Last year it was the writers' strike, this year it's the credit crunch. Vanity Fair's infamous post-Oscars party is to return after a one-year absence, but looks set to be a less elaborate affair than in previous years.
The US magazine's editor, Graydon Carter, announced on its website yesterday that the 2009 event would take place at the Sunset Tower hotel in west Hollywood, rather than the restaurant Morton's, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
"The party will be a much more intimate affair than in years past; we're going to scale back the guest list considerably," he said. "We'll celebrate Hollywood's big night the way we did when we first threw the party 15 years ago - it will be a cosier, more understated event."
Carter said the party would also take account of the current global financial crisis. "Given the current economy, and our dedication to the green movement, we will be recycling many of the elements of years past," he said.
2008's Vanity Affair party was cancelled in support of the writers' strike, although the Academy Awards eventually went ahead following special dispensation from the Writers Guild of America. The event is known as one of the most prestigious and star-studded in the awards season calendar, with notable guests from previous years including Al Gore, Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio and Sharon Stone.
This year's Academy Awards is also under threat, as the Screen Actors Guild has not yet resolved its dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP), despite a five-month deadlock. The union said yesterday it had begun preparations for a ballot after two days of meetings failed to produce a solution to the dispute. Few details are known about the exact nature of the argument because both sides have so far held to a confidentiality agreement.
In a sign that things might turn nastier, AMPTP claimed its offer was fair in the light of the credit crunch. "SAG is bizarrely asking its members to bail out the failed negotiating strategy with a strike vote at a time of historic economic crisis," a spokesperson said. "The tone deafness of SAG is stunning."
