Inside The Oscar Week With Edward Bass

Many years ago I worked with Michel Litvak at a company called Bold Films and I can tell you, without a doubt, that his films Whiplash and Nightcrawler definitely reflect his talent on understanding scripts and picking the kind of things that many in the mainstream would pass. It’s easy to look back at the success of a film and say “I would have made that,” but to invest large sums of money in a film based on a young jazz musician and to capture such attention in a small film like that is a true talent. When you take a shot on a fine actor (Miles Teller) and turn him into a bankable star and take a second-time director (Damien Chazelle) and turn him into a power player, you know you have arrived in Hollywood. I had the pleasure of taking a walk on the beach with Michel and he told me that his decision to make Whiplash was an instinctual one. He went to an office, saw the material, and just said yes, free of all the bureaucratic politics that sometimes delay truly good films from being produced.

There was a rumor that I was going to get an Honorary Oscar this year, but I stopped spreading it. Actually, it was Bob Hope who said that. How did we go from the days of Bob Hope, Billy Crystal, and Seth McFarlane (with his “I saw your boobs” song that prophesied Jennifer Lawrence’s unfortunate leak) to this years Oscars? We decided to view the Oscars at Norby Walters’ Night of 100 Stars and it was excellent. Peter Nygaard of Nygaard Fashion, who has a lovely building in Times Square, was the evening’s sponsor. Norby and he have coordinated many an event at the Beverly Hills Hotel, but I have to say, this one at the Beverly Hilton was spectacular. If he had continued at the Beverly Hills Hotel, it would have been more exclusive because no one would have shown up (due to the Sultan of Brunei implementing Sharia Law, which preaches death to homosexuals). It’s not all bad though. For the last twenty years, the Beverly Hills Hotel has given pre-services on Saturday for the Orthodox Jewish community, so that’s a plus. Back to the Hilton, there were drinks and good times, winners won and losers lost, and some people just made a mockery of themselves (I’m looking at you Travolta). Once the awards ceremony ended, I headed to an after party at the Soho House in West Hollywood hosted by Harvey Weinstein, Mr. Oscar himself.  After winning the Academy Award for best Adapted Screenplay (and giving an incredibly moving speech), Graham Moore stopped by the party, still visibly experiencing the euphoria of his big moment. I had the pleasure of attending the celebration of Boyhood, one of the years best films, at Cecconi’s restaurant in West Hollywood on the 19th. Three of the four major stars were there, with Ethan Hawke unable to attend. The cast seemed overjoyed with the response to the movie and director Richard Linklater said he would “be happy no matter what happened on Sunday.” Though the film only won Best Supporting Actress for Arquette’s (brilliant) performance, I trust that he was telling the truth. Ellar’s love interest in the movie, Zoe Graham, looked radiant in a silky white and gold dress with a matching handbag. KayKay Blaisdell, a popular fashion model and one of the admins of the Sugar and Spice Blog, looked stunning in a frilly, white dress. I had a great time at the Art of Elysium event at Cipriani’s. Christine Peters, producer of How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days, was there along with actor Billy Zane and Enemy of the State screenwriter David Marconi.

 I also went to the beautiful 1Oak nightclub for an DJ night presented by Vanity Fair and L’oreal Paris. Boy, was this a fun night. Hosting the event was the lovely Freida Pinto, while the DJ was none other than Orange is the New Black’s Taryn Manning, who rocked the club with great vibes and great music.