This year's Academy Awards will take place on March 7th. But the real fun happens after the awards, when the stars let loose at the Governor's Ball. 1,500 guests, including both award winners and nominees, will finally be able to stop dieting and start drinking recklessly. LAist was there to preview the feast prepared by Wolfgang Puck and his pastry chef of wonder, Sherry Yard. Moet & Chandon was also on hand to show off the official Oscar cocktail. more ›

The Governors Ball is the annual soiree that takes place at Hollywood and Highland directly after the Academy Awards. The theme this year brings back old Hollywood elegance, particularly the late 30s and early 40s "Streamline Moderne" style. Cheryl Cecchetto, who has produced the Governors Ball for the last 21 years, teamed up with Jeffrey Kurland to bring the glamour and magic to life. From the glittering tables to the beaded fiber optic lighting to the purple, orange, silver and copper color palette, the room brings the curves of Dorothy Draper and the artistry of Paul Williams to life. more ›

Monday The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences held its annual luncheon for the Oscar nominees at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. Approximately 120 nominees were on hand, including Fifteen of the twenty nominees in the acting categories. more ›

When you read something you like on LAist, we love it when you hit the "recommend" button, and we love it even more if you put your two cents' worth in the comments. Getting a dialog going with our readers and making sure we're giving you content you can use are top priorities for us. So here's this week's top posts, as endorsed by you via the recommend feature, or as indicated by the level of talk going on in the comments: more ›

OK so the Oscars are this weekend. Even though the writers' strike is over, the prediction is that this will be a ho-hum (excuse me?) Oscars. First of all, the majority of the films presented for consideration are real downers, secondly, because of the strike, many potential presenters thought that the awards ceremony would be canceled or drastically cut back so they made other plans and are now not available to present at the show. I'm sure they will have enough presenters but perhaps there won't be as many "mega-stars", thus leaving room for more indie-types. more ›

OK so the Oscars a week from Sunday are what we're building up to but as an enthusiastic follower of Dexter on Showtime, I'm intrigued to see how it will translate to its network debut on CBS at 10:00pm this Sunday. At first I was concerned that the end result would be a heavily edited, several minutes shorter, vapid and empty shell of its former glory. Not so according to my Showtime contact. Evidently when they were shooting Dexter, for scenes that were gory, had nudity, or strong language, they shot alternate footage meant for broadcast TV. On Sunday we'll see if the result is a dumbed down and boring version of our favorite serial killer. more ›

The Oscars are set to be announced tomorrow in Beverly Hills, but today, this Holiday day, the uber-California music festival experience will be announced. From Mexico City, no less. more ›

- Proof that America isn't as fascist as some might think: our trains don't run on time. Least fascist line? The Coast Starlight that runs between Seattle and LA - Seattle PI - Be careful what you wish for. Paris Hilton wanted to be popular and loved - well now she might become the most popular and loved inmate in a local jail thanks to her insistence of driving with a suspended license. Didn't... more ›

A Word Or 46: The Oscars blew its big TV wad all over the place so let's get on with our lives. The Daily Show and Colbert Report are back from hiatus -- did they think they were doing the Oscars again? What's their excuse? Lots of new TV tonight. Tonight - Monday - February 26th, 2007 Lakers @ Jazz (KCAL, 6:00 p.m.) Bobcats @ Clippers (PRIME, 7:30 p.m.) How I Met Your Mother/The... more ›

The Oscars as TV This is strictly opinion about the Academy Awards broadcast on ABC - not the pre- or post- shows. This isn't about who won and the merits of their winning, this is just about the nearly 4 hours of TV that was on. The Oscars are a marathon, no doubt about it, and a slow marathon at that. Most able bodied people should be able to do a marathon in about... more ›

What were we thinking? Just a quick jaunt to our neighborhood Trader Joe's to grab some nibbly things and vino and appetizers (and, okay, some stuff to brown bag for work lunches this week) and we'd be in and out in plenty of time to catch the Red Carpet Arrival brouhaha on any of a handful of channels. Of course, everyone and their mother--like the gal and her mother we kept bumping into around every... more ›

The Oscars go down in just a few hours, so this is the last call for Oscar Picks! more ›

The Oscars are right around the corner, everyone's an expert, so let's see what ya got. After the jump we have ten big categories for Sunday's award show. To enter out your picks in the comments and leave your real email address so we can contact you. Please follow this format: 1. Penelope Cruz 2. Jennifer Hudson 3. Forest Whitaker etc... Here are the AMAZING prizes we have for the winners The Grand Prize Winner... more ›

First, we celebrated her birthday then we wondered what really happened when a body ended up in her house the day after The Oscars. Sadly, now we know. The Washington Times reports that Republican Media Advisor R. Gregory Stevens died of a drug overdose in Carrie Fisher's home. more ›