VIDEO ELTON JOHN IN OSCAR PARTY
Robson Vianna
THE OSCARS: Petra Nemcova and Sean Penn set tongues wagging as they cosy up at Elton John's A-list party
By NATALIE TROMBETTA - More by this author » Last updated at 17:07pm on 25th February 2008
Glitz, glamour and gowns dominated the Oscar's red carpet, but by night's end it was a very unlikely romance that was the talk of town.
Model Petra Nemcova set tongues wagging after she was spotted cosying up to Sean Penn at Elton John's A-list party.
Winners and grinners: Sir Elton John with Best Actress Marion Cotillard
Elton John Is the Belle of Oscar Parties
By SOLVEJ SCHOU – 7 hours ago
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jP34Me9hU3jmuRIscDro8L2lRTpAD8V1CRQ00
LOS ANGELES (AP) — With Vanity Fair sitting out this year's celebrations, the belle of the Oscars parties was a piano playing Elton John.
The 60-year-old singer's 16th annual viewing dinner and after-party benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation topped other bashes Sunday, with 750 guests and a bevy of A-list stars who sipped cocktails and feasted on a four-course meal under the Pacific Design Center's red-draped tent.
Vanity Fair's lavish, celebrity-drenched annual affair, typically the top Oscar-night party, was canceled weeks earlier, before the end of the writers strike.
After greeting each table, John pounded out the first of 11 songs, the first time in several years that he has played a full set with an entire band at his own party.
John, who wore an ornate Yohji Yamamoto black suit, silver tie and black-framed eyeglasses, pointed at the crowd and banged on his piano. The crowd howled and clapped when he broke out hits such as "Rocket Man" and "Tiny Dancer."
Patricia Clarkson waved her arms in the air. Calista Flockhart swayed next to beau Harrison Ford. Petra Nemcova jumped on a few chairs and shimmied. Faye Dunaway bopped her head.
Mary J. Blige sang a duet with John, as did Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears, clad in a neon yellow-green suit, who jumped on John's piano and did the twist.
The party's second biggest belle of the evening was Marion Cotillard. Clutching her best actress trophy for "La Vie en Rose," she swept into the bash, rushing past reporters and bear-hugging her family and friends inside the party.
"I am a big fan of hers. I was very moved by her win," a teary-eyed Sharon Stone, wearing a white, tailored tuxedo, told The Associated Press earlier, when the room's dozens of enormous TV screens showed Cotillard tearfully receiving the honor.
Actors gushing over other actors continued throughout the festivities.
Penn, who snagged a best-actor win for 2003's "Mystic River," called this year's winner, Daniel Day-Lewis, "the greatest actor ever recorded on film." Lewis won for his performance in "There Will Be Blood."
Ellen DeGeneres, seated next to Portia de Rossi and Josh Groban, said Oscar host Jon Stewart was "doing a great job."
DeGeneres, who hosted last year's Oscars, joked: "It's better to host. It goes faster."
John and David Furnish shared DeGeneres' table during dinner, along with Blige and her husband. Nemcova, who arrived with Penn, sat with him and Kate Beckinsale, Chris O'Donnell and Larry King. Guests, who also included Billy Joel, Christian Slater and Russell Simmons, ate pear salad, risotto, beef tenderloin, cheese with walnuts and chocolate mousse.
- Preview: Elton John To Host His Annual Oscar Party For AIDS Charity
- All Access
- Musician Sir Elton John is set to host his own fundraising event – his 15th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Party on Sunday night. Elton will also perform a duet on stage with R&B sensation Mary J. Blige to raise money for Elton's foundation.
- Musician Sir Elton John is set to host his own fundraising event – his 15th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Party on Sunday night. Elton will also perform a duet on stage with R&B sensation Mary J. Blige to raise money for Elton's foundation.
Monday, February 25, 2008
While most of the action was going on over at the Kodak Theatre last night (Sunday), Elton John was throwing a little shindig of his own. And stars like Sean Penn and Petra Nemcova were all about showing some love.
For the past fifteen years, the "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" singer has held an AIDS Foundation Academy Awards viewing party, and in the process raised over $15 million for charity.
And the Czech supermodel appeared to be in high spirits as she posed for the paparazzi in a gorgeous gold printed dress alongside a black tuxedo-clad Sean Penn.
Mary J. Blige performed with Elton at the party, and gushed to press about her admiration for the Englishman.
"Elton John is one of the most inspirational musicians and philanthropists in this industry for me. I respect him with all my heart, and it is truly a pleasure to be performing with him on such an important night as we look to raise awareness and vital funds for the fight against HIV/AIDS."
After the Oscars ended, Elton saw even more guests arrive - as best actress Marion Cotillard dropped by, along with Academy Award attendees including Heidi Klum and Harrison Ford.
The 60-year-old singer's 16th annual viewing dinner and after-party benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation topped other bashes Sunday, with 750 guests and a bevy of A-list stars who sipped cocktails and feasted on a four-course meal under the Pacific Design Center's red-draped tent.
Vanity Fair's lavish, celebrity-drenched annual affair, typically the top Oscar-night party, was canceled weeks earlier, before the end of the writers strike.
After greeting each table, John pounded out the first of 11 songs, the first time in several years that he has played a full set with an entire band at his own party.
John, who wore an ornate Yohji Yamamoto black suit, silver tie and black-framed eyeglasses, pointed at the crowd and banged on his piano. The crowd howled and clapped when he broke out hits such as "Rocket Man" and "Tiny Dancer."
Patricia Clarkson waved her arms in the air. Calista Flockhart swayed next to beau Harrison Ford. Petra Nemcova jumped on a few chairs and shimmied. Faye Dunaway bopped her head.
Mary J. Blige sang a duet with John, as did Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears, clad in a neon yellow-green suit, who jumped on John's piano and did the twist.
Elton John's Partner To Re-Release Documentary
http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2008/02/24/elton_john_s_partner_to_re_release_docum
Elton John's partner David Furnish is set to re-release Elton John: Tantrums And Tiaras - because he is desperate to air the as-yet-unseen footage.
The Canadian filmmaker took around 140 hours of film for the 1996 documentary on the British singer, and is keen to show the public more behind-the-scenes shots of John's life.
He says, "We're re-releasing it, because there are 140 hours of footage, most of which we didn't show."
And Furnish adds the experience was the most nerve-wracking project he has ever worked on, despite being in a relationship with the film's subject: "It was one of the most difficult things I ever did, my hands were shaking the whole time I was filming."
(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)
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Robson Vianna.