Getting ready for your Oscar Party? Sari Mintz of ForYourParty.com and BeforeYourParty.com tells ABC7 Chicago how to throw a great Oscar Party this year.
February 23, 2011
OSCAR TIME
Growing up, I was always part of a “movie family.” You know, those families that make seeing a movie an event, with popcorn, the latest feature film, serious critiques post-show, and repeat the whole process about two days later? So the Oscars, Globes, and Spirit awards have always been part of my February routine.
Unlike last year, I have seen most of the films up for nominations this year (see a complete list here. I’ve always been an opinionated moviegoer, so I thought I would share some of my top picks in honor of awards season.
The following represent categories I feel most strongly about:
Best Actress: Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Call me Natalie’s biggest fan, no really, call me her biggest fan because I love her work. I watched Black Swan with mix feelings. Some people told me they loved it, some people were disappointed, and others were left feeling confused by the ballet drama. I LOVED it. I think most of that has to do with my dance background, being blinded by glitzy costumes and my other love Vincent Cassel, but the story was poetic in a twisted way and it would have been nothing without a stellar leading lady.
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale – The Fighter
I’m not quite sure why Christian Bale hasn’t received the recognition he has deserved long before this film, but I am delighted that the Academy has finally realized he has some serious talent. I was mesmerized by his entire performance in The Fighter, and after reading reviews of people within the town saying they were even shocked, I couldn’t help but love his performance that much more. Simply said, I just think he deserves it.
Best Picture: The King’s Speech
The last ten minutes of the film were enough to give it this year’s top award. The cast as a whole was brilliant. The scenes were beautiful. And yes, some people complain that it was dry in some spots, but that’s British film, and we can’t knock them for their tried and true formula for film-making. Basically, everything just worked. The powerful tale of someone overcoming a life-long struggle always has the power to pull at our heartstrings, but overall this is just one of those films where people will look back and say, “Wow.”
Lastly, I would like to say that if people took animated films more seriously, I truly believe that Toy Story 3 would have a shot at winning Best Picture. It brought the light-hearted joy of the other two films, and it also touched upon the popular “coming of age” genre that so many people love. I grew up being Andy’s age, and to watch the film as an adult, I felt all of the emotion of losing my childhood attachments. Congrats Toy Story 3 on being the perfect ending to the best childhood trilogy.
Stephanie Poquette
Assistant Publicist
February 21, 2011
TOTALLY TED
Working in Zapwater’s lifestyle group, I am no stranger to working events. In my tenure, I have seen many nightclub, fashion, media dinner, and launch events. Being publicists, we traditionally handle the media relations side of all events that we execute. For specific clients, we also oversee the entire event production.
On February 17th, Zapwater officially welcomed international brand, Ted Baker London, to the Chicago scene with an all-encompassing media breakfast and brand launch party!
With their corporate team being based in London, Zapwater was tasked to provide recommendations and oversee the execution of every event detail. This involved vendor recommendations, media relations, invitations (mailed out during Chicago’s now famous blizzard) and booking everything from the DJ and catering, to the orange carpet and after party.
Two months and a lot of hard work later, Ted Baker London officially celebrated its Chicago debut with a VIP party in their Gold Coast location. Guests sipped on Bombay Sapphire cocktails and snacked on bites from Chicago hot spot Public House. After several hours of mingling, shopping, and celebrating guests traveled to the after party (also at Public House) via a red, open roof, Ted Baker London branded double-decker bus. Luckily, Chicago weather actually cooperated for once.
It was an amazing event and Ted Baker London truly made the proper first impression!
Michael Corrigan
Publicist
February 20, 2011
BEST BRIDAL BLOGS
This past week, I came home to the best surprise: my boyfriend was waiting for me with a beautiful ring and popped the question! After celebrating all weekend, I have now transitioned into full-on planning mode. We are going to have a destination wedding in the fall so we need to get moving fast.
With the help of some friends and co-workers who are married or engaged themselves, I have found some great bridal blogs to help me with the planning process. Whether it’s for inspiration, etiquette or guidance when it comes to planning deadlines or budgets these blogs are my favorite:
Deanne Daneck
Senior Publicist
February 19, 2011
MAYRA NEEDS YOUR HELP
I was supposed to start my diet and related blog in January. I lied. Not intentionally, but it just hasn’t happened yet. March 1st is definitely the day. More to come.
In the meantime, I am calling on Zapwater blog readers for design advice. My husband and I rented a house last fall in Independence Park. It’s a great old house and we’ve been slowly painting and trying to buy furniture to fill the space.
My dilemma is our front room. It’s the one room the owners do not want us to paint. As you can see from the pictures, it’s charcoal. Maybe it wouldn’t be so dark if there wasn’t a six inch black crown molding up against it. We’ve got two velvet armchairs on their way for the fireplace where we now have two old mismatched chairs. Any thoughts on drapes or accessories to liven the place up so it doesn’t feel like a funeral parlor? Email mayra@zapwater.com.
Mayra Bacik
CFO
February 14, 2011
FASHION WEEK BEGINS
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I wanted to discuss something that I love very much – fashion. In fact, February and September mark my two favorite months of the year for one reason – Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.
Therefore, you can imagine my excitement when Fashion Week kicked off last week with designers showcasing their Fall 2011 ready-to-wear collections. Some of my favorite shows to date include Prabal Gurung, Preen, Jason Wu, Victoria Beckham, and Alexander Wang, but many designers that are bellwethers for major trends are yet to come including Marc Jacobs (his main collection, Marc by Marc Jacobs), Louis Vuitton and Prada.
But thus far, there are three major trends that are starting to surface including:
1. Repurposed Fabrics
2. Lace
3. The Tuxedo
In addition, for over 17 years, Pantone, the global authority on color, has surveyed the designers of New York Fashion Week and beyond to bring you the season’s most important color trends. Their report previews the most prominent hues for fall 2011 and a great resource to start planning your wardrobe for later this year:
Jenn Lake
Creative Director
