Welcome to our Friday Update, a new weekly post covering all of the things that are happening on the Red Carpet that we are reporting on or will be publishing new interview from the event… Be sure to subscribe to our site, follow us on Facebook and YouTube.
Oscar Prep
Governors Ball Preview. This week the Academy held a preview of the upcoming Governors Ball for media along with the preview we learned that Wolfgang Puck and event producer Cheryl Cecchetto will be back joining Academy governor Jeffrey Kurland as the Creative Team. The 85th Academy Awards® Governors Ball will have 1,500 guests including Academy Award nominees, winners, show presenters and other special guests in attendance following the awards show on Sunday, February 24.
Kurland will be overseeing the décor, menu, entertainment planning, and the attire to be worn by the evening’s staff. Kurland is well-know for his costume design work and Oscar nomination for “Bullets Over Broadway.”
Cecchetto and her Sequoia Production team will be working with Kurland to bring to life an unforgettable evening under a sparkling 120-foot chandelier with an 18-foot golden Oscar centerpiece in the ballroom surrounded in warm shades of aubergine, chartreuse and champagne.
Finally, master chef Wolfgang Puck and chef Matt Bencivenga will be in charge of creating over 50 dishes to die for from hors d’oeuvres to entrees and will include some of the past signature favorites such as smoked salmon Oscars®, chicken pot pie with shaved black truffles, and mini Kobe burgers with aged cheddar and remoulade. The best part is that once again, Puck will use local produce and sustainable seafood. (Photo Credit: Oscar.org)
Adele to Perform. Not only is Adele a multi-platinum selling singer-songwriter and new mom, but she will be performing her Oscar®-nominated theme song from “Skyfall,” the latest James Bond movie at the 85th Academy Awards. FACTOID: This is the 1st Bond theme song to debut in Billboard’s Top 10 and the first to be nominated for an Oscar since “For Your Eyes Only” in 1981.
Oscar® Experience. If you’re lucky enough to live in one of the 45 cities around the US that will have an official Oscar Experience, you’ll get to attend a Hollywood-styled event including red carpets, local celebrities, “paparazzi” and event a predict-the-winners contest. The best part is the money raised will be gifted to one charity in the community the event is held at.
Oscar® Fan-attics Video Series: “Behind the Ballot”. Yes, we happen to be part of the group that loves to know more. We were excited to see that there is a new video series called “Behind the Ballot” where Academy members break down the production design, cinematography, makeup and hair styling, film editing sound editing sound mixing and costume design categories so you can see what goes into the voting process for these categories. We’ve posted up the first video in this series and you can see each new video as it debuts on www.oscar.com – but we recommend getting the official Oscars app for iPhone, iPad, Android and Kindle Fire devices to have it for viewing on-demand.
Sneak Peek: Oscars Presentation. We’re excited to report that producers, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, are working hard to create a most memorable experience for this year’s show. They will be featuring a tribute to movie musicals from the last decade including ‘Chicago,’ ‘Dreamgirls’ and ‘Les Misérables.’
Save the Date. Oscars for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.
NAACP Image Awards Nominee Luncheon
We’ll be covering the 44th NAACP Image Awards Nominee Luncheon tomorrow to be held at the lovely Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills. We heard that Tatyana Ali, Hosea Chanchez, Cedric the Entertainer, Rockman Dunbar, Shenell Edmonds, Donald Faison, KEM, Gladys Knight, Kristolyn Lloyd, Niecy Nash, Mary Mary, Afemo Omilani, David Oyelowo, James Reynolds, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Rodney Saulsberry, Aaron D. Spears, Erik Valdez and Alfre Woodard are scheduled to be in attendance and the event will be hosted by Craig Robinson and Yvette Nicole Brown. Be sure to follow us to be the first to see who is saying what in their video interviews with Linda Antwi, host on our Red Carpet Report team.
Television Premiere
Hallmark Hall of Fame: The Makeover. This Sunday, January 27 at 9:00 PM ET, Hallmark Hall of Fame’s production of “The Makeover” starring Julia Stiles, David Walton, Frances Fisher, Georgia Lyman, and Camryn Manheim will air on the ABC Television Network. We covered the world premiere and spoke with the cast and creator, this looks like a movie you won’t want to miss.
Paley Center for Media
Monday is a big day for our team to be on the red carpet as we get to speak with some of our favorites including Kevin Smith on the Red Carpet at the Paley Center for Media and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment premiere of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 with Peter Weller, Michael Emerson, Mark Valley, David Selby, Ariel Winter, Michael McKean, Maria Canals-Barrera, Paget Brewster, and Radio Hall of Famer MichaelJackson. Don’t miss our coverage of this with our video interviews from the red carpet.
