LOS ANGELES (AP) — By the time filmmaker Ava DuVernay got to Vanity Fair and Lancome’s Women in Hollywood pre-Oscars event Thursday night, she had already been to two other events that day. Not only that, she had to be “on” at each — they all had her name on the invitation. Such is the life in the days leading up to the Academy Awards Sunday, where it can often seem like there are more parties than there are nominees to go around.
Although DuVernay was a little tired, she was excited for Vanity Fair — a name which has become almost synonymous with Oscars for the magazine’s famed post-show party. But for DuVernay it was another reason. As a co-host, she got to invite her own batch of friends and peers to the chic garden rooftop of the West Hollywood Soho House, where guests surrounded by pink roses and a canopy of trees sipped on their champagne and Belvedere vodka cocktails while overlooking the must-see jetliner views of Los Angeles.
DuVernay co-hosted the gathering with Vanity Fair editor Radhika Jones and Zendaya, where they mingled with guests like Lupita Nyong’o, Linda Cardellini, #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, Maude Apatow and Storm Reid, who starred in DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time.”
Many guests found themselves event-hopping Thursday before Oscars weekend swings into full gear, and there were many to choose from. Just a few blocks away Allison Janney and Tiffany Haddish could be spotted at Cadillac’s annual party at the Chateau Marmont.
Like DuVernay, “RBG” filmmakers Julie Cohen and Betsy West also came from Diane von Furstenberg’s luncheon for female Oscar nominees to the Vanity Fair reception. But a third event was not in store for Cohen and West, both New Yorkers, who decided instead to save their energy for the next few days.
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