And the Oscar Partiers Go to ... aGLIFF's Red Carpet Gala

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aGLIFF knows how to party. I know from experience: the crowds are fun, witty and very welcoming. So just imagine their annual Red Carpet Gala complete with a live Academy Awards telecast this year, so big it's moving to Austin Studios. If anyone can create celebrity sensation, aGLIFF's party planners can.

On Sunday, February 27, paparazzi, a red carpet and a champagne reception await you as the hostess with the mostest, Rebecca Havermeyer, will be on hand to greet you like the Austin celebrity you are. When you get to your private table, your waiter will be ready with some Oscar-themed cocktails, starting at 5:30 pm. Above, you can see Miz Havermeyer chatting up then-Austin filmmaker Kyle Henry, whose Fourplay: San Francisco short played aGLIFF 2010 with overwhelmingly positive reactions. (Henry's in Chicago now, but we still can't stop thinking of him as belonging to Austin.)

Havermeyer, who hosts the Alamo Drafthouse's Celluloid Handbag series, is an alter-ego of actor Paul Soileau, who delivers an incredible performance in Fourplay: San Francisco (I daresay Oscarworthy in its own right, only it's not eligible, at least not yet). Miz Havermeyer is pictured above with Oscar himself, along with an unidentified gentleman and Austin filmmaker Mocha Jean Herrup.

Arrivals for aGLIFF's Red Carpet Gala start at 5:30 pm, and the Oscar telecast begins at 7 pm local time, projected on three massive screens. At that point the first course of your three-course gourmet dinner will be served. But this is Austin, so one of the twists is that swag-filled celebrity signed popcorn bowls will be featured at a silent auction, and there will be an Oscar Pool where you can pick your favorites for each category and have a chance to win prizes. The official evening will end with a champagne toast to celebrate the winner of the Best Picture award.

Even with a larger location this year, tickets are limited; and with neither Alamo Drafthouse nor Austin Film Festival Oscar events this year, there is no competition, so you have no excuse to miss out for what looks like a great evening. For legal reasons, aGLIFF cannot call the event their "Oscar" party officially, but they can still telecast, and we all know what it's really about. Fun.

And don't forget, Austin is represented in at least a small part, as part time Austinite and past TFPF recipient Athina Rachel Tsangari was a producer on Outstanding Foreign Language Film, Dogtooth. While Tsangari is not listed in the official nomination credits (only one producer listed), she was still an associate producer, so credit where it's due, right? Right.

For more information about ticket and prices are available at the aGLIFF website.

The only downside for me, is I have nothing to wear for such a glamorous night!!