After-glow
OSCAR STORY
Are you ready for your close-up? For the past 82 years, one night in the entertainment calendar has stood out amongst all the rest in terms of glitz, glamour and prestige; we’re talking, of course, about the Academy Awards, when all eyes worldwide are trained on the long red gauntlet that leads to the hallowed steps of the Kodak Theatre. But even A-listers weren’t born picture perfect; a lot of teasing, tweaking, pulling and squeezing is often involved in turning our favorite celebs into the icons of style we see on Oscar night, and unlike an 80s movie montage, it’s never as effortless as it looks.
It’s Been an Honor and a Privilege By: Susan Michals Photography: Aaron Lucy © Collective Magazine 2010
Of course, in the early days of Oscar, it wasn’t quite the media circus we’re exposed to today. At the first soiree, held May 16, 1929, the accolades were presented at a private brunch at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in front of an intimate audience of 270. Today, however, the Academy Awards is a completely different animal. Millions across the globe tune in – and not just for the accolades. It’s just as much about the red carpet as the actual ceremony itself. Who’s wearing what and with whom they grace that carpet – that’s what seems to get the golden ratings these days. Oscar night is a evening of magic; when we can revel and applaud in the essence of cinema in its purest form. Where else could an undervalued underdog that earned only $16 million dollars at the box office take on the highest grossing film of all time and actually win? To watch a titan like Avatar dangle helplessly from the bootstraps of The Hurt Locker only served to remind us just why we love the magic of the movies, and why stars put themselves through hell just to bask in the glow of that golden statuette. In the seven weeks leading up to the star-studded ceremony, The Collective’s own Susan Michals stepped to the other side the velvet rope and walked a mile (well, more than that as it turns out) in a celebrity’s shoes, willing to brave Oscar’s particular brand of sado-masochistic Hollywood hell to experience just what it takes to look as screen queen flawless on the biggest night of the year…at least in this town.
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