OSCAR countdown 03/22
PUSSSYKATT
The Academy announced yesterday that the Oscars will go on, though the A-list
attrition continued apace.
"As you saw on the last two nights, the situation is so unpredictable that we
want to keep our options open and to be flexible," Academy president Frank
Pierson said in announcing the decision. "But we are most certainly concerned
about the feelings of our audiences at home and abroad and of the members of
the academy."
As we reported previously, Oscar presenters Will Smith and Cate Blanchett had
bowed out, even before the announcement. Yesterday, Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie
and "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson followed suit.
Hanks' move came as a shock since his wife Rita Wilson's movie, "My Big Fat
Greek Wedding," is nominated for an award. His absence may have a ripple
effect.
"Oh my God! Tom isn't going?" shrieked one power publicist, whose client is an
A-list presenter at the show, when we informed her of the news. "This changes
everything."
Those said to be "on the fence" include Harrison Ford, Cameron Diaz, Renée
Zellweger, Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman. Insiders say they're still hoping
the academy will cancel, so they won't be singled out.
"Nicole is definitely not going if her family doesn't come, and right now they
don't want to fly in," said one Hollywood insider. Kidman's rep has said the
actress "will do what is appropriate at the time."
Paul Newman and Leonardo DiCaprio are also going to be no-shows, but their reps
insist the actors have had other plans for months.
Meanwhile, the traditionally fabulous Oscar outfits are going to be
less-than-stellar, in part because many of them never arrived.
"My clothes are stuck in London," one fashion publicist wailed to us. "Italian
and English designers are going to be [bleep]ed because no one can get the
clothes flown in."
Ever since the bombs started falling, celebrities have scaled down on their
excessive ensembles.
Halle Berry announced yesterday she would be wearing something that would
reflect an homage to the troops, and spies tell PAGE SIX Queen Latifah has
foregone her Bradley Bayou gown for a "rather large" pantsuit.
IF the Oscars do take place Sunday night, it will be more like a military
affair than an awards show. The stars, extra-jittery over concerns about
terrorism, have been shrieking for armored limos to ferry them to and from the
event. "We have been flooded by requests for armored limousines to take some
very famous people to the Oscars," Rich Cooley, v.p. of SecureCar Worldwide,
told Melbourne's the Age newspaper. Cooley's Mercedes and BMW limos carry 1,000
pounds of armor plating that can deflect close-range machine-gun fire or a
grenade blast. But if your movie bombs, you're on your own.
HOT-HEADED producer of "The Hours" Scott Rudin flew off the handle recently
when he decided that the Nicole Kidman vehicle's Oscar chances were being
jeopardized. "It was all a misunderstanding," says our insider. "There were two
parties thrown for 'The Hours' in New York earlier this month by Paramount, and
Scott felt that they might have been violating Academy rules. Then he got
miffed because he heard a rep from [co-producer] Miramax had called the party
planner and demanded to see the guest list." Rudin fired off one of his
famously nasty letters to a Miramax publicist; one person who saw it describes
it as "extremely aggressive, all about how hard he worked on the movie and how
much he was annoyed. He did say that he didn't blame Harvey [Weinstein], whom
he said had behaved like a gentleman." Luckily, Rudin was eventually placated
by the assurance that Miramax "never demanded anything." Both Miramax and Rudin
declined comment.
* * *
By Roger Friedman/FOX NEWS
The war with Iraq is claiming casualties here in Hollywood: It's killing the
relationships between the working press and the movie studios, the publicists
and Vanity Fair magazine.
What’s happening has been in the making for a long time. The doorkeepers for
various Oscar-related events have seized on the uncertain geopolitical climate
to ban the press from whatever events will still be happening this Academy
Awards weekend.
This means, for example, that Vanity Fair has finally figured out a way to give
its Oscar party in secret.
On Thursday, the magazine’s clipboard Nazis called all the press people it
had already invited to the party and told them they were out. All of them, not
just the regular enemies list.
Vanity Fair also bounced New York Post columnists Liz Smith and Cindy Adams, as
well as other writers who’d come to Los Angeles specifically to attend the
multi-million-dollar festival of self-importance the magazine tosses itself
each year.
Vanity Fair even banned writers from other magazines published by Condé Nast.
The magazine's excuse? During this time of war, it wanted its guests to have a
safe and secure place where they could party.
What this really means is that Vanity Fair wanted a place where the stars could
really groove on excess without reporters chronicling it.
At the Oscars, the stars will look appropriately grim and world-weary. But in
the privacy of the Vanity Fair circus tent (a real, not figurative, one), the
celebs can party like there’s no tomorrow.
I ran into legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach Thursday night at dinner. He
marveled at all the diners chowing down at the famous Ivy on Robertson Blvd.
"It’s like nothing’s happened," he said with a sigh.
Vanity Fair’s decision to ban press doesn’t do much for Mortons, the
restaurant they take over every year. Mortons depends on publicity from the
event; this year they will have little.
But I can tell you that yesterday’s lunch at Mortons was quite the little
publicity tour. Actor Ron Silver and his lady friend Kate Castelbajac had one
table, while Iman (Mrs. David Bowie) took another with photographer Patrick
McMullan.
Famed Irish actress Fionnula Flanagan was at another table, and British pop
star Julia Fordham headed up one more. Martial movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme
commanded his own corner spot, too.
Not bad for a slow afternoon.
Meanwhile, other Oscar parties are starting to use the "no press" rule as a way
to wedge out unwanted prying eyes.
The word went out yesterday that the Gagosian Art Gallery didn’t want press
for its annual party, although the reason was slightly different. Gagosian’s
problems weren’t about the war.
Rather, it was a response to the news that owner Larry Gagosian was being sued
for tax fraud by the United States. It’s all part of a scandal emanating from
Sam Waksal and ImClone, the same scandal that’s eaten Martha Stewart alive.
The Gagosian party was in honor of California conceptual artist Ed Ruscha. But
unlike last year’s event for Julian Schnabel, this one had far less star
power. Only Elton John — on the Oscar circuit with a vengeance this week —
gave Gagosian a needed boost. Otherwise, Monty Python’s Eric Idle was the
only big name to attend.
Around the corner, Sharon Stone conducted an auction at Sotheby’s to raise
money for AmFar. The Diamond Information Center sponsored the night, which
boasted a number of old Hollywood stars who came together for a group portrait.
I asked Sharon whether she though the Oscars should be canceled or postponed.
She replied, "I’m going to be with my family so I won’t be there. But
otherwise it’s not for me to say." A circumspect Sharon Stone is one positive
result of the Iraq invasion.
Friday night promises more parties, no press and lots of bad blood. Top of the
list is ICM agent Ed Limato’s bash at his Hollywood estate, where many
members of the usual guest list have been lopped off. Limato’s biggest client
is Mel Gibson, whose father recently insisted in the New York Times Magazine
that the Holocaust never happened.
Chicago producer Marty Richards got a little party thrown for him last night at
the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood. Nearly insufferable performer Michael
Feinstein gave an hour-long concert for Richards. It was swell by any
estimation.
But the cast members of Chicago were not there, even though director Rob
Marshall was. Richard Gere is now said to have the flu. Catherine Zeta-Jones,
eight months pregnant, was exhausted from Oscar rehearsals. And so on and so
forth.
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