Hollywood was revving up for the 80th Annual Academy Awards by honoring celebrities for the upcoming Academy Award with the now-traditional gifting suites. Belvedere Vodka presented the very elegant Luxury Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel, aptly named “Get Glitzed, Go Glam, Give Back!”. It was a phenomenal event with a turnout of over 50 celebrities and several Academy Award nominees from this year’s most exciting feature films and television shows.
Celebrities gave back by donating items from their personal wardrobes to be auctioned off to benefit Working Wardrobes. An exuberant “Little Miss Sunshine” Abigail Breslin happily donated the custom made Jimmy Choo shoes she wore to the Academy Awards last year, along with Leighton Meester bringing in a gown from her personal collection to auction off, and “Ugly Betty’s” Christopher Gorham and “Damages” Noah Bean also raiding their closets to donate clothing to Working Wardrobes, a non-profit organization that helps outfit adults in crisis with business attire to interview and re-enter the workforce while also counseling them on career development.
Working Wardrobes is the nation’s premier non-profit organization helping men and women in crises re-enter the workforce by offering wardrobe and career development. Celebs can donate their red carpet gown or tuxedo to be auctioned off. 100% of the proceeds will benefit this amazing program. Since 1991, Working Wardrobes has partnered with 70 social service agencies and serves more than 40,000 adults in crises annually. www.workingwardrobes.org
Belvedere Vodka, the official sponsor of the Luxury Lounge, has created a new standard for excellence in the luxury vodka realm. Belvedere taste features a subtle sweetness and a smooth, clean finish. It’s is made in Poland following traditions that date back 600 years, and is handcrafted in small batches to ensure superior quality.
This year Belvedere Vodka helped writers, actors and directors celebrate each other’s accomplishments and successes with signature cocktails for the Academy Awards, created in honor of the best picture nominations. The are as follows:
There Will Be Blood-y Mary Martini (enjoyed by Bill Paxton, Al Roker, Carmit Bachar – Pussycat Dolls)
Michael Clayton Collins (enjoyed by Tom Wilkinson*, Michael Giacchino*- Ratatouille, Christina Hendricks – Mad Men)
The Atonement English Country Garden (enjoyed by Aaron Paul – Mission Impossible III, Jonathan Murphy – October Road, A.J Buckley – CSI, Scott M. Foster – Quarterlife, Greek, Joey Fatone)
Juno Virgin Fizz (enjoyed by Amy Ryan*, Hayden Panetierre, Joey Fatone, Eliza Dushku, Abigail Breslin, Leighton Meester) Early bird Tom Wilkinson also indulged in a non-alcoholic “Juno Virgin Fizz” instead of his Best Picture nominee namesake’s “Michael Clayton Collins” due to the early morning hour, courtesy of the Belvedere Vodka Bar.
No Country For Old Men Martini (enjoyed by Alex Frost – Stop Loss, Rebecca Mader – Lost) (*Oscar Nominee).
Academy Award® nominees Amy Ryan and Tom Wilkinson delighted to receive certificates for in-home custom mixology cocktail services for their next fabulous soirees courtesy of Belvedere Vodka.
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As the Hollywood luminaries arrived and strolled through the lounge, they enjoyed the signature drinks while attending to the business of the day, which was being treated like the celebs that they are. Rembrandt was there to assure that the dazzling smiles of the stars stayed bright and white. They presented each guest with a gift bag filled with whitening treatments and toothpaste, including Rembrandt 2-hour Whitening Kit, which insures visibly whiter teeth in just two hours, a Whitening Touch Up Pen that gives you white mean, where you need it when you need it, and Intense Stain toothpaste to resolve tough coffee and wine stains, and Rembrandt whitening strips with FormFit technology which provides a superior whitening experience when used just once a day.
“Gossip Girl’s” Leighton Meester tapped into her inner rock star jamming to the tunes on Guitar Hero 3 with remarkable skill. Activision provided each guest of the luxury lounge game packages, which included Red Octaine’s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, Bee Movie Game, and Spider-Man: Friend or Foe. Headquarte
red in Santa Monica, California, Activision Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.
“Big Love’s” Bill Paxton coming straight from the airport to pick up ZIRH Skin Care products for men before heading out to the Lakers game. ZIRH, founded in 1995, is a leader in men’s skincare known for multipurpose straightforward easy-to-use shaving and skincare products made from the best, all-natural ingredients. A cult favorite of celebrities, athletes, make-up artists and high-profile executives, ZIRH provided a custom selection of ZIRH Defend, Wash, Clean, Prepare, Shave Gel, Shave Cream, Soothe and more to each invited guest at the Luxury Lounge based on their specific needs. ZIRH is already a favorite of Kevin Dillon, Matt Leinart, Julian McMahon, John Krasinski, LL Cool J, Daryl McDaniels, Dave Annable, Matt Hasselbeck, Dylan Walsh, Laurence Fishburne and Michael Chiklis.
Rebecca Mader from the new season of “Lost” loaded up on goodies from Freeze 24-7 Skincare. This award-winning maverick brand harnesses the unexplored potential of GABA, the body’s natural muscle relaxant. Freeze 24-7 offers an immediate visible and dramatic solution to invasive, expensive and sometimes dangerous surgical procedures. This fast action cream instantaneously made my face look as if I had slept really well for a week! I was delighted to discover this new ‘beauty secret’ which was quite amazing. And it works for up to 24 hours. Their Age-Less technology releases topical muscle relaxers to penetrate the skin and work from the inside out to yield a smoother, plumper, even, dewier complexion, all within minutes! Freeze 24-7’s mission is to be the vanguard of product development, uniting the latest cosmetic and scientific advancements to create breakthrough “mold-breaking” products
Martinis and manicures ruling the day as celebrities including “Heroes’” Dania Ramierez and “Dancing with the Stars” Samantha Harris relaxed and got their hands and nails “Oscar” ready in the Belvedere Spa, with rival Best Supporting Actress nominees Amy Ryan and Saoirse Ronan booking back to back appointments.
“Heroes” Hayden Panettiere was loving the perfect fit of her True Religion Brand Jeans. The Los Angeles based premium denim company True Religion Brand Jeans has become known for its intense attention to detail: from the fashion-forward seams, to the remarkable embroidery and innovative hand-sanded vintage washes. Established in December of 2002, their goal was to take denim in a refreshing new direction. True Religion Brand Jeans has distinguished itself as a leader in the high-end denim market for men, women and kids. The line also includes a myriad of shirts, shorts, colored corduroy pants, skirts, jackets, blazers, baseball hats, hoodies, T-shirts and everything in between. www.TrueReligionJeans.com
“Mad Men’s” Christina Hendricks raving about the strapless, silk charmeuse, charcoal-colored Laundry by Design gown that she “can’t wait” to don on the red carpet at her next big event.
Thirteen year-old Academy Award® nominee Saoirse Ronan with her parents in tow took time to pick out just the right pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses from the ILORI Luxury Sunglass Suite. ILORI is the ultimate destination for not only luxury sunglass brands and designer sunglasses trends, but also the ultimate in personal service. Shopping at ILORI is a journey of exploration and discovery and revelation. ILORI offers an experience which is unique and extraordinary and service that is personalized and indulgent. THE ILORI Luxury Sunglass suite featured VERSACE, RAY-BAN, PRADA AND DOLCE&GABBANA.
Amy Ryan, Saoirse Ronan, Abigail Breslin and Rebecca Mader simply sparkling upon receiving custom made “Little Angel” necklaces and bracelets from The Right Label Jewelry by Orianne Collins while Leighton Meester picked out a “Gracious Spirit” ring adorned with black and white diamonds.
Cao International, Inc. is the is the producer of one of the country’s top lines of premium cigars, and was onhand to gift celebratory cigars. Cano A Ozgener founded the cigar Company as a labor of love, 40 years ago CAO products can be found on every continent in the world with the exception of Antarctica. CAO produces 10 cigar lines that have all been rated a “90” (outstanding) or above by Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Insider magazines.
The Luxury Lounge® is a trademarked event that has become a staple at award shows and film festivals including: The Academy Awards®, The Golden Globe® Awards, The Primetime Emmy® Awards, The Sundance Film Festival and The Toronto International Film Festival. Previous Luxury Lounge® guests include: Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Johnny Depp, Dame Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Forest Whitaker, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tom Wilkinson, Robin Williams, Justin Timberlake, Abigail Breslin, Adrian Grenier, Amy Ryan, James McAvoy, Paris Hilton, Felicity Huffman, Shirley MacLaine, James Gandolfini, Edie Falco and many more.
Rembrandt photos are credited ©Amanda Edwards / Getty Images for Rembrandt. Belvedere photos are credited ©Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Belvedere Vodka.
