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Academy governor Lois Burwell, event producer Cheryl Cecchetto and master chef Wolfgang Puck will team to create this year’s Governors Ball, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ official post-Oscars® celebration, which will immediately follow the 90th Oscars ceremony on Sunday, March 4. The Ball’s 1,500 invited guests include Oscar® winners and nominees, show presenters and other telecast participants.
The Governors Ball will honor the 90th anniversary of the Oscars with a celebration of the history of film, highlighting a near-century of cinematic vision, ingenuity and artistry. The Ball will feature an array of original, seminal artifacts; footage and stills from both behind and in front of the camera; curated music from every era of the silver screen; and a historical presentation of Oscar statuettes representing nine remarkable decades of award-winning moviemaking.
For the first time as the Academy’s Awards and Events Committee chair, Burwell will oversee the décor, menu and entertainment planning of the Ball. An acclaimed makeup artist, she won an Oscar for her work on “Braveheart” and earned a nomination for “Saving Private Ryan.” Her other feature credits include “The Princess Bride,” “War Horse,” “Lincoln” and “Ready Player One.” Burwell, a member of the Academy since 1997, is currently serving her first term as Makeup and Hairstylists Branch Governor and holds the office of First Vice President on the Academy’s Board of Governors.
Cecchetto, along with her Sequoia Productions team, will work with Burwell to manage every detail pertaining to the event, including décor, entertainment, food and personnel. Sequoia Productions’ clients include the Television Academy, G’Day USA, Wallis-Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Westfield, and the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay. This will be Cecchetto’s 29th consecutive year producing the Governors Ball.
For the 24th consecutive year, legendary chef Wolfgang Puck and the Wolfgang Puck Catering team will set the stage for Hollywood’s biggest night with a menu pairing glamour with innovation. Vice President of Culinary Eric Klein worked closely with Chef Puck to create more than 60 imaginative dishes, from one-bite hors d’oeuvres to small-plate entrees, that will be tray-passed throughout the evening. Alongside signature favorites smoked salmon Oscars, potato with caviar, and truffle macaroni and cheese sit such newly created menu items as Miyazaki Wagyu beef tartare on puffed black rice; crab-stuffed hibiscus; taro root tacos with spiced eggplant; edamame and black truffle pot stickers; and black bass with salsa verde. There will also be a made-to-order sushi and raw bar. The pastry team of Kamel Guechida, Monica Ng, Garry Larduinat and Jason Lemmonier will showcase more than three dozen show-stopping desserts including the standout Ruby chocolate strawberry and cream. This new dessert features Callebaut Ruby chocolate, a 100% sustainable, naturally colored, new variety of chocolate making its U.S. debut. Wolfgang Puck Catering CEO Carl Schuster will direct more than 900 event staff through the evening’s intricately detailed logistics to deliver guests a true restaurant-style hospitality experience.
For more information on the food, beverages and décor of the Governors Ball, visit http://www.oscars.org/press/governors-ball.
The Governors Ball will take place in the Ray Dolby Ballroom on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland Center® immediately following the Oscar telecast.
The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.