A sea of sequins and sparkle-adorned ladies, and gents in suits, walked the red carpet Sunday night at Lincoln Square Cinemas, while other movie-goers probably wondered why everyone was so dressed up to go to a movie.
But this was the night of the 85th Academy Awards. Organizer Wendy Funicello said 145 people attended the Academy Award viewing event, a fundraiser for the Seattle Children’s Hospital sponsored by Lincoln Square Cinemas and the Parlor Live.
After walking the red carpet, guests had their photo taken by a professional photographer, then were ushered to a swag table where they could take a t-shirt or a movie poster while picking up a glass of champagne. Funicello said 130 attendees registered in advance, with the remainder paying at the door. With ticket sales, raffle tickets and a silent auction, the event raised $15,000 for the hospital, meeting the goal for the evening.
Guests noshed on food catered by The Parlor Live, including Kobe beef sliders, coconut shrimp, stuffed mushrooms and an assortment of fruits and vegetables. Champagne and wine flowed freely.
Some were there to support the hospital, others were movie buffs looking to have an Oscar experience. Dr. Robert and Barbara Wagner came all the way from Puyallup to support the hospital. Robert was rooting for “Lincoln,” noting that he didn’t know if “Argo,” which did win best picture, was academy winning material. But, he confessed, he hadn’t seen “Argo” yet.
Standing in line for the refreshments was Vera DeRosa of Burien.
“I’m here for the fun,” she said. This was her third year at the event. DeRosa was rooting for “Life of Pi,” while not winning best picture, did win a directing trophy for Ang Lee. But she liked “Argo,” too.
As Christopher Waltz accepted his award for actor in a supporting role, people could be heard saying “who is that?” At the conclusion of an homage to 50 years of Bond films, Dame Shirley Bassey sang “Goldfinger,” the song which launched her to fame years ago. Her stunning performance was greeted by applause from the Lincoln Square attendees as well as those at Kodak Theater. Ditto Jennifer Hudson’s powerful performance.
And when Barbara Streisand made a surprise appearance at the end of the always emotional “In Memoriam” segment, singing “The Way We Were,” in honor of the late Marvin Hamlisch, several at Lincoln Square gasped audibly, or shouted “Babs!”
The audience loved host Seth MacFarlene’s crack about Jessica Chastain’s character in “Zero Dark Thirty” searching out Osama bin Laden for 12 years, proving “women just won’t let things go.” The audience applauded again after Adele’s performance of the winning song “Skyfall,” from the most recent Bond movie.
But the biggest applause came at the end, with “Argo’s” victorious win. Apparently many Ben Affleck fans appreciated the win, since he was snubbed in the directing category.
