Oscars 2012: 'C'est formidable' - The French invade Vanity Fair Party - Telegraph Before you know it, though, a hundred million dollar blockbuster that you will see it in the cinema next year can be born. If two stars decide to work together the executives hovering nearby will make it happen. This year Tom Cruise was overheard excitedly telling George Lucas: "You gotta do that, you gotta direct." So who knows what we'll be watching come Christmas. B-listers who make it in to this affair simply gawp and try to make sure they are in the background of the photographs, while the C-listers stand outside beyond the four security checkpoints, desperately asking arriving guests if they have a spare plus-one. The party takes place in a single open area room with an adjoining bar. Navigation can be done by using celebrities as landmarks. Looking for the restroom I was instructed to turn left at Owen Wilson and go straight past Jonah Hill, which worked. This year Octavia Spencer, who dissolved into tears when accepting her best supporting actress award for The Help, was in a prime spot on a sofa at the top of the room. The actress said her emotional speech was a blank. She said: "I don't remember the moment on stage. All I remember is trying not to fall down the stairs. Her co-star Jessica Chastain brought her grandmother, and talked with Scottish star Gerard Butler. Nearby, Bradley Cooper of "The Hangover" and Zoe Saldana of "Avatar" held hands and canoodled while standing at a high table. A few yards away Sandra Bullock was laughing a lot at the next table. With so many long gowns in such a small space several inevitably got stepped on, including hers. Britain's big hope Gary Oldman, who was nominated for best actor for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, seemed not too disappointed with losing out and chatted animatedly in a booth with fellow nominees Glenn Close and Janet McTeer. Close was also re-united with her Fatal Attraction co-star Michael Douglas. British nominee Kenneth Branagh talked with Oscars host Billy Crystal while his "My Week with Marilyn" co-star Michelle Williams perched outside on a balcony overlooking the lights of Los Angeles. Jennifer Lopez changed from the Oscars ceremony into a dark red dress with a plunging neckline. Over at the bar Northern Ireland director Terry George, who achieved the only homegrown victory at the Oscars with his short film The Shore, was in conversation with documentary maker Michael Moore. David Beckham met up with his Los Angeles friend Tom Cruise, and Mad Men actor Jon Hamm spoke with American Football quarterback Tim Tebow. There was no sign of Uggie the canine star of The Artist. As Monsieur Dujardin explained Uggie, who is 10-years-old, had gone to bed early. He was last seen being carried across the lobby of the nearby Mondrian hotel to his sleeping basket. Last year's man of the moment Colin Firth was happy to hand over to his fellow European, and also paid tribute to Meryl Streep's Oscar-winning performance in The Iron Lady. He said: "Probably the last thing I saw that was as good as that was the last thing I saw Meryl Streep do." Sacha Baron Cohen put in a rare incognito appearance as himself, having earlier been turned away from the Oscars for turning up dresses as his new character "The Dictator." For the Vanity Fair party he abandoned his fake beard and breast full of medals and put on a tuxedo. Apart from his stunt a major topic of conversation was Angelina Jolie's on stage thigh-bearing. Her father, the actor Jon Voight, said: "I saw my daughter having her moment. It's so funny because who would know that somebody just coming up there and standing on stage would get so much attention. Cowboys & Aliens star Olivia Wilde said it was nice to be part of an "old Hollywood vibe." She said: "People don't dress up like this anymore. It really takes a special party to get people to put on a tux and get all snazzied up. As another guest put it: "If something happened to this room there would be no Hollywood left."