Last week, I attended the Oscars and red carpet as perhaps the first cartoonist to get press credentials.  It was fun, stressful and totally fascinating. Below is an annotated visual chronicle of my few days in Hollywood.

Wednesday afternoon, arrive in LA.

Thursday 1:00:  I head  to Oscar venue in Hollywood to be interviewed by Access Hollywood. I wait in lobby of the hotel for my escort,  who turn out to be two nice mne in matching grey jackets that say “Media Escort” on them.  We walk past various security check points, I feel like a celebrity because I am being escorted.

4:00 pm: Interview by Liz Hernandez of Access Hollywood.  I drew her on screen.

5:00pm:  I meet Lauren Selman, head of the red carpet (as she is described to me), and she shows me said red carpet. All abuzz, lots of crew setting things up, moving things, painting things, journalists testing the cameras. I think I saw two stand-ins for Robin Roberts and Anderson Cooper–they were on the GMA stage and looked like their dopple gangers.   Lauren showed me where I was to stand:

Then she took me to the press room to let me choose which seat I wanted for later when viewing  the winners being interviewed, and the monitors broadcasting the show. The amount of media is overwhelming, and I hear numerous languages being spoken as I move about.

 Saturday morning, 11am: I arrive at the hotel next to where the Oscars are held. I am staying there because traffic would be horrendous and getting to the Oscars on the day of would be a nightmare.  This is how Los Angeleans talk about traffic, and everything. In superlatives.

Waiting in the lobby for my room to be ready, I see this guy:

And limos occasionally pull up. I do not see any big name celebs. They probably stay at a fancy hotel. But I keep my eye out.

At 1:00pm, I get to meet the Academy Show Publicist, Steve Rohr. Steve told me that The Academy “fell in love” with me and wanted me to be at the Oscars to live draw.   He also said that my career as a “ground-breaking” female cartoonist entered into their decision. Did not expect to hear that.

 

3:00 I get my badge from the media place. My photograph is the best badge photo I have ever had. Of course because it’s Hollywood, the lighting is always good (not allowed to photograph it, but maybe I’ll draw it later).

I wander the red carpet and other areas and draw:

5:00pm: I get into my room and hang up my “Oscar dress” and head out to live draw Wolfgang Puck in his 5th floor kitchen at the hotel. Puck traditionally does the menu for the Governors Ball, and I was given access to meet him and draw him. Mr. Puck is charming and funny, and his kitchen was amazing. Huge and busy, as you can imagine.

Midnight: I am interviewed for Good Morning Britain, and we are in the space where the Governors Ball will be held. Terrific colors, wonderful venue decorated with drawings done by costume designers, of celebrities nominated in the style of Hirschfeld. They told me the look they were going for was “Sardis, New York.” We are forbidden to take photographs, but I was allowed to draw.

 

Sunday, Oscar Day, 9:00am:  I head out to the red carpet to see what’s going on. I do a few sketches of all the activity.

12:00: back in room, I get ready. Manage my emerging panic attack with deep breathing.

1:00: Dress, heels, earrings and makeup on, iPad and spare styluses in bag, I head out.  The Oscar people like the press to get dressed up, too.

I arrive in my spot and wait. I am joined by two young women who are there to report from Snapchat. They turn out to be good people to stand next to because they eventually had no hesitation to call out to celebrities as they pass by.

2-4:15: We wait. I watch all that’s going on, but no big name actors show up.  Ryan Seacrest whizzes by.

 

I do a few drawings of what I am seeing.

 

This man was quite beautiful. Apparently, he was in a documentary that was nominated, I am sorry I did not get his name:

4:20 pm: Then the celebrities start arriving fast and furious. So much so, I cannot draw them because if I look down at my ipad, I’ll miss something.  Here is one of Leonardo DiCaprio doing a selfie with some fans on the carpet:

 

4:45: I realize I need to leave to go get set up in the press room. Will have to miss the last minutes of the carpet. Show is supposed to start at 5:30. So I pack up my stuff and head to the press room.

5:00:  great spread of food. Should have drawn it all, and the press room. No photos allowed. Next year.

5:15: in my chair, music stand in front of me to put my sheet of names for spelling, extra styluses, phone. They gave me my own personal power strip, and I have my own personal AT &T wifi connection. All set.

5:30, show starts and I draw Mr. Rock, who is hysterical.

 

 

Below are the drawings I did during the show.  It was fun being in the press room as the winners were interviewed. Interesting to see them answer the questions and generally just react to their win. Next year, I will ask a question!   The NewYorker RT-ed and Instagramed my drawings during the show and we published some of them the next day here.   My drawing of Leonardo DiCaprio as he won his Oscar was favorited 10,000 times on Instagram!

Next year, if invited back, I will draw so much more!