Parties You Will Never Get Into

Celebrities were all about charity this year and most were found attending parties around the 82nd Academy Awards that celebrated the spirit of giving. The Night Before gala, hosted in Hollywood on the Saturday before the Oscars, was set to raise money for the Motion Picture & Television Fund. This organization provides individuals in the Southern California entertainment industry with health and human services needs.

The event was held at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Guests included Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges, Robert Downey Jr., and several other attendees.

On Sunday, Oscar night, the celebrities came around again for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. His organization works to fund educational programs regarding HIV/AIDS prevention as well as striving to eliminate discrimination against individuals with HIV/AIDs. The program also provides tangible services for those affected by the disease.

This event was held at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood where guests were entertained by Grace Jones. The party had many guests including Adam Levine, Chace Crawford, Heidi Klum, Jason Mraz, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Tim Allen, Victoria Beckham, and several others.

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences inaugural Governor’s Awards was held Saturday, Nov. 14 and all the biggest stars came out for the event.

The dinner awards career Oscars so it doesn’t have to be done on the televised version, which airs March 7 this year. The exclusive banquet for about 500 academy members was held in a ballroom near the Kodak Theater.

Some of the big names present were Ron Howard, Jack Nicholson, Lauren Bacall, Kirk Douglas and Warren Beatty.

The event was closed to most media, and only a handful of reporters were present.

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For 17 years now, singer Elton John has empathized with those who could not —and would not — attend the Academy Awards by giving them a first-class view to the ceremony outside the Kodak Theater. When the show is over though, those inside often gravitate towards John’s get-together.

Over 600 celebrities had to cough up $3,500 to gain admittance to the 2009 gala, held within an enormous tent at West Hollywood’s Pacific Design Center. The main purpose of the event is not to enrich the fabulously wealthy host, but to help his pet charity: the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Long-time AIDS advocate Sharon Stone was on hand to fundraise with the singer, who came with civil partner David Furnish. John, a British knight, was as much in good company with his countrymen as he was with the Americans that night.

Indian-British actor Ben Kingsley, the night’s other knight, openly raved about Slumdog Millionaire’s win. Fair Briton Kate Beckinsale was also there, together with power English couple David and Victoria Beckham. Other Brits that evening included Peter Andre and his wife Katie Price, pop star Natasha Bedingfield, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, and Scotsman Gerard Butler. On one spot, Simon Cowell rounded up his American Idol (AI) cohorts across the pond, namely Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, and AI winner Carrie Underwood.

John’s gala also drew Chace Crawford, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria-Parker, Taye Diggs, Chris Noth, Quincy Jones, Josh Groban, Elle Macpherson, and Mary J. Blige.

Early attendees dined on a five-course meal while the Oscars beamed live on a huge screen. Chef Wayne Elias prepared the first-class fare, which included salad with smoked scamorza, tarragon vinaigrette and pomegranate reduction.

After the meal, there was an auction that promised to give bidders an hour of tennis with Andy Roddick; a trip for ten to an old castle in Normandy; Sharon Stone’s Corvette; and even the box on which Hugh Jackman stood for the Oscars overture. In the end, Vanity Fair’s after-party cast a shadow over the gala, with John dangling a ticket to the VIP event. The winning bidder paid $60,000 for it.

By night’s end, John had raised around $4 million. Thankful, he serenaded guests in a duet with R&B phenom Raphael Saadiq.

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The cancellation of major parties during the Oscar Awards on Feb. 24, 2008 didn’t stop the Oscar guests from finding their party destinations. Aside from the lavish Governor’s Ball, several other parties emerged to celebrate this significant night of the stars.

One post-Oscar event was the last minute party organized by Madonna along with her manager Guy Oseary, and Demi Moore. The gathering took place at Guy Oseary’s Westside Hills home at around 9pm. Le Tourment Vert fountains were reportedly present at the venue while the guests danced to the mix of DJ JusSke. The party was held mainly inside the tented backyard although the tennis courts were also converted into a lounge area. The A-list stars who attended the bash included Tom Cruise and wife Katie Holmes, Owen Wilson, Ellen DeGeneres and partner Portia de Rossi, Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Christian Slater, Eva Mendes, Forrest Whitaker, David Furnish, Sir Elton John, Orlando Bloom, Jeremy Piven, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Wesley Snipes.

Another spectacular soiree was Elton John’s AIDS Foundation Oscar Party, which was held at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California. Several guests attended the fun and revelry including Sharon Stone; Heidi Klum and singer-husband Seal; Josh Groban; Kate Beckinsale; Natasha Henstridge; Ziyi Zhang; Jeremy Piven; Minnie Driver; Sean Penn; Zoe Saldana; Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi; Sean Combs; Simon Cowell; Billy Joel; Chris Noth; Mary J. Blige; Harrison Ford and his significant other, Calista Flockhart; Tara Reid; Lionel Richie; Patricia Clarkson; Tim Allen; and best actress winner Marion Cotillard.

Miramax also threw a lavish Oscar after party where the cast of No Country for Old Men celebrated their victory for grabbing the most number of awards including Best Motion Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Partying with the cast were guests such as Diane Lane and Josh Brolin, Casey Affleck, and Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner.

Prince wouldn’t let the Oscar pass without throwing a bash either. Held in Beverly Hills, guests at the party included Sanaa Nathan, Sean Combs, Stevie Wonder, Christina Milian, Tilda Swinton, and Forrest Whitaker.