Happy winners such as best supporting actress Octavia Spencer, who changed into a pair of flats to go with her Tadashi Shoji dress, were ready to party. “Oh yes!” said The Help actress, walking into the bash, which was already in full swing by 10 p.m.
My Week With Marilyn best-actress nominee Michelle Williams and pal Busy Philipps were there along with Jessica Chastain, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Pharrell Williams, Emma Stone, Owen Wilson (who brought his mom as a date), Gary Oldman, Melissa Leo, best-supporting-actor winner Christopher Plummer, Morgan Freeman, Nick Nolte, Natalie Portman, Viola Davis, Sandra Bullock and Oscar show host Billy Crystal.
The mood was jazz age with a Rat Pack vibe. Low tables were scattered throughout the dimly lit space, and guests dined on offerings by Governors Ball veteran chef Wolfgang Puck, including crab cakes, pork belly dumplings, lobster tacos, potato latkes, slow-braised short ribs with polenta, macaroni and cheese, and golden candy apples. The Iron Lady star and best-actress winner Meryl Streep, who sat at a table with her husband, tucked into a chicken pot pie.
A happy Alexander Payne hit the party with his Oscar in hand, and said he thought Crystal did a “terrific” job as host. “The films he did were good,” said The Descendants director, who picked up a trophy for best adapted screenplay for the film along with co-writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. “The show was good and zippy, as it should be. It was a lean show.”
84th Annual Academy Awards
- PHOTOS: Scenes from the red carpet
- STORY: Scoop from backstage
- REVIEW: How did Billy Crystal do?
- RESULTS: Complete winners list
- MORE: Awards Central
The Artist‘s Penelope Ann Miller agreed: “(Crystal is) so graceful and funny. He has an ease about him,” hosting. But the show was a home run for her across the board. “Of course, we won, so it makes it all more exciting,” she said.
About 10:05, Oscar special honoree James Earl Jones took to a rotating circular stage and introduced “American classic” Tony Bennett. “He’s an ideal choice for this evening,” said Jones into a microphone. “Not only because he’s known as Frank Sinatra‘s favorite singer, but because he made his silver-screen debut in a movie called The Oscar.”
While guests like Bridesmaids director Paul Feig inched closer to the stage, Bennett sang a 15-minute set, performing songs including Watch What Happens, Maybe This Time and I Left My Heart in San Francisco.
One of the hottest spots at the party was in a small room in the back, where Oscar winners queued up to have their statues engraved. At 10:20 Streep arrived. She was balancing a glass of Champagne with her Oscar. Where will her statue go? “On the shelf with the other old ones!” she said. Just then, Spencer arrived behind her, and while Streep wasn’t looking, Spencer mouthed, “I love you, Meryl,” at the back of her head. The two then grinned with their personalized Oscars for a photo together.
Next, it was The Artist‘s Academy Award-winning director Michel Hazanavicius‘ turn to get his gold guy engraved. While waiting, he high-fived Spencer. “I will find a good spot,” for Oscar, he promised. His plans after hitting the early (think 4 a.m. PT) news shows on Monday? “Back to Paris!” he said.
When The Artist‘s winning leading man Jean Dujardin arrived, he carefully inspected the gold label created for his Oscar, nodded that it was correct and then had a Champagne toast with his wife, Alexandra Lamy. When Dujardin was handed his engraved Oscar, he kissed it on the head. Where will he put it? “I don’t know, I don’t know. In my bed, tonight,” he said, grinning.
It was a popular sentiment. Nearby, The Descendants screenwriters Faxon and Rash were debating where their Oscars would go. “In my office on a shelf next to my Writers Guild award,” mused Rash. “Above my fireplace?” wondered Faxon, and then changed his mind: “The first two weeks: in my bed.”
