FORMER OSCAR WINNERS CELEBRATE IN NYC

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' Official New York Oscar Night Party

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Story By: Marcy MacDonald And Ann Watt
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Burt Young

Tina Louise

Tovah Feldshuh

Patricia Neal

Lisa Eichhorn With Celia Weston And David Rasche

Sylvia Miles

Elaine Stritch

It was an encore performance at The Carlyle on Oscar night: the famous hotel has been taking bows since Richard Rogers became its first tenant in 1931 (Elaine Stritch came down to the Café Carlyle from her upstairs suite to toast her fellow overachievers in the room Bobby Short made even more famous than muralist Marcel Vertes -- who won two Academy Awards for Moulin Rouge -- did when he decorated the place). Oscar rolled out the red carpet for Patricia Neal (Best Actress for Hud) and the woman who would reprise one of the many roles she made famous, Lisa Eichorn; Rip Torn (Best Supporting Actor for Cross Creek); Sid Ramin (Oscar winner for Music Scoring of West Side Story); Ken Ascher; Richard Barlay (Oscar winning producer of An American Dream); Tina Louise; David Rasche; multi-nominee Shirley Knight; Geoffrey Rush (Best Actor for Shine); multi-Tony nominee, Tovah Feldshuh; Emmy winner, Robert Richter; nominee Sylvia Miles and a glittering roomful of their peers to celebrate the 81st Academy Awards. Meanwhile, upstairs in the Trianon Suite. Chef James Sacatos' prepared creations based pm each of the five films nominated for Best Picture: "As for the Frost/Nixon creation, revenge is best served cold, but we served grilled American snapper as the California course to reflect the public grilling of our 37th President -- including the moment when he finally snapped." The dish featured a fried lotus root that resembled reels of tape. And yes: his creation for Milk used coconut milk, but instead of cookies, "Opera cake and a cream tartlet recalls the pie in his face at Harvey's birthday bash." The other three entrees -- for The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- were each culturally correct. "Nothing tops the Oscars," quipped official biographer, Robert Osborne, doing time on the left Coast as the Official Red Carpet Greeter (as well as the author of 80 YEARS OF THE OSCAR: THE OFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE ACADEMY AWARDS) -- nothing, that is, until next year.
Photos By: Rd/Dziekan/Retna