Diary – 15 March 2008

Daphne Guinness on awards shows and the US elections 

California is not the worst place in which to be stuck. In fact I love it! To view your world from a distance is interesting, hearing news slightly delayed, the anchors of life breaking until it is inevitable that your inner compass makes a paradigm shift. At least, that is what has happened to me. I missed all the fashion collections. All of the dates that are normally fixed in my year were suspended. Of course I followed my friends’ shows online, and it was actually some sort of experience to see it from far away.

LA in January and February is punctuated by endless award ceremonies. The Globes, the Grammies, the Independent Spirit Awards etc, which culminate with the Oscars. This year, the writers’ strike overshadowed the whole period and Hollywood was nervous. I actually liked the bare bones of the simple reading of the Golden Globes. It was refreshing, it felt modern and there were none of the forced elements which seem unfortunately to characterise these events. The Grammy show was surreal in its vulgarity. The Oscars were terribly flat. Has the nature of stardom changed or has the audience become more selective? The fact is that now we all know that it is teleprompted and timed to the last degree, it has ruined the experience. Even the jokes, the mistakes and the moments of overwhelming emotion are scheduled. I watched the Grammies and the Oscars quietly with Sue Mengers, as Hollywood’s first and much emulated super-agent is one of the smartest, funniest and best qualified people to comment. Everyone agreed, the ceremony was practically a bore. The best bit, apart from being with Sue, was Diane von Furstenberg’s great ad for American Express: yes, the advertisement was better than the show! Far better.