oscars

Oscar Website Offers Party Planning Tips

Oscar night is coming up on March 7 and this year's show plans to be bigger than ever with two hosts, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin and 10 nominees for Best Picture. The Oscar website has a variety of videos and content on how to have your best Oscar night ever.

Pastry chef Sherry Yard shows how to make a molten chocolate cake. Wolfgang Puck reveals his Oscar menu including smoked salmon blinis with dill cream, mini burgers with cheddar cheese and remoulade and slow braised short ribs. The website also lists cocktail recipes using Oscar sponsor Moet & Chandon champagne.

For ambiance party expert Cheryl Cecchetto lists the 10 must haves to hosting the best Oscar-viewing party in town. The website also includes downloadable Oscar ballots for predicting the winners and downloadable bingo cards to use during the show.

Tags: Academy Awards, AcademyAwards, oscar parties, OscarParties, oscars, Oscars 2010, Oscars2010, sherry yard, SherryYard, wolfgang puck, WolfgangPuck

Camacho Cigars Official Sticks of Oscars Style Lounge

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Events

I've heard all over that Oscar parties are supposed to be a big deal this year. While you're donning your formals and schlepping over to someone's house to see who walks home with glory, think for a few moments about what will be going on at the Academy Awards Style Lounge at the Intercontinental Hotel in Beverly Hills. One thing will be certain: the guests will be cutting and lighting Camacho Cigars. At the party on March 6, 2010, Camacho will be the lounge's official cigar.

Says Dylan Austin, Director of Marketing for Camacho, "Camacho Cigars is proud to be a part of the Academy Awards Style Lounge," continuing, "We are excited to be aligning Camacho Cigars with the Oscars, and to be part of this grand celebration in honor of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards."

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Tags: Academy Award, Academy Awards, academy awards 2010, AcademyAward, AcademyAwards, AcademyAwards2010, beverly hills, BeverlyHills, Camacho, cigar, cigars, oscars, Parties

Oscars Stage Design to Be More Glamorous and Fantastic Than Ever

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Events

The Oscars are a glitzy event, there's no doubt about that, but after last years low key approach stage designer David Rockwell isn't holding anything back for this years event. Described as "bigger, shinier, and with more moving parts than ever before," the stage will feature a stunning quarter-moon curtain hung with 100,000 glittering Swarovski crystals, plus three moving platforms, several rotating LED panels, and other effects like mirrors and metal architecture. The whole thing is inspired by the basic elements of movie making -- light and movement -- and is meant to show off the event's hosts and winners in the best possible way.

How impressive and beautiful it must to stand on that stage and look up into that amazing curtain!

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Tags: academy awards, AcademyAwards, celebrities, david rockwell, DavidRockwell, oscars, swarovski, swarovski crystals, SwarovskiCrystals

Sprinkles: The Original Cupcake Bakery

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Los Angeles, Ca.-based Sprinkles has been nominated for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Cupcake.

Sprinkles is a favorite of Hollywood stars from Tyra Banks, Russell Crowe and Paris Hilton to Katie Holmes, Oprah Winfrey and Teri Hatcher, all of who proclaim love for the sumptuous treats. "I love Sprinkles Cupcakes," says Banks. "I am addicted to them." Ryan Seacrest is a fan, too. "These are not just cupcakes, they're a lifestyle," he says. Barbra Streisand once sent a box of Sprinkle's cupcakes to Oprah Winfrey. Oprah enjoyed them so much she ordered enough to share with her entire studio audience. Sprinkles is also known for its star topped variety served at Oscar parties.

Luxist readers describe the cupcakes this way:

"Amazingly delicious and beautiful with a variety of flavors."
"The best cupcakes anywhere! Long lines, but worth the wait. Their butter with vanilla frosting will change your life."
"The original luxury cupcake store."
"Their entire range of flavors is executed masterfully, from classics like Red Velvet to more exotic editions like chai latte. The cake is light and not too sweet with rich frostings that balance each other perfectly."

Company founders Candace and Charles Nelson opened the first Sprinkles in Beverly Hills in April 2005. People thought the couple were crazy to open a cupcakes-only bakery in the middle of "thin city" at a time with low carb mania was at its peak. Despite naysayers, they sold out within hours of opening, and sales haven't slowed since. Today, Sprinkles is known as much for its long lines and devoted fans as for its delicious cupcakes. Sprinkles is credited with inspiring a national cupcake craze as reported by the New York Times, USA Today, the Today Show and Nightline.

Gallery: More from Sprinkles

Sprinkles evokes the memory of European bakeries flooded with the smell of baked goods and awash in natural light, with a modern touch. Its cupcakes are baked in small batches throughout the day, so that they will be as fresh as possible for Sprinkles' devoted customers. The cupcakes are handcrafted from the finest ingredients, including sweet cream butter, bittersweet Belgian chocolate, pure Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, fresh bananas and carrots, real strawberries and natural citrus zests.

Sprinkles offers more than 20 tantalizing flavors (15 or so of which are on sale on any given day), from simple vanilla to creative chai latte. Topped with Sprinkles' trademark modern dots, rich chocolate sprinkles from France or seasonal sugar decorations, Sprinkles Cupcakes are perfect for occasions of any kind.

Sprinkles' famous gift box is a sleek rectangular box that holds one dozen freshly baked cupcakes. The bakery also offers a tray, produced by Heller in a variety of colors, that fits right into the gift box and can be kept to display the cupcakes.

Sprinkles also offers signature cupcake mixes in red velvet, vanilla, dark chocolate and lemon. The mixes are made from the same high quality ingredients used in Sprinkles bakeries and are complete with Sprinkle's trademark modern dots. In addition to Sprinkles shops, the mixes are sold at Williams-Sonoma's 250 stores nationwide and in Canada.

Its original store is two blocks west of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, but today, Sprinkles has six additional locations in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Newport Beach, Scottsdale and Palo Alto. More locations will be opening soon in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Kansas City, London, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle, Tokyo and Washington, D.C.

Vote for the company you believe makes the best cupcakes. Readers' Choice Winners will be announced on March 1st.

Tags: awards-main, Barbra Streisand, BarbraStreisand, best cupcake, BestCupcake, beverly hills, BeverlyHills, candace nelson, CandaceNelson, charles nelson, CharlesNelson, katie holmes, KatieHolmes, luxist-awards, oprah winfrey, Oprah Winfrey Show, OprahWinfrey, OprahWinfreyShow, oscars, paris hilton, ParisHilton, russell crowe, RussellCrowe, ryan seacrest, RyanSeacrest, sprinkles, sweets-main, teri hatcher, TeriHatcher, tyra banks, TyraBanks

The Fashion Statement: "and the Oscar Goes to..."

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

Much hoopla on Oscar night goes to actresses, their stylists and that 10-minute stroll down the red carpet. But the real fashion gurus take their places months before the movie even goes into production: costume designers.

This week, the Oscar nominations for costume design were announced for films of 2009. They are:

Janet Patterson -- Bright Star
Fanny Brawne, the love interest of poet John Keats in Jame Campion's period piece, was a student of fashion. Patterson told Variety said she did her research by reading Keats poetry, books, art, history and the Internet. The result? Historical accuracy of clothes of the day combined by Brawne's youthfulness and creativity.

Tags: Academy Awards, AcademyAwards, Bright Star, BrightStar, Coco Before Chanel, CocoBeforeChanel, Costume Designers, CostumeDesigners, Nine, Oscars, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, The Young Victoria, TheImaginariumOfDr.Parnassus, TheYoungVictoria

Continue reading “The Fashion Statement: "and the Oscar Goes to..."”

Weitzman Decides 2010 Oscars Aren't Right For Million Dollar Shoes

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

Maybe The recession isn't quite over if you go by the Stuart Weitzman Oscar shoe index. The popular shoe designer who had a tradition (since 2002) of putting million dollar bejeweled shoes on one lucky Oscar red carpet walker has opted out of creating the extravagant shoes for the second year in a row. Weitzman told our sister blog StyleList that he has decided that once again the shoe isn't appropriate for the economic climate.

Can we blame Diablo Cody for this one? The last time Weitzman created the shoes they were the diamond flower topped T-straps shown above designed for the Academy-Award nominated screenwriter to wear at the 2008 ceremony. But Cody, who later won the Oscar, opted not to wear the shoes opting instead for her own more modest gold flats.

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Tags: academy awards, AcademyAwards, diablo cody, DiabloCody, million dollar shoes, MillionDollarShoes, oscars, stuart weitzman, StuartWeitzman

Best Bling of the Oscars

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

The multicolored masterpiece of a necklace you see here is on shown on the lovely neck of Amy Adams. This was one of the many pieces of "statement jewelry" we saw last night at the 2009 Oscars.

Any famous person can get a jeweler to loan them some ice for the 81st Annual Academy Awards, but nominated stars like Amy Adams walk away with pieces that look more like they came from a museum.

The Oscars is no night to hide your wealth, even during a recession. It's not like "toning down" the looks of the celebrities would make Americans feel better about their financial situations. In fact, jewelry like this is what America wants to see the most -- it's totally unaffordable, even during an economic boom; it's Hollywood fantasy.

Jeweler Fred Leighton had a great showing this year, with spectacular 19th and turn-of-the century items on everyone from Alicia Keys to Tina Fey, and even Heath Ledger's mother and sister. Chopard was the jeweler of champions; outfitting both Kate Winslet and Penelope Cruz (winners of Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress).

Check out more of the most outstanding pieces here in our gallery. This is the kind of jewelry you can't fake.

Gallery: Best Bling of the Oscars

Tags: amanda seyfried, AmandaSeyfried, amy adams, AmyAdams, angelina jolie, beyonce, beyonce knowles, chopard, diane lane, DianeLane, fred leighton, kate winslet, lorraine schwartz, neil lane, NeilLane, oscars, oscars-2009, penelope cruz, PenelopeCruz, taraji, taraji p. henson, TarajiP.Henson

Rare Champagne To Benefit Motion Picture and Television Fund

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Charity

On Oscar weekend, the stars did more than just sign autographs, some of them signed a wooden case containing Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage Magnum from 1929, the year of the very first Academy Awards ceremony. The bottle was displayed at the Governor's Ball immediately following the Oscars ceremony. It will be auctioned off at Christie's on June 6 as apart of a wine auction in the Hamptons. Proceeds from the special bottle will benefit the Motion Picture & Television Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides "relief" for those in the film industry who had fallen on hard times including health care, childcare, retirement living, and social/charitable services.

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Tags: champagne, christies, moet, moet and chandon, MoetAndChandon, oscars

Best-Dressed Man at the Oscars: Daniel Craig

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Events, Men's Style

As a supplement to my colleague Deidre Woollard's rundown on red carpet fashions at the Oscars, I offer my own pick for the Oscars best dressed man: nouveau James Bond Daniel Craig. Craig, above with girlfriend Satsuki Mitchell, who was a presenter at the ceremony, wore a midnight blue shawl collar tuxedo with satin facing on the lapels and turned-back cuffs and an elegant trim black satin diamond point bow tie and white silk pocket square, all by his favorite designer Tom Ford.

The smaller bow tie in an unusual shape was a welcome change from the alarming trend toward oversized, clownish bows, while the vintage-inspired look of the dark blue shawl managed to be distinctive, classic and extremely elegant, a bit of a departure from the usual without going too far. Ford, who provided suits for Craig to wear in Quantum of Solace, also made Brad Pitt's tuxedo for the Oscars, though Craig looked the best.

Tags: Black tie, BlackTie, Brad Pitt, BradPitt, Daniel Craig, DanielCraig, James Bond, JamesBond, Oscars, Oscars2009, Red carpet, RedCarpet, Tom Ford, TomFord, Tuxedo

No Stuart Weitzman Diamond Shoes At The Oscars

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

Since 2002, shoe designer Stuart Weitzman has chosen one woman to walk the red carpet at the Academy Awards in a pair of one-of-a-kind shoes adorned with over $1 million in gemstones. Last year, Weitzman created the "Retro Rose" shoes shown above for screenwriter Diablo Cody (who at the last minute opted not to wear them). This year there will be again be no feet in Weitzman's diamond shoes at the Oscars but for a different reason, the economy. He has said that he decided that the current situation calls for restraint and not extravagance. As Hollyscoop reports Weitzman still has his line of Red Carpet Collection shoes for the show and he is hosting a styling suite, he's just forgoing the stunt bling. His move is part of an overall toning down of awards shows this year. The glamour will still be at the Oscars but stars decked out in diamonds from ears to feet are out this season.

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Tags: diamonds, oscars, stuart weitzman, StuartWeitzman

Get Brad Pitt's Belstaff Jackets from Benjamin Button

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Charity, Men's Style

British outerwear company Belstaff are offering a collection of leather jackets worn by Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In the movie, co-starring Cate Blanchett, Pitt sports three different Belstaff designs in various scenes. In the first, Pitt wears the iconic Belstaff Panther jacket (above) while riding his vintage Indian motorcycle through Louisiana with Blanchett, giving her the jacket to keep warm at one point; in the second he's seen riding a classic Triumph motorcycle wearing a Royal Air Force-type flying jacket based on an archival design, dubbed the Button Blouson; and in a scene opposite Tilda Swinton he sports a vintage shearling-trimmed jacket which the company has now resurrected.

All three jackets can now be ordered from Belstaff's website or purchased in Belstaff stores, in limited editions. The Panther is priced at $1,205, the Button Blouson $1,295, and the Shearling, $1,995. Belstaff is also donating a portion of sales to Pitt's Hurricane Katrina charity, Make It Right. Belstaff, founded in 1924, was a favorite of Steve McQueen, and has also outfitted Will Smith in I Am Legend, Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible and War of the Worlds, Tom Hanks in The Da Vinci Code, Kevin Spacey in Superman Returns and George Clooney in Leatherheads. Benjamin Button has been nominated for 13 Oscars including Best Costume Design.

[via JustLuxe]

Gallery: Brad Pitt & Belstaff

Pitt & Blanchett (wearing his Belstaff Panther)

Tags: Belstaff, Brad Pitt, BradPitt, cate blanchett, CateBlanchett, Celebrity, Hurricane Katrina, HurricaneKatrina, Leather, Motorcycle, Movies, Oscars, Steve McQueen, SteveMcqueen, the curious case of benjamin button, TheCuriousCaseOfBenjaminButton, Triumph

Moet & Chandon's Oscars Cocktail

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Moet & Chandon has been doing a big push with the awards ceremonies lately. They had a red carpet presence at the Golden Globes and now they been designated the exclusive champagne of the 81st Annual Academy Awards. This is the first time that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has had a champagne designation for Oscar and pre-Oscar events (I'm guessing LVMH had to pay a hefty fee for the privilege). Moet & Chandon will be the only champagne or sparkling wine served at the 2009 Oscars.

For those of us not attending the show, there is an Oscars "party kit" on the Oscars website that includes recipes from Wolfgang Puck and a champagne cocktail, the Red Carpet Fizz, which features pomegranate juice, orange liqueur, fresh raspberries and Moet & Chandon White Star.

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Tags: academy awards, AcademyAwards, champagne, moet and chandon, MoetAndChandon, oscars

Oscar Jewels on Display

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

If you are in New York City, you might want to swing by the Chopard flagship store at Madison and 63rd St. They will be displaying display jewelry pieces worn by Oscar winners from the past five years from March 7-14. Chopard has got a pretty good Oscar streak going: Marion Cotillard (2008), Helen Mirren (2007), Rachel Weisz (2006), Hilary Swank (2005), and Charlize Theron (2004) all wore Chopard jewelry when they won their Oscars. This year's winner, the charming Marion Cotillard who won for La Vie en Rose wore a 64-ct.champagne diamond briolette necklace with a light and dark brown 106-ct. dark brown diamond bead necklace with her mermaid-like Gaultier dress.

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Tags: chopard, diamonds, exhibit, expire-images:2009-3-8, jewels, oscars

How Much is an Oscar Worth, Really?

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping

The value of an Oscar statuette is obviously more about the sentiment and experience than anything else, but what is that little gold man really worth in cold hard cash?

There are several ways of looking at it:

Resale value for Oscars won after 1950 are limited because the Academy makes all winning celebrities sign an agreement that if they want to sell they have to first offer the statue back to them for $1.
Based on the current price of the gold if melted down each Oscar is worth about $500.
If sold on the sly (or for pre-1950 Oscars that can be sold in the open) big-name Oscars will easily clear $60,000+, with many hitting 6 figures.

That's not all that much, all things considered. I think if I ever win one I'll be happy to just keep it (hey, I can dream!).

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Tags: award, awards, celebrities, celebrity, oscar, oscars, value

Dreamgirl Will Wear Diamond Shoes To Oscars

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Shopping

I've been feeling a bit bad for Anika Noni Rose, the third girl in the Dreamgirls trio. After all, Jennifer Hudson got the Oscar nod and the Vogue cover and Beyonce got a Sports Illustrated cover but what has Miss Rose gotten? At least she gets to wear a pair of amazing shoes. Stuart Weitzman has announced that Anika Noni Rose , will wear the Stuart Weitzman Diamond Dream Shoe to the 79th Annual Academy Awards. The shoes include 1,420 brilliant Kwiat diamonds totaling over 30 carats. The diamonds are set in platinum circles and the shoes are worth over half a million dollars.

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Tags: academy awards, diamond shoe, oscars, stuart weitzman, StuartWeitzman

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