For decades, the Vanity Fair Oscar party has been Hollywood’s most reliably star-packed post-ceremony hangout — the place where winners clutch their statuettes and losers pretend not to care. This year, the new man in charge is ripping up the blueprint.
Mark Guiducci, who took over from Radhika Jones as global editorial director after years at Vogue helping Anna Wintour curate the Met Gala, is giving the annual bash a top-to-bottom makeover — starting with the venue. The party is moving from its longtime home at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills to LACMA, a shift that has already prompted comparisons to — yep — the Met Gala.
The guest list is getting a trim, too. Guiducci is prioritizing movie stars, nominees and (hopefully) winners while clearing the room of outside media, reps, sponsors and the assorted industry suits who’ve long treated the party as a networking event. The goal, per sources: an exclusive environment where stars can “really let their hair down.” That means no reporters scribbling down who’s canoodling with whom at the bar. Among the outlets now banished from the event: The New York Times, the L.A. Times, Variety, The Washington Post, Page Six, The Associated Press, CNN and — yes, shockingly — The Hollywood Reporter.
Also out: social media posts from inside the event. Organizers are reportedly considering covering smartphone cameras with stickers, à la San Vicente Bungalows. But Guiducci taketh and giveth: While the press isn’t being allowed inside, they’re being welcomed with open arms — and in larger numbers — outside on the red carpet, with more outlets than ever on the line.
One more reason LACMA is abuzz this spring: Art installation is now in progress at the new David Geffen Galleries, which are set to open after years of construction with members being welcomed inside as of April 19.
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This story appeared in the March 11 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
