Stars came out before the Oscars to a series of VIP affairs leading up to the awards, as the party scene was plentiful, but more low-key this year after the LA wildfires.
Hollywood agency WME hosted an intimate gathering at the Chateau Marmont’s storied penthouse, to celebrate its nominees, including Colman Domingo, Felicity Jones, James Mangold, Ramell Ross, Chris Sanders and Jeremy Strong.
Power producers and execs in attendance included James Bond franchise boss Barbara Broccoli, David Greenbaum, Jeremy Kleiner, Sue Kroll, Donna Langley, Noah Sacco and Courtenay Valenti.
(The agency has in previous years thrown a lavish bash at William Randolph Hearst’s onetime Beverly Hills mansion, also known as “The Godfather” house.)
Personal portraits of the agency’s nominees by artist Tim Nguyen lined the hallway as guests entered the candlelit penthouse space.
WME co-chairman Richard Weitz made a toast alongside fellow co-head Christian Muirhead, “noting that while the agency opted for a more lowkey occasion this year given the LA fires, it was still important to celebrate the agency’s nominees and the film business,” an insider said.
Guests received personalized gift bags, as Domingo, Mangold, Jones and others moved down to the hotel’s garden for their own private dinners. Said an insider, “It was a very personalized, classy affair.”
Power agency CAA held its bash this year at LA’s private club, Living Room, to celebrate its nominees, including Adrien Brody, Ariana Grande, Zoe Saldaña, Denis Villeneuve, Sebastian Stan, Ralph Fiennes, Demi Moore, Guy Pearce, Jacques Audiard, Marc Platt, Jesse Eisenberg, Alex Heineman, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Brady Corbet, among others.
Also at the bash were stars including Channing Tatum, Chris Pine, Jennifer Lopez, Mick Jagger, Renée Zellweger, Sacha Baron Cohen, Samuel L. Jackson, Vin Diesel and Kravitz.
Page Six reported that Tatum attended with model Inka Williams, four months after he and Zoë Kravitz called off their engagement.
CAA made donations in the names of attendees to SoCal Fire Fund.
Leading up to its famed Oscars after-party, Vanity Fair and Saint Laurent teamed to throw a pre-awards dinner hosted by the famed fashion house’s creative director Anthony Vaccarello and VF’s editor in chief Radhika Jones.
Guests included Zoë Kravitz, Brody, Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm and more.
Chanel also held its 16th annual pre-awards dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel for attendees including Kim Kardashian, Lauren Sanchez and Rolling Stone icon Jagger.
In other affairs, WIF (founded in 1973 as Women in Film) has its annual nominees celebration, with over 50 Oscar nominees in attendance.
Some of the proceeds from the event will go to the Entertainment Community Fund for those impacted by the California wildfires.