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In a career spanning over 30 years of experience in journalism, TV production, film and TV scripts, Wladimir Weltman has worked for some of the most important companies in the industry in the USA and Brazil. Numa carreira que se estende por mais de 30 anos de experiência em jornalismo, produção de tevê, roteiros de cinema e TV, e presença frente às câmeras Wladimir Weltman trabalhou em algumas das mais importantes empresas do ramo nos EUA e no Brasil.

quarta-feira, 18 de janeiro de 2023

A BIT OF THE CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS BACKSTAGE FOR YOU...

 



I prepared for you this article about the backstage of the Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Plaza in Century City. In the attached video you will see all the action at the show’s room and the arrival cocktail. 

When we arrived, we met colleagues, bump into celebrities, appreciate the most beautiful and daring outfits; eat the finger food that are served, because you never knew what is going to be served in the dining room...

I arrived early when the cocktail area was not yet full and I met friends and celebrities, such as the couple Silvia Bottini (Italian actress) and her husband, the journalist Matteo Ghidoni; the American journalist Steve Goldman; Brazilian journalists Cleide Klock and Jana Nascimento, with their respective husbands; journalists Virág Vida from Hungary and Sara Gerlach Madsen from Denmark; actress Judy Greer (13 GOING ON 30, THE DESCENDANTS, JURASSIC WORLD, ANT-MAN, 15:17, HALLOWEEN ENDS); the cast of ARGENTINA 1985, actors Ricardo Darín and Peter Lanzani, the director Santiago Mitre, and the lawyer who lived the drama in real life, Luís Moreno Ocampo; Michel Emerson (from EVIL, THE NAME OF THE ROSE, PERSON OF INTEREST); film critic Leonard Maltin and the RRR director, S. S. Rajamouli. Not forgetting Mr. Ben Stiller.

At 3:30 PM we were invited to enter the main room, where lunch/dinner was waiting for us – three little piles; one of olive paste, another with eggplant cream, humus, and red peppers; a tiny piece of artichoke, three toasts, and three olives - viola! This was our meal during the 3 hours of the show...

To kill hunger, just water, champagne, and red wine. A dangerous liquid meal. At least I sat among many stars. At the next table were actors Sebastian Stan (PAM & TOMMY, AVENGERS: END GAME, BLACK PANTHER), and Melanie Lynskey (DON’T LOOK UP, YELLOWJACKETS, TWO AND A HALF MEN). In the various commercial breaks, everyone, famous or not, would get up and chat with friends at other tables. Actors Kegan-Michael Key (THE PROM, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME, JUNGLE, JANGLE), Johnny Knoxville (JACKASS, SKIP TRACE, THE LAST STAND), Tyler James William (ABBOT ELEMENTARY, EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS) and Giancarlo Esposito (KALEIDOSCOPE, BETTER CALL SAUL, THE MANDALORIAN, ALI), passed by ours and I photographed them.

I enjoyed it when Jeff Bridges received his Lifetime Achievement Award from his friend and THE BIG LEBOWSKI film colleague John Goodman.

Jeff said that the event was taking place exactly on his father's birthday, Lloyd Bridges. In his speech, he said: “He is the reason I am here. My dad loved showbiz and being an actor. As a kid, I said, 'Dad, I'm not sure I want to be an actor. Perhaps I prefer painting or music.' He reacted, 'Jeff, don't be ridiculous. Being an actor, you're going to do all those things. And tell wonderful stories, from different human perspectives. This is a wonderful profession. "

What happens during the commercials is that those stars that we admire so much and only see on the red carpet, or receiving awards, leave their tables and “stars-like behavior” and go chat with their buddies, who are also stars. I recorded with my cell phone the time Kate Blanchet came to the table next to ours, to hug an Australian colleague; and then had a long chat with Julia Garner (INVENTING ANNA, OZARK, THE AMERICANS). And Guillermo Del Toro, who thanked James Cameron onstage when his film PINNOCHIO won best-animated film, later went to chat with Cameron at his table. I recorded everything; I just couldn't hear what they said.

And some speeches were moving like ABBOT ELEMENTARY actress Sheryl Lee Ralph who said, “To all of you watching, get up close to the screen and listen. People don't have to like you, people don't have to love you, and people don't even have to respect you. But when you look in the mirror, you better love what you see!”

Singer and actress Janelle Monáe, who stars in the film GLASS ONION, was also applauded as she received the award for her support of women's causes. But the most emotional and tearful speech of the night was that of Brendan Fraser who received the Best Actor Award for his performance in THE WHALE: “This film is about love. It's about redemption. It's about finding the light in a dark place."

The party ended with EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE got the Best Picture Award. I think our party was much more relaxed, intimate, and good-humored than the Golden Globes. Our Host, Chelsea Handler, gave an opening monologue that was much more amusing than Jerrod Carmichael's (no one knows who he is) and which was aimed at hurting the organization responsible for the Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. And the overall atmosphere of the night, as you can see in the images, was one of a relaxed party. Anyway, I enjoyed this night of pure hype among Hollywood stars.

At the exit, in the cocktail hall, there was a feast waiting for us; sushi and Italian food and sweets, and lots of elegant people jostling each other to satisfy their 3-hour hunger. I confess that I ate little because my favorite film – ARGENTINA 1985 – did not win the prize for Best Foreign Language Film, which went to RRR. My fellow CCA members did not grasp the quality and importance of the Argentinian film. That’s life. But we still have the Oscars ahead of us...

#criticschoiceawards #criticschoice #hollywood #oscars #celebrities #wladimirweltman

Here is the video of that party night: https://youtu.be/gdJE_X6kGrM