Elton John’s annual Oscar party benefiting his AIDS Foundation drew plenty of big names to the Pacific Design Center in Hollywood Sunday February 24th.
In the 21st year of his annual Oscar viewing party, music legend Elton John worked his way to each of the more than 70 tables that made up the makeshift ballroom under tents at the West Hollywood Park. The Academy Awards Viewing Party — which doubles as a fundraiser for John’s AIDS Foundation — featured a guest list of stars including Nicki Minaj, Jim Carrey, Tim Allen, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Heidi Klum, Jim Carrey, Tim Allen, Kim and Kloe Kardashian, Kelly Osbourne, Sean Penn, Steven Tyler, Nicki Minaj, international interior designers Martin Lawrence Bullard, Luigi Irauzqui and Antony Todd among other big industry names. The party included a dinner catered by Gordon Ramsay, an auction and a performance by Scottish singer Emeli Sandé.
And, despite eager urging from many of the party’s guests, John resisted calls to take the piano himself. The viewing party audience — which also included Quincy Jones, Carmen Electra and Bono — watched the awards on screens hanging all around the room and clapped, cheered and jeered as awards were handed out.
Bartenders in each of the tent’s three outer rooms served drinks named after the best picture nominees (A Django, for instance, included vodka, coconut juice and tonic water).
In the main dining room, attendees chose between red wine-braised beef short rib and roasted red snapper.
A slight groan trickled across the room just moments into the telecast when Oscar host Seth MacFarlane joked about R&B singer Chris Brown’s 2009 assault on girlfriend Rihanna.
Brown, who was in attendance, didn’t show any outward reaction to the joke and continued his conversation with current and former “American Idol” judges Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation is one of the foremost independent AIDS charities in the world. We fund frontline programmes that help to alleviate the pain – whether physical, emotional or financial – of those living with, affected by or at risk of HIV/AIDS, and to continue the fight against this worldwide pandemic so that no one is left behind.
Close to 1,000 people gathered under a tent in West Hollywood park to help and raise an estimated $6 million for the charity, with much coming from the auction for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. “It’s the biggest one yet,” Elton John said.