Peggy Siegal’s Oscar Diary, A Must-Read

The photos, the stories, the whole night written from a unique perspective of a well connected person and one you’ll want to read:

We kissed elegantly composed Anne Hathaway and asked, “Who are you wearing?” “Prada,” she said. I suggested to her father Jerry that he buy her that Tiffany diamond necklace after she wins, imitating the late Bruce Paltrow’s generosity to his daughter Gwyneth after her own big night. Not sure I was kidding, her mother Kate sweetly assured me, “We have something for her.”

We stepped on Amy Adams’ Oscar de la Renta silver-ruffled train. We stared deeply into Halle Berry’s dress to see if she was real. We touched Jennifer Lawrence’s amazing Dior skirt when she was not looking, and we embraced every studio head in hopes of a job next week. Usher number 85 now screamed at us, and we finally ran away.

Another great bit:

Hugh Jackman was wildly impressed I wormed my way into his dress rehearsal that night. He said security was so tight that they practically strip searched him on the way in. I said, “With you, they have good reason.”

Jackman did not exaggerate the thoroughness of the interrogation at the Dolby Theatre. Koch’s assistant was glued to my hip as she ushered me down nondescript hallways. Behind her back, I slipped into the ornate Green Room complete with chandeliers and fancy wallpaper and met Les Miz French music composer Claude-Michel Schonberg. He told suspicious guards, “She is with me.”

Jackman and Redmayne spotted me as they were about to go on and rolled their eyes knowing wild horses could not keep me out. In the audience I was next to Cameron Mackintosh who had personally paid to fly in an additional 24 chorus kids from London to add to the 24 Universal sponsored. The iconic music began and everyone got goose bumps. The set cracked open and Hugh swept out singing “Suddenly” followed by Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bonham Carter, Sasha Baron Cohen and Aaron Tveit, until the whole theater was reverberating with “One Day More.”

I stood in the garage with Sasha Baron Cohen’s wife, Isla Fisher. She had brazenly filmed the number on her iPhone. Redmayne came dashing out disheveled and Isla pulled him aside. She replayed the video and gave him stage direction. The Anne Hathaway dress drama continued. Anne texted Valentino that day that she did plan on wearing his dress, only to find out at tonight’s rehearsal that Amanda Seyfried had a similar one. Who knew? What a nightmare for Anne.

At Charles Finch and Chanel’s annual pre-Oscar dinner at Madeo gorgeous girls were dressed in Chanel. The best invites always say come for a hot meal and we will put a $20,000 dress on your back.

Those that happily ate in Chanel were Jessica Chastain, January Jones, Kate Bosworth, Poppy Delevinge, Felicity Jones, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Chloe Moretz, Emily Mortimer, Andrea Riseborough, Gia Coppola and Charles’ wife Sydney Finch.

Read the rest.