It's typically
the hottest party in town on Oscar night -- but not this
year.
Vanity Fair has canceled its annual Academy
Awards party, the magazine announced Tuesday.
''After much
consideration, and in support of the writers and everyone
else affected by this strike, we have decided that this is
not the appropriate year to hold our annual Oscar
party,'' said a statement posted on VanityFair.com.
''We want to
congratulate all of this year's nominees, and we look
forward to hosting our 15th Oscar party next year,'' the
magazine said.
The annual
post-Oscar soiree often lures more luminaries than the
ceremony itself. The night's big winners and nominees
typically turn out, along with A-listers such
as Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Cher, Sean Penn, Joni
Mitchell, and Al Gore.
The February 24
party was scrapped even though the writers guild is said
to be on track for a possible deal with studios, possibly as
soon as this week.
Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter decided to
cancel the party after talking with West Coast friends and
colleagues, said magazine spokeswoman Beth Kseniak.
He decided that
even if the three-month writers strike was resolved
before the Academy Awards, its affect on Tinseltown was
likely to linger.
''Inasmuch as
Vanity Fair is a collection of writers,
photographers, and artists, we do feel ourselves in aligned
solidarity with the writers, directors, and actors in the
film business,'' Carter said in a statement.
Held annually at
Morton's restaurant, the event has been a fixture for
post-Oscar partygoers since its inception in 1994.
This year's party
was to be the first at Craft, a new restaurant in tony
Century City.
A message left
with Craft management was not immediately returned.
A year after
holding its first Oscar party, Vanity Fair
introduced its annual Hollywood issue. This year's issue,
featuring 10 young actresses on its tri-fold cover, hits
newsstands next week. (AP)