Tag: Hollywood

Live Drawing The 2017 Oscars On Location!

I didn’t realize how much I needed to take a few minutes from reality (i.e. politics) and celebrate great storytelling and great performing. I love movies, and I love watching the Academy Awards every year. This year will be my second year attending them in person?—?this time, as resident cartoonist for CBS. I will be behind the scenes, on the red carpet and in the media press room.
As always, I draw what I see, and more often than not it’s the behind the scenes. That is perhaps what I love to draw most. People working away at this great show, usually without recognition. It takes a lot of people.
I attended the rolling out of the red carpet?—?a wild event with press dashing after the rolling carpet with their cameras and microphones (and me with my iPad and stylus). I was invited into the Dolby Theater to watch the Oscar production designer, Derek McLane, work on the construction of his set. And I got a peek at the food that will be served by Wolfgang Puck and his staff at the Academy Ball.
Security, as always, was very high. Scanners, barriers and men and women in dark glasses wearing badges were everywhere. The Academy appears to run a tight and smooth ship?—?and everyone is in a good mood.
There was the actual red carpet, with gowns and tuxedos and cameras. It was mobbed with people?—?actors, writers, producers, and all their family and friends, decked out in their Oscar finest. I didn’t see any really strange gowns or tuxedos, but I saw some beautiful colors and shapes and people.
The show itself was great, and Jimmy Kimmel a wonderful, genuine, funny host. Ultimately, it will be one to remember because of the snafu at the end, giving the best picture award to the wrong movie!
It’s really fun, here they all are. Continue to follow me and CBS This Morning on twitter and Instagram for more adventures. @lizadonnelly @CBSThisMorning

Live Drawing the 2016 Oscars And Red Carpet In Hollywood

Oscars
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.

IMG_2916IMG_2891

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: IMG_3090
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: IMG_1367 (1)
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. Limo
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. IMG_1376

 

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.
IMG_1361

 

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.Ryan Seacrest

 

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: Native AMerican on Red Carpet
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:

IMG_1450

 

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.

 

IMG_1414

 

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!

IMG_1390

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

Geena Davis Is Funny And A Feminist, And I’m Working With Her!

I’m a big advocate for showing up.  A few months ago, I was invited to live tweet draw a conference in Iceland called WE2015. Not only was going to Iceland absolutely amazing, but the conference was terrific as well. I wrote about it here in these pages, and The New Yorker also did a story about my drawings. The keynote speaker was Geena Davis, actor and feminist activist.  I was aware of her work as an actress and of the research institute that she founded a number of years ago, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender In Media. Her keynote was fascinating–all about the numbers and stats of women working in Hollywood–and she was funny. I loved it. Geena and I happened to meet as the conference was wrapping up, and when she found out what I did for a living, we really hit it off.  Geena Davis loves to laugh and knows the importance of humor in not only getting people’s attention, but in bringing about change.
Geena and I and her CEO of the GDIGM, Madeline Di Nonno had many conversations over the phone about using my cartoons to help with their efforts to redress the balance of women in Hollywood.  I donated some of my feminist cartoons for their use, and now its happening. GDGMI uses my cartoons every week on social media and the website to promote the cause. I am thrilled.
Follow here work here, on Facebook, and Instagram and twitter: @gdigm
Here are some of the cartoons she has run already.

Cartoon Marriage Script Bought by ABC Studios

 

Cartoon Marriage, the book I did with my husband, Michael Maslin,  based on our life together as New Yorker cartoonists, is in the process of becoming a television show. Just last night we heard that ABC Studios bought the script as written by the wonderful and talented Terri Minsky (Lizzie McGuire and Less Than Perfect creator). It all began about a year ago, when actress Jennifer Garner saw our book (via our agent David Kuhn) and fell in love with the idea.  The show will be produced by Jennifer’s production company, Vandalia Films. We are thrilled.   To read about it, go to Deadline Hollywood, or Hollywood Reporter

So far, it’s been a fun and wild ride interacting with Hollywood. All good so far. I love entering into new fields, trying new things. We got to meet Terri Minsky for a day at our home, and it was great fun. She is hilarious and thoughtful and I know is writing a wonderful script. We are crossing our fingers for the next step! My hope is that the world is ready for another terrific comedy with lots of playful humor, and it will become a show that brings laughs and diversion.

dscriber cartoon

An interesting new news site, called dscriber, invited me to contribute cartoons…or panels or anything, really.  I did this a few days ago in response to the hiring of Diane Sawyer as news anchor.  I know the media and Hollywood love to create battles, particularly between women, so I drew this cartoon. The sad thing is, the public eats it up, and wants to believe that women hate each other.  It’s hogwash, of course, and has to be shot down!

http://dscriber.com/