Partying at the Oscars
Houstonians add a glam Texas touch to the Academy Awards soirees
Diane Lokey Farb and Cerón seated at the Chopard table at the Elton John AIDSFoundation Academy Awards party in Los Angeles.Photo by Stefanie Keenan
Diane Lokey Farb makes a stunning red carpet entrance at the Elton John Party.She wore Reem Acra.Photo by Stefanie Keenan
For almost two decades, social icon Lynn Wyatt has reigned as the Houstonian with the most prestigious invitations to the Oscar scene in Los Angeles. This past weekend, the Texas accent was amplified in L.A. by a handful of additional Bayou City sophisticates making their mark at several key parties.
La Wyatt is a regular at the Vanity Fair Academy Awards soirée, a coveted invitation limited to an elite 150 who are deemed VF relevant by editor Graydon Carter. Guests arrived early for the awards-viewing dinner and stayed late at the Sunset Tower Hotel to rub elbows with the stars for the second tier of the evening when the Oscar-toting winners pour in to celebrate. It was Wyatt's 16th time to garner what is considered the most prestigious Oscar-night invitation.
She is also privileged each year to attend the annual picnic (picture Oriental carpets on the grass and other lavish touches) held on the sweeping lawns of the Beverly Hills home of Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg. Nancy Reagan was special guest that afternoon and Wyatt and Carolina Herrera spent much of the time escorting her through the crush of notables.
On Saturday night, Wyatt, her best buddy Elton John and his partner, David Furnish, attended the $10,000 per person "The Night Before" gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where the stars truly dazzled. If name-dropping were your game, this would be the place to say you rubbed shoulders with David Geffen, Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, Jeff Bridges, Sarah Jessica Parker and more. Just ask Becca Cason Thrash, who partied there on the arm of L.A. party maestro Ben Bourgeois. They were the guests of Survivor producer Mark Burnett and wife Roma Downey.
No cameras, no cell phones, no press allowed according to Thrash, who said that that aspect of the party made it very easy to schmooze with the stars. At one moment she found herself in a huddle speaking Spanish with Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, Javier Bardem and Marc Anthony, who had performed at her home for a Best Buddies benefit. "Have you met Jenny?" Anthony asked Thrash. That would be his wife, Jennifer Lopez.
Also in "The Night Before" mix was young Phillip Sarofim on the arm of a fetching young woman.
Partying relentlessly for three star-studded nights were Diane Lokey Farb and Cerón, who were the weekend guests of Chopard America chairman and president Marc Hruschka. They made the Polo Lounge, the epicenter of Oscar madness, at the Beverly Hills Hotel, the E! late-night party Sunday at the new W Hotel. Tops on their dance card was the Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards party held at the Pacific Design Center. Chopard was one of the main sponsors of Elton's charity evening, giving our Houstonians front and center placement.
If only Cerón's iPhone had been working properly. Farb is sick that the photos of her with Elton John, with Simon Cowell and with others didn't come out. Stars in that mix included Victoria Beckham, Rob Lowe, Jamie Foxx, Heidi Klum, Nicole Richie, Jennifer Lopez and Miley Cyrus.
Also attending that Elton John Oscar night party were Greggory and Patrick Burk. They earned their tickets as high bidders in the live auction at the UNICEF black-tie dinner held at the Thrash home late last year. "We had an absolute ball," Greggory e-mailed.
