Oscar week is party central!
Film companies, talent agencies, media outlets, fashion mags, and random organizations all throw their own shindigs—some are pre-celebration hype fests, some are ticketed money-makers, some are movie promo stunts, and others are just piggybacking off the buzz.
On Oscar night alone, there are over a dozen parties.
The big three? The official Oscars bash, the Vanity Fair party, and the InStyle soirée.
The Oscars party is exactly what it sounds like—hosted by the Academy. After the ceremony wraps, they invite winners and nominees to join. But the Oscars are old-school, and the vibe's… stifling. No one really lets loose. Stars show up, go through the motions, thank the Academy, and bounce.
Most hightail it to the Vanity Fair party—the real star of the night!
Hosted by Vanity Fair magazine, it's where fashion meets art. Unlike the Oscars, they invite a ton of non-movie folks—high-society types, rich moguls, politicians, you name it. Doesn't matter where you're from—if you've got the cash and clout, you're in.
That's why A-listers love it: prime networking with the elite.
At the Oscars red carpet, actresses play it safe to fit the Academy's image—no wild looks, no super revealing outfits. But Vanity Fair's red carpet? It's a full-on glamour showdown.
Then there's the InStyle party—a watch party, basically. It kicks off when the Oscars start, rounding up stars and old-school film folks who aren't at the ceremony. They hang out, watch the awards together, and even run a little "guess the winner" betting pool with odds. It's a fun gimmick and a big draw.
Beyond those three heavyweights, Oscar night's packed with other parties—mostly charity-themed, aside from a few victory celebrations.
After dipping out of the official Oscars bash, Dunn and Natalie swung by an AIDS charity event. They stuck around for 15 minutes, dropped a $300,000 donation, then hustled over to the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood for the Vanity Fair party.
Tonight, Dunn scored two statuettes, and Natalie nabbed one—they were the night's big winners.
By the time they hit Vanity Fair, the place was crawling with celebs. Pretty much every Oscar winner and nominee had shown up.
They hadn't even changed—still rocking their Oscars red carpet looks. Natalie's long black gown was classy but tame next to the flashy, colorful getups of the other actresses and models.
Didn't matter, though.
Clothes make the man?
At Dunn's level, he didn't need fancy threads to prove his worth.
He could roll in wearing sweats and still be the center of attention!
And Natalie? She's the freaking Best Actress of the night!
That's a big deal!
Dunn brushed off seven or eight people trying to schmooze him, but the next one? No dodging this guy—his buddy, Leonardo DiCaprio.
"Wow, Nat, I can't believe you actually won! Where's the statuette?" Leo's eyes were practically sparkling.
Natalie gave a shy smile. "I put it away."
Leo let out a dramatic sigh. "When am I gonna get my hands on one of those?"
Forget winning—he hasn't even scored a Best Actor nomination yet.
Dunn chimed in, "Aren't you working with Tom Hanks on Catch Me If You Can? Stop goofing off all the time and learn a thing or two from him about acting."
Leo waved it off with a smirk. "When's that movie even coming out?"
Originally slated for last year, Gangs of New York got delayed thanks to the terrorist attacks and still hasn't hit theaters.
"Don't get your hopes up," Dunn said, shaking his head. "That one's not getting you a nomination."
Leo's face fell, a little bummed.
Then another familiar face popped up. "Dunn, Natalie—hey, congrats on the wins! Oh, Leo's here too!"
"Thanks, Director Emmerich," Natalie replied politely, giving a small curtsy and a sweet smile—way more formal than Dunn and Leo's casual vibe.
Leo grinned and teased, "Roland, what's with the hair? Your movies do great at the box office—why're you stressing so much?"
Dunn piled on, "Going gray early, huh?"
Roland Emmerich chuckled. "Early? My age is you two combined."
It was past 11 p.m. now, and the party wouldn't drag on too long—especially for a busy guy like Dunn, who didn't have time to waste.
Roland got to the point. "Dunn, that lecture you gave at USC… I didn't catch it live, but I read the transcript. Awesome stuff. I totally vibe with your take on commercial films."
"Oh?" Dunn gave him a knowing look, amused. "You've got a hot project up your sleeve, don't you?"
Roland nodded. "Yeah, I read this book a while back—The Coming Global Superstorm. Really sparked something. You said we're in the era of special effects, so I'm thinking a full-on effects-driven movie."
Dunn nodded back, piecing it together. He was pretty sure Roland's project was the iconic disaster flick The Day After Tomorrow.
"You could just go straight to Bill, right?" Dunn said. Roland and Bill Mechanic were tight.
"The rights to The Coming Global Superstorm are with 20th Century Fox, and Bill…" Roland shrugged. "He's not keen on poaching from his old stomping grounds. This one's gotta be you."
Dunn got it instantly.
Roland and Bill had obviously talked this over already. Bill didn't want to step on Fox's toes, so he'd tossed it to Dunn.
Plus, let's be real—Dunn's clout dwarfed Bill's!
If Bill went to Fox, they'd see a chance to muscle into The Day After Tomorrow and demand a piece of the pie.
Roland Emmerich was one of the five '90s Hollywood directors with final cut privileges on commercial films! Every movie he made was a blockbuster.
Fox would totally jump at the chance to co-invest and grab some profits.
But Dunn stepping in? That's a different story.
He could cut to the chase: he's buying the rights to The Coming Global Superstorm. End of discussion.
Could Fox say no?
Dunn smirked and nodded. "Oh, you might not know—Dunn Films just rejigged our strategy. Going forward, Dunn Films is only producing solo-funded commercial blockbusters over $100 million, pushing a full-on hit-machine approach. Smaller and mid-budget stuff? That's for our other studios now. This year, we've got National Treasure and Harry Potter 2 locked in. Your Day After Tomorrow? That'll be the third! Get cracking on it—the book rights are mine to handle."
That tone!
That scale!
That guts!
Even Roland Emmerich, a veteran of big-budget flicks, was quietly blown away by Dunn's swagger.
Greenlighting a $100 million-plus movie without even digging into the details—just hearing the title and bam, it's a go? That's next-level bold! Decisive as hell!
Kids these days are something else!
Roland grinned. "The concept's pretty much locked down. Bill… he's on board too. So, any chance our Best Actress wants in?"
Total olive branch move.
Word around Hollywood was Dunn gave directors tons of creative freedom on his projects but called the shots on leading ladies.
Natalie smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Director Emmerich, I'm focusing on school right now. For the next year or two… no movies for me."
"Oh, that's a shame," Roland said, even more impressed.
An Oscar-winning Best Actress!
She's at her peak—could easily command $15 million, maybe even $20 million a flick!
And she's choosing to step back and study? Total wildcard.
Then again, she's Dunn's girlfriend—money's probably the last thing on her mind.
Dunn nodded. "She's hitting the books… but, you know Scarlett Johansson? Super talented actress."
Roland blinked, drawing a blank. Never heard of her!
Dunn waved it off. "I'll introduce you next time. She'd be perfect—great look, killer acting, the total package… Oh, wait! She's shooting Lost in Translation this summer, so she might not make it. Alright, how about Abbie Cornish? Amazing actress, awesome vibe, top-notch skills—she's the one."
Roland's jaw dropped, almost laughing.
This guy—Dunn—was exactly like the rumors said.
And doing it right in front of his girlfriend? Huh?
Natalie just sat there, cool as ever.
…
On the ride back, Dunn had Natalie wrapped up tight in the car, whispering sweet nothings.
"We had a deal!"
"No, we didn't."
Dunn lowered his voice. "At the ceremony—you forgot? You said if you won, you'd be up for it with Scarlett."
Natalie's cheeks went pink. "I didn't! Nope, never happened."
"That's no fun."
"There was no deal to begin with!"
"Babe, come on, be good, yeah?"
"Nope."
Dunn sighed, exasperated. "You're a Best Actress now—Scarlett's not even a B-lister. Don't be scared of her."
Natalie huffed. "Who's scared? I just don't want to, okay? I don't…"
"Look, it's no big deal. How about… we just try it once? If you're not into it, we won't do it again. Sound good?"
"Why are you so bad?"
"Come on, sweetie~"