WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AMERICAN Music and the Academy Awards? "You probably can't get away with leather pants and cowboy boots at the Oscars," said Clint Black, gesturing at his own getup as he arrived at Los Angeles's Shrine Auditorium. Indeed, the 25th annual ceremony on Jan. 26 was, as usual, an anything-goes affair. Presenter Cybill Shepherd drove herself to the show in an RV. Erykah Badu, who won favorite new soul/R&B artist, donned a green head wrap and slinky dress that "I put together myself." Even the usually dazzling Jewel wore a simple Helmut Lang leather blazer and black pants. "I just didn't feel like getting dressed up tonight," she said.
Some recipients didn't feel like showing up at all. The Spice Girls, who swept three awards, took their girl power elsewhere. And an ailing Frank Sinatra sent daughter Nancy to accept his Award of Merit. ("His spirits are great," she later told reporters. "So is his appetite.") But all was harmonious at the backstage post-show bash, where some 1,100 guests chowed down on ribs, chicken quesadillas and chili. The evening's host Drew Carey, who played the accordion as part of the broadcast, even jumped onstage to play drums with the party's R&B band. Clearly he was unconcerned about embarrassing himself in a room filled with professionals. "It's not like skydiving or anything," he said, shrugging. "It's only an awards show, after all."
Your Reaction
