Guest Post by Akasha Garnier on the 2017 #Oscars

~ Celebrate What it is to Live a Life ~

Gracias Alfonzo Words for sharing your blogging journey and your recent 200K Page Views per month milestone and success! I am grateful to have shared great social media fun with our coloring image contest, cover reveal, movie and foodie tags, giveaways and live launch for #ShineThroughTheNoise . I am continuing to connect the dots to bring my travel thriller series “Davanti” to the page and silver screen. I am also in talks with adding a sequel to my first indie film, Influence . In the meantime, I will be gathering success stories like Alfonzo Words and some friends and travelers who have put #ShineThroughTheNoise into practice for personal and professional growth. I am still donating 10% of proceeds to my Chicago and LA charity partner: Teen Cancer America . We will be announcing more community events together in the near future! 
With the precedent and political climate set during the 2017 awards season, film aficionados and fashionistas were wondering what #Oscars2017 would bring.

#Oscars2017 ~ Celebrate What it is to Live a Life

Are the Academy Awards representing style or substance? Frequently Oscar movies are about deep subjects and historical journeys, but this year present several new ideas to consider. Many saw "La La Land" as a paean to old Hollywood and the zany lives of many Angelenos in the film industry. Some called it "frothy" and wondered if escapism would prevail, or if the Oscars would play it straight and serious by paying homage to "Moonlight" as Best Picture?

Voila, now we all know what happened next. The Oscar stage and the ballot counts, cast upset as a new norm.

Emma Stone on the Oscars red carpet, shortly before her win for Best Actress. We could see the metallic trend taking shape, accented by political points in pin form.

Emma Stone in Givenchy Haute Couture by Ricardo Tisci/Getty Images.

The Huffington Post framed it on point: "Emma Stone will be the least disappointed of the La La Land crew, having scored a triple win: an Oscar, a Planned Parenthood pin, and one of the best dresses of the night. The gold, fluid-fringed Givenchy gown looked like a more evolved, more expensive version of the yellow dress which Stone wears in La La Land, and it is fitting to stay in character–this is an acting prize, after all."

Viola Davis was the one to beat they said. Here she's poised in Armani Prive. 

She went on to become the first black woman to win an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony award for acting.
See all the dresses from this year's red carpet.
Check out the men on the red carpet.

As the red carpet parade was underway, K. Patrick Tutera and I were having a photoshoot and catching up on our arrival with photographer and suave driver in tow. Extra thank you and toast to Bre and the Hollywood Roosevelt guest relations team who reached out to make sure we had built in enough travel time and knew arrival protocol.
As the red carpets were winding down. Patrick and I had a chance to catch some candids in character on our way to the Oscars soiree.

Akasha, all dressed up with somewhere wonderful to go! (Photos: Devin Green unless listed otherwise. Akasha's hair by Lisett Munoz and make-up by Alex of Killer Hair.) 

Chauffeured ride paired with truffle pate and Ferrari-Carano.

Patrick Tutera took this photo in the library and then I took the ones of him above and below. 

There were smiles, and I believe we both wear our dimples well. I respect that Patrick is an actor and filmmaker, so we did get a serious one as well. Gotta love the custom tux he purchased for this evening! Well played, bello.

The Blossom Ballroom gourmet soiree was sponsored by Piper champagne. the official champagne of The Oscars. When I asked Bre Smith from the Roosevelt and Blossom Ballroom team if she had a favorite course from the evening's menu, she said: "I'm a champagne girl. As long as there's champagne, everything else is secondary!" She also told me that they knew the dinner should be held in one room - the main event with the grand space where the first Oscars' guest gathered. AND they are gearing up for even more special celebrations as they get ready for the 90th Academy Awards.

Patrick and I both had reasons to celebrate with the his "The Last Hurrah" film festival track and my 

#ShineThroughTheNoise book and branding projects reaching 9 countries and winning Marcom awards. I truly appreciate that we both have things to celebrate. #Truth - the Piper champagne was fantastic! We also both really enjoyed the prime rib carving station and extra tender chicken with sundried tomato.

We both tweeted some highlights from the show (without becoming completely glued to our phones, fortunately). Give Patrick's gamesmanship a look and a follow. (Last Hurrah Film) I am sure we will both have new things to share and celebrate soon!
Check out the foreshadowing and stills from the Best Picture debacle. 

I will leave you with some wisdom from an outstanding speech:

Viola Davis, best supporting actress winner, Fences

"There’s one place that all the people with the greatest potential are gathered – that’s the graveyard. People ask me all the time, what kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola? And I say exhume those bodies, exhume those stories, the stories of the people dream big and never saw those dreams to fruition, people who fell in love and lost. I became an artist and thank God I did, because we are the only profession that celebrates what it is to live a life. Here’s to August Wilson, who exhumed, and exalted, the ordinary people."

Thank you again Enricoh, and blogging community for this guest author opportunity. I'll see you on the flipside. :)

Cheers & fair winds,

~Akasha Lin

                                        ***

About our Iridescent Guest Blogger

Akasha Garnier

Akasha’s proud of her work as a writer, producer, and actress; she balanced branding work as a writer and producer in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, London, Paris/Cannes, Maui and Hawaii. She excels at helping clients shine with 15 awards/accolades since 2007.

Akasha also enjoys giving back through her Promo Partners 

The main partner right now is The Who’s Charity: Teen Cancer America and her Italian family’s Fantastic Restaurants; Nando Milano 

© Enricoh Alfonzo ~ Alfonzo Words

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