Oscar winner Suzie Templeton gets a chance to talk with My Love director Alexander Petrov. © 2008 AWN Inc.

The day before the Oscars DreamWorks hosts a brunch at Campanile. Look at the animation who’s who gallery.

Madame Tutli-directors Chris Lavis (l) and Maciek Szczerbowski (2nd r) share a laugh with Maciek's mother and the head of the NFB Tom Perlmutter. © 2008 AWN Inc.

The night before the Big Night was a chance for the animation community to come together for the 18th annual Chocolate Fosca party, which was hosted by Marilyn Zornado and Libby Simon at the home of Renate Kempowski and Paul Demeyer. The annual event was originally started by Mike Gribble, the co-founder of the Spike & Mike festival, as a way to celebrate the animated shorts nominees. Originally called the Chocolate Oscars, the event was renamed after Fosca, a character from Marv Newland’s Anijam, after the Academy objected to the creation of chocolate Oscars. View the fun that was had by all.

On Thursday, Feb. 24th, the Oscar Showcase tour pulled into DreamWorks. View the fun we had there.

Oscar-winner Suzie Templeton (2nd left) hangs out in front of Joseph's with animator Rosto (l), along with BUF producer Lucie Bloze and Even Pigeons Go To Heaven producer Simon Vanesse. © 2008 AWN Inc.

After a long day at Disney, the evening of Feb. 20th was for fun. Check out the photos from the annual Acme/AWN Oscar party.

Tour host Ron Diamond (l) and Madame Tutli-Putli director Maciek Szczerbowski (r) run into John Lasseter on the Disney lot. © 2008 AWN Inc.

On Feb. 20th, the day belonged to Disney on the Oscar Showcase tour. Here is the photographic evidence.

On the evening of Feb. 19th, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences hosted a screening of the animated and live-action shorts. Check out the pictures from the star-studded event.

The second stop on the L.A. leg of the Oscar Showcase tour was on Tuesday, Feb. 19th at 20th Century Fox. So here are some more pics.

Congratulations to Oscar winners Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman, as well as Peter and the Wolf producer Alan Dewhurst. I’d also like to congratulate all the nominees and I’d like to thank Ron Diamond for the chance to follow all these wonderful filmmakers around on their journey to the big night.

At the ILM Q&A, Madame Tutli-Putli director Maciek Szczerbowski and Peter and the Wolf director Suzie Templeton talk about the scale of their film’s puppets.

With a late 5 o’clock screening at ICM, many of the nominees couldn’t make it to the Q&A. Peter and the Wolf producer Hugh Welchman, Madame Tutli-Putli producer Marcy Page and her exec producer David Verrall were able to meet the agents. I Met the Walrus director Josh Raskin and his producer Jerry Levitan arrived right after the agents left because they went to the old ICM address by mistake.