A global mix of British stars, Hispanic ingenues, hip-hop royalty, politicos and Oscar winners united under one language at this year's Academy Awards parties: glamour. From Vanity Fair's celebrity-packed after-party to Elton John's annual Oscar viewing bash, Sunday night's festivities were as diverse as they were glitzy. Best supporting actress winner Jennifer Hudson, wearing a snug gold beaded gown, showed up to Vanity Fair's party at Morton's just before 1 a.
m., thrusting her trophy for "Dreamgirls" into the air. At the same time, best actor winner Forest Whitaker entered the bash and was trailed by a long line of fans and well-wishers.
Clutching his best director trophy for mob drama "The Departed," long-overdue Oscar winner Martin Scorsese answered heaps of praise and hugs with a grin plastered across his face. A few feet away, "Departed" star and best actor nominee Leonardo DiCaprio wolfed down veggie egg rolls. Mexican actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna chatted in Spanish next to Bernal's one-time paramour
British actor Sacha Baron Cohen, sans his "Borat" natty threads and wearing a snazzy tux, joked with fellow Brit Orlando Bloom, and danced to Gnarls Barkley's hip-hop hit "Crazy." Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham, in a slender, white gown, chatted up Jennifer Lopez and Lopez's husband, Marc Anthony. Even former supermodel rivals Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks laughed together, towering over everyone else in their dazzling dresses.
Al Gore, on hand to celebrate his documentary win for "An Inconvenient Truth," was a party favorite and was seen with "Prestige" actor Hugh Jackman and others as he made the rounds. Other figures from the world of politics and punditry included Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Arianna Huffington, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, and Bill Maher, who held court with Dennis Hopper and Sean Penn in a corner booth. Earlier in the evening, at Elton John's 15th annual Oscar viewing party to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Sheryl Crow, Gloria Estefan and Eve sat in silver-sheathed chairs and ate risotto, filet mignon and chocolate pudding on plates resting on mirrored tabletops.
Designer Zac Posen sat with Dita Von Teese, who chatted up British rock royals Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly Osbourne at the next table. After dinner, British singer James Blunt joined John with a rowdy set of tunes, including John's hit "Tiny Dancer." Outside, drinking a beer, "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell waxed poetic on former "Idol" finalist Hudson.
"I feel like her foster parent," he said, beaming about the woman he once berated on "Idol.
News RSS