Neil Patrick Harris, Dua Lipa stun at Elton John’s virtual Oscar party
Sir Elton John was among a handful of hosts to hold a virtual Oscars viewing party with a star-studded guestlist to help raise money and awareness for the AIDS epidemic.
While the Oscars party-circuit have ground to a halt, a mere handful of hosts have charged ahead throwing events worthy of reminding us the Academy Awards remain cause for celebration.
Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish’s lavish annual viewing party and dinner benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) usually held in West Hollywood Park was replaced by a virtual show raising money and awareness for the evolving AIDS epidemic. And for the first time since 1992, the public were able to join in on the celebrations by purchasing a $20 ticket to stream the charitable event.
Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, the 29th instalment of the pre-party special was by no means any less of a spectacle despite being an 60-minute online event produced by Fulwell 73 at Rosewood London.
Living up to its reputation as one of the classiest events of the night, British superstar Dua Lipa dazzled the audience during her performances of her hit songs Levitating, Pretty Please, Hallucinate and Don’t Start Now. Viewers were also treated to a rendition of her song Love Again which she sang as a duet with Elton John after she sung along with him to Bennie And The Jets.
Dua lipa and Elton John singing together "Love Again" #EJAFOscarspic.twitter.com/KlLih6qmuB
— DUA LIPA ARGENTINA 🦋 (@dualipanoticia) April 26, 2021
She brought even more sparkle to the glamorous event by wearing two jaw-dropping dresses. The first, a figure-hugging black velvet ball gown that ballooned into a full skirt, set the standard for Emmy award winner who later changed into a glittering ensemble by fashion house Balenciaga.
Singer-songwriter Lady Gaga was among the special guests, along with Grammy, Tony and Emmy award winner Cynthia Erivo, and British comedian David Williams.
Omari Douglas and his fellow cast members from It’s a Sin series, which follows a group of gay men navigating the HIV crisis in the United Kingdom during the 1980s, were an important addition to the show.
Cast mates Callum Scott Howells, Nathaniel Curtis and Lydia West wore a red ribbon, a symbol of awareness for people living with HIV, pinned to their chests. Olly Alexander who plays Ritchie Tozer in the drama joined the party via FaceTime.
John said this year’s party was about “bringing our Oscar Party into people’s homes for the first time virtually” with a focus on raising money for the millions of people living with HIV.
“Now more than ever, we need to ensure that one pandemic does not override another, and we cannot forget the 38 million people living with HIV globally who need our care, love and support so we hope everyone joins us for this special one of a kind Oscar pre-party,” the Oscar winner said.
Furnish said the United Nations had set a global goal of ending AIDS by 2030.
“We have to keep our foot on the accelerator. We have to keep up the work that we started 29 years ago... to imagine ourselves and to realise living in a world without AIDS,” he said.
EJAF global chief executive officer Anne Aslett said John and Furnish were “endlessly hungry” for new ideas to make a difference.
“We [EJAF] don’t want to be around forever,” she said. “The foundations focus going into 2021 is young people. Twenty-five per cent of the world’s population is under 25-years-of-age and AIDS is the second leading cause of death for that age group world wide.”
John’s event wasn’t the only on the agenda. Andra Day who was nominated for best actress is hosting a COVID-safe event in Beverly Hills with only 80 guests, with director Lee Daniels, and co-stars Trevante Rhodes and Rob Morgan among those invited. Day’s soiree took place at Spring Place LA while the annual Governors Ball was transformed into a dinner at Sunset Tower.
Leslie Odom Jr. was ready to party following the Oscars ceremony, looking dapper in a turquoise Valentino suit.
Missing from the lineup was Vanity Fair’s exclusive after party, whose organisers opted for a series of virtual events held in the days leading up to Oscars instead.
Chanel and Charles Finch cancelled their annual Saturday night dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Instead, about 150 VIPs received gift boxes of alcohol as well as ingredients for ice cream sundaes.
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