A glamorous Oscar night

For movie lovers, the Oscars are the biggest night of the year, and in Chicago, there’s no better place to experience the excitement of the Academy Awards than at the Gene Siskel Film Center!

I’ve never attended this event before, but this year, Judie Moore Green, Chief Marketing & Development Officer at the Auditorium Theatre, invited me and Russian Pointe’s General Manager Debbie Chanel to experience the event with her in grand style.

The party was truly memorable with champagne, Italian food from Petterino’s, a red carpet, flashing cameras and search lights swirling in the air. It really felt like we were in Hollywood.

We watched the awards on the big screen, and during the commercial breaks, members of the Gene Siskel Film Center handed out their own “awards.” I couldn’t believe it, but I won the award for best dressed for a female!

I was happy The King’s Speech won for Best Picture, because I thought it was the most insightful and best acted movie of the year, and I thought Melissa Leo was well-deserving of her win for her portrayal of the crazy mother in The Fighter.

The night was extra special because Natalie Portman won Best Actress for her role in Black Swan, a film in which Russian Pointe also played a part. Russian Pointe was one of four stores that provided leotards for the movie, and we also carried a line of limited edition leotards associated with the film.

I was thoroughly impressed by Natalie Portman’s dancing and awed at the extensive dance training she did for the role. She truly deserved to win.

It’s so interesting talking to people about Black Swan because many people, even if they have seen Swan Lake before, aren’t aware that both the Black and White Swan roles are performed by the same dancer and are really meant to show two sides of the same person. I’m very proud that a ballet was so well-acclaimed, and I hope it will inspire more people to become interested in dance.