Stars party all around Hollywood before, during, and after the Oscars. Here, Variety hits the town to give you the inside scoop on all the star-studded soirées. Keep checking back throughout the weekend for the latest updates… Elton John AIDS Foundation Viewing Party West Hollywood Park, Feb. 24 Aside from serving as a benefit for his AIDS Foundation, what makes Elton John’s Oscar bash unique is that it happens to be a viewing party. But the iconic singer has little interest in the show itself. When asked how he would fix this year’s famously messy, hostless Academy Awards, John told Variety: “I have no idea. I don’t run the Oscars — thank God!” Understandably, John already has enough on his plate between running a charity and touring the world. But surely one of his first guests to grace the event’s ivory carpet, Oscar winner Patricia Arquette — who famously used her 2015 acceptance speech to highlight gender equality — has some ideas. “I have enough problems of my own,” she told Variety. “My new speech is: ‘I can’t fix it. Bye bye!’” But Arquette did share some thoughts on the one-year anniversary of the #MeToo movement. “Our industry has become more of a corporatocracy,” she said. “All of these small companies are owned by giant global conglomerates and they don’t like sexual assault in the workplace. We all know now: It’s 2019. It’s time for people to treat their coworkers with respect and have a dignified workplace.” As for some of John’s longtime friends who fondly remember the golden age of Old Hollywood, they downplayed the Academy’s various controversies. “Honey, it’s the Oscars. It is going to go on with or without a host,” said Lorna Luft, whose mother, Judy Garland, starred in the original version of “A Star Is Born.” “It’s about letting the people know who was nominated. It’s not about if you win or lose; you will always be an Academy Awards nominee.” “The Oscars are about excellence in moviemaking — I think we forget that,” agreed veteran actress Jane Seymour. “It’s about who made great movies; it’s not about a TV show.” But this party also attracted a younger, eclectic crowd. “I came last year for the first time,” said Gus Kenworthy. “It’s really incredible to see how much money is raised to fight HIV and AIDS — millions and millions of dollars over the course of one night — and Elton and David [Furnish] have been doing this for 27 years. That’s as long as I’ve been alive,” joked the Olympian. (Indeed, last night raised a total of $6.3 million.) Leave it to a first-time attendee like Nico Santos, who, just like his scene-stealing character from “Crazy Rich Asians,” was not at a loss for words and had an opinion about everything from the Oscars diversity problem to celebrity gridlock on the carpet during arrivals. “It was long,” he said of the wait to do press. “I was kind of complaining, but then I saw that even Heidi Klum had to wait, so I was like: ‘You know what? It’s fine.’” While Santos was disappointed that his movie failed to score any nominations, he was pleased to see the wins for “Black Panther.” “It’s great to see that people of color are getting the recognition they deserve, but this is a battle that never ends, right?” he told Variety. “They say that it’s good for business, but that shouldn’t be why they make diverse productions — they should be doing it because it’s the right thing to do.” And while nobody in this room cheered on the surprise best picture winner, “Green Book,” John’s subsequent performance (with Welsh actor Taron Egerton, who portrays him in the biopic “Rocketman,” as well as with the Killers frontman Brandon Flowers) was something that everyone could celebrate together. “I feel like Elton was Beyoncé before there was Beyoncé,” raved Santos. “Such a showman!”—James Patrick Herman Mercedes-Benz USA Viewing Party Four Seasons, Beverly Hills, Feb. 24 The Mercedes-Benz USA Oscars Viewing Party was firing on all cylinders as Oscar night festivities ensued. A dazzling gold AMG GT 63 coupe was a trophy in itself, greeting the partygoers entering the Four Seasons, Beverly Hills. Before the awards were handed out, Jon Hamm offered some perspective on recognizing great performances, “It’s a validation of something that you’ve, ideally, worked very hard on for your career, and it feels good. It’s something that you, in the case of certain awards, can literally hang your hat on.” For the Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award winner, it was the breakout performance of the year that stuck with him. “I was pretty impressed by Yalitza Aparicio in ‘Roma.’ I don’t think I’d ever seen anything like that before,” Hamm said, “I was deeply affected by that.” Tracee Ellis Ross was completely caught up in the excitement and buzz of the evening where dream moments happen, “This is a special night. All of us actors, that’s the mirror speech from when you’re 12.” “Somebody’s always watching you and they’re always learning from you,” said Mykelti Williamson (“Forrest Gump”) of how one great performance inspires another. En route to watching the big show, guests were able to make a stop in the “glam station” for last-minute style touch ups provided by Priv and Orlane. Of course, style is always a topic of conversation on the evening. For Katherine McNamara (“Shadowhunters”), making a fashion statement requires a sense of history. “We have decades of Oscars red carpets,” she said, “That’s what tonight’s all about, celebrating the progress that the industry has made.” As for the style icons that the entire industry has eyes on, it comes down to three for McNamara, “Glenn Close has been killing it, Lupita Nyong’o always looks amazing on the red carpet, Emily Blunt, she’s done so many amazing things this year.” As cocktail shakers shook and champagne flutes clinked, partygoers gathered in the nooks and crannies of the intimate viewing party. Jamie Foxx, Anthony Anderson, Kelly Rowland, and others posted up on VIP couches to watch the show.<doc-sep>Nikki Reed and husband Ian Somerhalder made a rare public appearance at a pre-Oscars 2019 party on Thursday, joining a slew of other celebs who are gathering to celebrate the end of award season ahead of the Academy Awards. The notoriously private married couple attended Cadillac's Oscars weekend cocktail bash at Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood. Other guests included John Stamos and wife Caitlyn McHugh, Allison Janney, Zoe Saldana and sister Cisley Saldana, Tiffany Haddish, Hilary Swank, Liev Schreiber, Christoph Waltz, Colton Haynes, Aisha Tyler, Zachary Quinto and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Reed and Somerhalder were spotted together by some heat lamps, chatting with some men about ecological ideas. The actors are known environmentalists. Somerhalder was also seen talking to Schreiber. Stamos and his wife arrived together and immediately posed for photos, then were spotted chatting with Ferguson and Haddish. Allison Janney arrived in a red Galvan jumpsuit, took photos inside as she entered, and then was escorted to a table outside. She was served Belvedere Vodka sodas and looked like she was having a great time. The actress was overheard talking about how Oscar-nominated film Roma was "visually the most beautiful thing" she'd seen in a long time and raved about her "best friend" Melissa McCarthy's performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? Janney also chatted with Swank and the two gushed over photos on the latter's phone. Haynes arrived alone and was seen chatting with several men at the bash.<doc-sep>Oscars night is finally here; however, a few stars decided to kick off the celebrations a little early. For instance, several A-listers attended the Chanel and Charles Finch pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at The Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Saturday. Margot Robbie, Kristen Stewart, Lupita Nyong'o, Lucy Boynton and Frances McDormand were just a few of the stars to attend the soirée. Carey Mulligan, Tessa Thompson, Michael Keaton, Shailene Woodley, Robin Wright and Henry Golding were all there, as well. For some, the event served as a sweet date night. Miley Cyrus attended the event with her new hubby Liam Hemsworth, for instance, and Leslie Mann was joined by her husband Judd Apatow. Some celebrities, however, have been gearing up for the Academy Awards all week long. To see which stars attended this and other pre-Oscars parties check out the gallery below.<doc-sep>The Oscars are Sunday, but already, Taylor Swift has made it clear she'll be supporting her boyfriend Joe Alwyn throughout Oscars weekend. They did their first party together last night. The couple was photographed at a pre-Oscars bash, though by guests and not in an official red carpet capacity. The two were shot next to each other though, so they weren't really hiding the fact they were each other's date to partygoers. In the past when Swift has attended after parties for Alwyn's movie premieres, she's just been photographed on her own (and not on the red carpet). The only time Alwyn and Swift have been shot inside a party alongside each other was at the BAFTA Awards After Party in London two weeks ago. They were snapped being affectionate with each other too, a very rare sight for an intensely private couple. Last night, Swift appeared to wear a black backless dress with her hair in a bun for the party she attended with Alwyn. Her British boyfriend beamed alongside her in photos taken of the two: This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. 📷 | Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn spotted at an #Oscars pre-party in LA pic.twitter.com/3cPv6Fo7cf — Taylor Swift News 💛 (@TSwiftNZ) February 23, 2019 This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. a local has this in her insta story of taylor and joe last night??!!!? pic.twitter.com/peyEMutyvT — sarah 👻 (@sarahlovesthat) February 23, 2019 The sighting confirms that Swift flew from London to Los Angeles to be with Alwyn this weekend. It comes after Swift had to skip the Grammy Awards and BAFTA Awards earlier this month because of her Cats shooting schedule. This is a huge weekend for Alwyn. His film The Favourite is up for several Oscars. While he doesn't have any individual nominations, there are a couple ensemble ones he's included in. The most prestigious of them is the film's Best Picture nomination. Should Swift and Alwyn walk the Oscars red carpet together, it will be their first award show and official event ever as a couple. The two have been quietly dating for over two years. Alyssa Bailey News and Strategy Editor Alyssa Bailey is the news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>
Time for celebration! Hollywood is gearing up for its biggest night of the year — Oscars 2019! — with a slew of star-studded parties. Before some of the most famous actors in Tinseltown, including Michael B. Jordan, Emilia Clarke, Laura Dern, Jason Momoa and Sarah Paulson, take the stage to present at the 91st annual Academy Awards on Sunday, February 24, the biggest and brightest stars have been hitting up pre-Oscars blowouts for Cadillac, ESSENCE x MACRO, WME and more. Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed, for example, made a rare appearance on the red carpet at the bash hosted by the car brand. “They posed together and were so cute,” an insider who attended the festivities exclusively told Us Weekly of the couple. Hilary Swank attended the same event with her new husband, Philip Schneider. “They were holding hands on the carpet and she was twirling and had a swing in her step,” the same insider revealed to Us. Other notable celebrities who were spotted out and about in the days leading up to the Academy Awards were Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus, Tiffany Haddish, John Stamos, Rami Malek, Rebel Wilson, Gal Gadot, and Serena Williams. Wilson, 38, posted a picture of herself with Malek, 37, from the WME party. “Night At The Museum 3 mini reunion,” the Isn’t It Romantic actress captioned the snapshot of her smiling next to her former costar. “Good luck @ramimalek and all the other nominees x.” (Malek is nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.) Multiple sources confirmed to Us Weekly that there will be no host at this year’s Oscars. (Kevin Hart stepped down from the position after his past homophobic tweets resurfaced in December.) This marks the first time that the ceremony will operate without someone leading the production since 1989. The 91st annual Academy Awards airs on ABC Sunday, February 24, at 8 p.m. ET. Until then, scroll down to see which stars hit up the parties before the show!