Academy Awards: Diary of an Oscar-goer

George Clooney, here seen with girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis, made a special effort to please fans at the Academy Awards. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

The 82^nd Academy Awards attracted attendees from around the globe. Here’s what it was like for SDNN’s Oscar-goer, who experienced both thrills and disappointment.

Rain-proof red carpet: Got to the Academy Awards early (3:15 p.m.) and it was raining. The finest valet service in the world was ready to take my car and hand me a receipt. So off I went to find a spot on the edge of the red carpet, where I could wait for celebrities to walk by. They were escorted by a woman who held a large umbrella. The rain soon stopped. But it hardly mattered. Due to the weather reports, a roof had been installed over the entire red carpet.

Dodging security: Even though security, at five different times, told me to move toward the theater, I moved, but never inside — just to the right, or left, or behind others.

Pixar perks: I stood next to two people who had funny buttons on their lapels.  “What’s that?” I asked. They explained that they worked for Pixar and that the buttons said “Grape Soda,” a reference to the animated movie “UP.” I had to wonder whether their boss Steve Jobs was coming. About ten minutes later, he arrived. I ran over to hear Steve say to the group that hovered around him: “I’m here to see ‘UP’ win.” And it did.

Celeb sightings: (“Avatar’s”) James Cameron also arrived. But poor James. The back side of his tuxedo was terribly wrinkled.  I didn’t recognize Demi Moore when she walked right by me since she looked so thin (where was Ashton?). But I did recognize Jennifer Lopez and her husband Mark Anthony, and shouted out to them, “now there’s a beautiful couple.” (They blushed and said “thank you.”) (“The Hurt Locker” director) Kathryn Bigelow had a crowd around her and couldn’t see me when I wished her good luck. But she heard me. She bent down slightly to look me in the eyes, and said with a huge smile, “thank you!” As Gaby (“Precious”) Sidibe walked by, I simply said to her “win.”  She smiled and dreamily repeated “win…win.”

See more SDNN Academy Awards coverage:

‘Hurt Locker’ locks up top Oscars, leaves ‘Avatar’ blue

Freeman: No Oscar for this telecast

Academy Awards fashion: Winners and losers

League of his own: The real class act was George Clooney.  The bleacher fans screamed at his arrival, and he ran over to that side of the red carpet to sign autographs.  When he passed by me, I congratulated him, and wished him good luck. He stopped, smiled, and patted me on the shoulder three times, repeating “yes, yes, yes.”

The gowns: Up close, many of the gowns worked so beautifully, such as those worn by Kathy Bates, Dame Helen Mirren, Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz.  Unfortunately, the identical off- white tiered silk gown ended up on three different women. And I was guilty three times of stepping on gowns, for which I received the horrible “do you mind?” comment. Oops!

Moving on: After an hour, and after the fifth command from security to get inside, it was time to move toward the huge tent that contained 18 metal detectors, lined up side by side.  The celebs meeting the hoards of world press went through the far left metal detector. But if you were like me, and tried to get in that line, you were told “no.” They weren’t kidding. About 20 large men in tuxedos lined that path.  So I headed toward the Kodak Theatre and walked up its grand staircase into the foyer, where a champagne tray was being passed.

A ticket to this year's Academy Awards. (Photo courtesy of Andy Friedenberg)

The show: I quickly took my seat on the top floor (3^rd Mezzanine) in the first row, dead center. I sat next to a man whose brother was nominated for film editing. He didn’t win. (His film was beaten by “The Hurt Locker.”) As you can imagine, the brother was not a happy guy.

Odd: During a commercial break, the sound stopped for the ads that were we were watching on large TV screens. They began piping in music, such as “Woly Bully” and “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me.” When a Coke commercial came on, a Michael Jackson song was played. Wasn’t he a Pepsi guy?

What you didn’t see on TV: The commercial breaks allowed a team of 30 to 40 tuxedo-clad men to re-arrange the complex sets. Some sets would be rolled in; others came down from the ceiling. The crew also used brooms to sweep the stage, particularly the steps.

Cutting the chatter: Not once did the co-MC’s, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, come out to talk to the audience. Last year, Hugh Jackman came out repeatedly to chat. He provided behind-the-scenes info and even introduced family members who were seated in the audience. None of that this year.

Post-Oscar party: I got an invitation to a post Academy Awards party. It was the party celebrating “The White Ribbon,” Germany’s Oscar nominee in the Best Foreign Language Category. It was to be held at a restaurant in West Hollywood. There was, however, one stipulation. The party would only take place if the film won the Oscar. Unfortunately, “The White Ribbon” lost to the nominee from Argentina. No Oscar, no party. Oh well. You really don’t want to go to a post-Oscar party for a film that doesn’t win.

SDNN contributor Andy Friedenberg is the founder and director of the Cinema Society of San Diego.

Tags: academy awards, Andy Friedenberg, george clooney, James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, Pixar, SDNN

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