Oscar Sunday

Though it was calling for rain, it turned out to be a really lovely day. After some brekky at Mel's Diner (again), we hung out with the rest of the gawkers in and around the Kodak theatre. The bleacher seats were filled as early as 10 am. These seats were allocated by a lottery process back in late fall and are definitely for true Oscar die-hards. It was amazing to see all the cameras set-up and people milling about dresssed in tuxedo's and evening gowns. After browsing the cheeseball souvenir shops on Hollywood Boulevard, we retired to the pool for some sunshine, a cocktail and to watch the beautiful people lounging by the pool. Many people in our hotel were attending the event and we had the chance to see them getting primped by their stylists and photographed by their assistants. One of the lovely ladies by the pool - Maria Menounos from Access Hollywood.

The hotel itself was in full swing with E! reporting live from somewhere in the hotel and various celebs coming and going. Anca spotted Robert Downey Jr in the lobby en route to the red carpet - and I spotted him on TV walking the red carpet a mere 5 minutes later.

As I've mentioned before, The Hollywood Roosevelt was the location of the very first Academy Awards ceremony and they have continued the Oscar tradition by throwing a grand viewing party in their historic (and insanely gorgeous) lobby. We headed to the lobby for 3 pm and settled into our spot on a leather sofa in front of the large projection screen brought in special for the event. Although we were unfortunate enough to sit directly under the air conditioning vent (brrrrrr) we made the best of it with some Oscar themed martinis (we sampled the lemon-gin Avatar concoction), fine cheeses and a nice bottle of California Sauvignon Blanc.

And the winner is...me! Such a fantastic trip.