized french fries. Day-Lewis, wearing a tan leather jacket and a woven fedora, was all smiles as he shook hands with fans.
Fox Searchlight was set to fete its nominees?including ?Juno? director Jason Reitman, screenwriter Diablo Cody and star Ellen Page?with a dinner Friday at the same new hotspot. The festivities continue Saturday with Jeffrey Katzenberg?s annual ?Night Before? party, which benefits the Motion Picture & Television Fund and typically draws an A-list crowd.
