Oscar Nominees, Hollywood Elite Celebrate at Glittery ‘Night Before’ Party

Hollywood’s biggest stars, including past and current Oscar nominees, turned out Saturday night for the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s annual The Night Before the Oscars party.

The bash, which is consistently the industry’s starriest annual charity event, featured a guest list that included MPTF Foundation chair Jeffrey Katzenberg, MPTF board of directors members George Clooney (with wife Amal) and Jim Gianopulos, Reese Witherspoon, Amy Adams, Steven Spielberg, Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, James Corden, Sofia Vergara, Joe Manganiello, Christina Applegate, Allison Janney, Kerry Washington, Laura Dern, Ty Burrell, Josh Gad, Ethan Hawke, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jon Favreau, Viola Davis, Antonio Banderas and America Ferrera.

The party moved to the Fox lot in Los Angeles this year after having taken place at the Beverly Hills Hotel since its inauguration in 2003. The event relocated to the lot because of the hotel’s ties to Brunei, where Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah instituted a severe new anti-gay penal code based on Sharia law last year. (Bolkiah owns the Beverly Hills Hotel, along with the Hotel Bel-Air, through his Dorchester Collection.)

At the bash, Suzanne Goin of Lucques provided a specialty buffet station for guests. The event was produced for the 13th consecutive year by Robyn Leuthe Norris, with Silver Birches creating the decor, which was designed to emulate the look and feel of the Beverly Hills Hotel, right down to the details, including the banana leaf wallpaper and a mini “Polo Lounge.”

“This year, we’ve moved from our longtime home at the Beverly Hills Hotel and we’re taking the venue with us!” the MPTF told The Hollywood Reporter in an exclusive statement. “We’re grateful to Fox for letting us hold court in their back yard, and we look forward to another great event.”

Benefiting the MPTF, the Night Before gala has raised more than $60 million over the past 12 years. The funds raised help provide social services, financial assistance, a retirement community and innovative programs for seniors and those who care for them.

The brainchild of DreamWorks Animation CEO Katzenberg, its 2015 host committee included Jennifer Aniston & Justin Theroux, Tanya Haden Black & Jack Black, Kate Capshaw & Spielberg, Jessica Chastain, Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Tom Cruise, Viola Davis & Julius Tennon, Jenna Dewan-Tatum & Channing Tatum, Cameron Diaz & Benji Madden, Susan Downey & Robert Downey Jr., Deborra-Lee Furness & Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck, Jake Gyllenhaal, Sophie Hunter & Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson & Romain Dauriac, Hannah & Eddie Redmayne, Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith, Octavia Spencer, Stone, Christine Taylor & Ben Stiller, Pauletta & Denzel Washington, Rita Wilson & Tom Hanks and Witherspoon & Jim Toth.

The A-list event is sponsored by Delta Air Lines, Dodge, Dolby, L’Oreal, Relativity Media, Target and The Hollywood Reporter.