USA: Hollywood's A-list in full force at the annual Vanity Fair post Oscar bash in West Hollywood, California

The creme de la creme of Hollywood on Sunday (February 25) flocked to the Vanity Fair party to celebrate this year's Oscar Winners. The winners, with a tight grip on their Oscar statuettes, were the centre of attention as they arrived at the West Hollywood Bash. And more than others, this was the case with director Martin Scorsese, whose arrival prompted an applause and cheers from onlookers and the media. The director received many compliments from fellow celebrities on the red carpet. "It's so exciting to see Marty (Martin Scorsese) win. I think it's really nice and in a way Marty won for a body of work because he has such an extraordinary body of work and people admire and respect him and it was thrilling to see him get his due," said Sharon Stone. "Of course we are ecstatic for Marty. He is the best what do you mean it's long over due. Good," added Mark Wahlberg who worked with Scorsese on winning film 'The Departed'. Also at the bash were the evening's leading ladies Best Actress winner Helen Mirren and Best Supporting Actress Jennifer Hudson. Mirren said she was feeling proud and relieved at the same time. "It felt, you know it's a moment of incomprehension really, I mean, certainly relief at last it's over if you know what I mean, because it's a long time coming. It's been a long journey here and so that was very proud moment definitely," she said. Equally happy was Jennifer Hudson, who won the best supporting actress award for "Dreamgirls," in perhaps what was the most extraordinary story of this year's Oscar winners. The 25-year-old from Chicago was a contestant on American Idol in 2004, but was voted off after judge Simon Cowell told her she was out of her depth in the competition. She had no acting experience but auditioned for Dreamgirls, a film inspired by the story of sixties girl group The Supremes, beating out 783 other hopefuls to the role - including Fantasia Barrino, the American Idol winner. "It feels good," the young star said as she arrived at the Vanity Fair Party. "Thank you Simon, he left me a really sweet message," she added. The talk of the party was Al Gore's winning documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth' which won plaudits from the guests. "It means we are getting greener. It means we are all moving ahead and it was an honour to be involved in the film," said Melissa Etheridge. "I was talking to Melissa Etheridge afterwards as well that the message is finally getting out that it's not just, like she said tonight, it's not a political stance it's not a red or a blue issue it's that everybody really all of us together as a world community as a global community and that's what really are that is what we exist as," said Cameron Diaz. As well as the environment, it was a good evening for Latin Americans said Gustavo Santaolalla, who won an Oscar for best composing. "This is a great year for all of us, all the Latinos and finally we are seeing a different angle, a different culture. I think for a while people saw just one side, a more stereotypical side, but now, on the back of the work of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron, Lubezki, Navarro and all these people like Gael (Garcia Bernal) and I hope with all these people, others will learn to see a new side of the Latin culture," he said. British actress Kate Winslet, who has been nominated for an Oscar for five times, said the evening had proved to live up to expectations and both entertained and dazzled with its star-power. "It's fantastic and it does feel you know amazing to have been here again and to have to experienced this night and it was such an incredible show. It really was great entertainment honestly. To be in that room and they really pulled all the stops out it was just a wonderful night," Winslet summed up this year's Academy Awards. Also attending the Vanity Fair party were a host of A-listers including Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony, rapper Kanye West, actress Penelope Cruz, British fashionista Victoria Beckham and young Oscar-nominated actress Abigail Breslin. "Well I met, let me see, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, and Jodi Foster," the star-struck youngster said.

ITN Source | February 28, 2007

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