The Academy Awards of Merit, commonly known as the Oscars or Academy Awards, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the film industry. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States, in recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy's voting membership. The Oscars are widely considered to be the most prestigious awards in the film industry.
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel, known mononymously as Seal, is a British musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has sold over 20 million records worldwide. These include hit songs "Crazy" and "Killer", the latter of which went to number one in the UK, and his most celebrated song, "Kiss from a Rose", which was released in 1994.
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757.
James Newton Howard is an American film composer, music producer and keyboardist. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine nominations for Academy Awards. His film scores include Pretty Woman (1990), The Prince of Tides (1991), The Fugitive (1993), Space Jam (1996), Dinosaur (2000), Peter Pan (2003), King Kong (2005), Batman Begins (2005) and its sequel The Dark Knight (2008) which he composed with Hans Zimmer, The Hunger Games franchise (2012–2023), Fantastic Beasts trilogy (2016–2022), and Jungle Cruise (2021). He has collaborated extensively with directors M. Night Shyamalan and Francis Lawrence, having scored eight of Shyamalan's films since The Sixth Sense (1999) and all of Lawrence's films since I Am Legend (2007). He has also worked with such other directors as Edward Zwick, Michael Hoffman, P.J. Hogan, Andrew Davis, Lawrence Kasdan, Joe Johnston, Taylor Hackford, Ivan Reitman, Joel Schumacher, David Yates, and Barbra Streisand.
Wolfgang Johannes Puck is an Austrian-American chef and restaurateur.
Spago is Wolfgang Puck's flagship restaurant worldwide, known for serving California cuisine. Spago is Puck's first restaurant venture.
An Oscar party or Oscars party is any of the several parties, usually held by entertainment-media corporations, immediately following the broadcast of the Academy Awards ceremony.
California-style pizza is a style of pizza that combines New York and Italian thin crust with toppings from the California cuisine cooking style. Its invention is generally attributed to chef Ed LaDou, and Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California. Wolfgang Puck, after meeting LaDou, popularized the style of pizza in the rest of the country. It is served in many California cuisine restaurants. California Pizza Kitchen, Round Table Pizza, Extreme Pizza, and Sammy's Woodfired Pizza are four major pizza franchises associated with California-style pizza.
Sir Elton Hercules John is a British singer, pianist and composer. Acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during the 1970s and for his lasting impact on the music industry, his music and showmanship have had a significant impact on popular music. His songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin is one of the most successful in history.
The Life Ball in Vienna is the biggest charity event in Europe supporting people with HIV or AIDS. The event is organized by the nonprofit organization AIDS LIFE, which was founded in 1992 by Gery Keszler and Torgom Petrosian.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation(EJAF) is a nonprofit organization, established by musician Sir Elton John in 1992 in the United States and 1993 in the United Kingdom to support innovative HIV prevention, education programs, direct care and support services to people living with or at risk of HIV. It has raised over $565 million to support HIV-related programs across ninety countries.
David Rockwell is an American architect and designer. He is the founder and president of Rockwell Group, a 250-person cross-disciplinary architecture and design practice based in New York City with satellite offices in Madrid and Los Angeles.
The Pacific Design Center, or PDC, is a 1,600,000-square-foot (150,000 m2) multi-use facility for the design community in West Hollywood, California. One of the buildings is often described as the Blue Whale because of its large size relative to surrounding buildings and its brilliant blue glass cladding.
Carl Jules Weyl was a German art director. He won an Oscar in the category Best Art Direction for the film The Adventures of Robin Hood. He was also nominated in the same category for the film Mission to Moscow.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is an American reality television series which has been broadcast on Bravo since October 14, 2010. Developed as the sixth installment of The Real Housewives franchise, it has aired thirteen seasons and focuses on the personal and professional lives of women who live in or near Beverly Hills, California.
The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is a historic hotel located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. It opened on May 15, 1927, and is the oldest continually operating hotel in Los Angeles.
Fame & Philanthropy was a charitable fundraising event that took place on the evening of the 86th Academy Awards, March 2, 2014. Attendees of the event range from high-profile celebrities to leaders in business, entertainment, and politics. The fundraising event, first presented in 2014 at The Vineyard in Beverly Hills, featured a keynote speech from Academy Award-winning director James Cameron, and was attended by actresses Charlize Theron and Halle Berry.
Barbara Ellen Lazaroff is an American interior designer and restaurateur, and the co-founder of the Wolfgang Puck brand. She has been involved with several women's business and leadership organizations.
Rocketman is a 2019 biographical jukebox musical drama film based on the life, music and career of British musician Elton John. Directed by Dexter Fletcher and written by Lee Hall, the film tells the story of John in his early days in England as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his musical partnership with Bernie Taupin. The story is told through his music and is titled after John's 1972 song "Rocket Man". The film stars Taron Egerton as John, with Jamie Bell as Taupin, Richard Madden as John Reid, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Sheila Eileen, John's mother.
Sutton Stracke is an American socialite, businesswoman and television personality. She is known for appearing on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
