The 5th Annual Roger Neal & Maryanne Lai Oscar Viewing Dinner took place in Hollywood, Los Angeles – it is an event that takes place the night before the Oscars. This viewing dinner event is attended by leading figures in the movie industry, Oscar attendees, journalists and also movie fans that have the ability to be side by side with their idols at this event due to not every Oscar attendee being present during this viewing party.
In this article, we are going to be giving you extra information about this little known and exclusive about event that is an integral part of the preparation of the Oscars which is arguably the biggest and most prestigious movie awards evening in the entire world.
Who Are the Stars Attending This Viewing Party?
Organizers of this dinner estimate that hundreds of attendees of the Oscars are present every year to celebrate their nominations and also be able to mingle and get to know each other before the big night.
Below we have included the biggest stars that were presented at this event:
- Roger Neal, a producer and talent agent who owns his own agency and is behind television shows such as Time Presents: Milestones 2016 – A Tribute to the Stars We’ve Lost and also At The Oscars annual television news show.
- Maryanne Lai, a rich Chinese national who is an influential donor and promoter of the arts in Hollywood, Lai is the head of multiple media associations and award committees.
- Fantastic Fig, a magician who first became prominent after appearing on America’s Got Talent in 2011, he has also appeared in the 2012 and 2018 series of the popular talent show however he has never won the competition. Despite this, Fantastic Fig has built a popular brand around himself and now works full time as a magician in the Beverly Hills neighborhood of California.
- Rachele Royale, an American singer, and songwriter who has published several songs that have received positive feedback and has been featured on major United States radio stations such as Sirius XM Radio as well as featured in television shows such as Hit The Floor.
- Lydia Cornell, an American actress who is best known for playing Sara Rush in the television comedy series Too Close for Comfort, which aired from the year 1980 to 1983 on ABC.
- Freda Payne, an American singer, and actress that was one of the best-known artists in the United States between the 1960s and 1980s for hit singles such as Band of Gold. Since then, Payne has appeared in various musicals, movies, as well as being the host of television shows.
- Eddie Barber, a famous videographer who is also the inventor of the camera boom device used for filming movies all around the world, Barber is also the winner of two Emmy Awards for his contributions to the movie industry.
- Brenda Dickson, an American actress who is best known for playing Jill Abbott in The Young and Restless television that has been running since the late 1970s and to date has over 11,000 episodes.
- Celeste Thorson, an American actress, and model that has featured in film productions such as Satin and Night Bird. Additionally, she is very well known for being an activist for human rights and also against child abuse.
- Tamara Henry, a well-known television personality in California, due to Henry being an anchor on the Metro Motion show which takes place in the morning and updates all viewers about the latest news and also about the flow of traffic and transportation in Los Angeles.
- Joe Cortese, a leading American actor who was in the prime of his career during the 1980s and 1990s where he played roles in big films such as Evilspeak, The Last Word and Ruby.
- Dan Lund, a highly sought after visual effects animator who has worked at many famous movies such as The Princess and the Frog, Aria for a Cow and Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
- Amos Sussigan, a Swiss movie director who has been employed by many of the world’s biggest film studios such as Disney, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros.
- Kate Linder, a veteran actress who played a character called Esther Valentine on The Young and the Restless television show that has been running since the late 1970s.
- Courtney Stodden, a model and reality television personality who first became famous when she married a famous American actor called Doug Hutchison when she was 16, and he was 51.
- Kat Kramer, an actress and founder of the Kat Kramer’s Films That Change The World organization, which awards films that raise difficult topics about social issues in the world.
Who Are the Organizers of This Event?
This event is set up by the namesake individuals of this annual event, Roger Neal and Maryanne Lean. Roger Neal, a talent manager who is the founder and current CEO of the Neal Public Relations company which manages hundreds of famous clients in the movie, music and comedy industries.
Neal is one of the most experienced talent agents in Hollywood, having operated his own company for over 38 years as well as also working for other talent agencies when starting out.
Maryanne Lai is a member of various associations such as the Hollywood Global Film Festival, World Art Culture Film Association, and the Icon Awards. Lai is a prominent art financier who works to help raise awareness and award individuals for their hard work and exceptional achievements in the various art industries such as cinema, music, and television.
Although the event is named after Maryanne Lai, her husband Thomas Lai is a major financier of the event along with Roger Neal and his wife. This means that the entire event is totally independent of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences non-profit organization behind the Oscars awards evening.
What Is the Point of an Oscar Viewing Dinner?
Although the Oscars are one of the best-known award events in the world, the majority of people would have never heard of an Oscar viewing dinner such as the 5th Annual Roger Neal & Maryanne Lai Oscar Viewing Dinner.
The main part of the event is to showcase the movies that have been nominated for an Oscar award the night after, which is a useful way for the attendees to get a better idea of the other contenders for awards as well as get to know them.
Furthermore, the event is a major source of funding for charities, with the organizers of the event the Neal and Lai families being the biggest charitable contributors. Moreover, there are goody bags from sponsors given to all attendees, with all of the leftover proceeds after the initial costs of setting up the event being paid to the charitable causes chosen at that year’s event.
