Hollywood Invasion
Victoria Beckham & Sir Elton John rally the Brits at British GQ bash
Thursday, April 17, 2008
(LOS ANGELES) The Polo Lounge of the Beverly Hills Hotel played host to many an English A-lister on Wednesday night as Dylan Jones of British GQ hosted his magazine's annual L.A. bash, this year with Alfred Dunhill, to honor the booming British talent taking on Tinseltown. The cocktail event, which spilled outside onto the private patio, attracted Sharon Osbourne, David Beckham, James Blunt, Cheryl Tiegs, Lily Collins, Johan Lindeberg, and Cat Deeley. "I don't like British actors at all," a Michael Kors-clad Eva Longoria Parker joked to girlfriends Kate Beckinsale and Victoria Beckham. "They have that annoying accent!"
The stylish crowd noshed on British fare like beer-battered fish and chips, crispy cocktail sausages, and beef wellington bites and mingled late into the night, as it was indeed a special gathering of industry friends and Hollywood heavyweights. "I've lived in America for 30 years and I've always felt that there was a strong British presence in this town. Look back in history and you'll see that many of the great classic movie stars were British," noted Osbourne proudly, who greeted nearly every attendee. "Bloody hell, we're not going anywhere!" she laughed.
While Osbourne firmed up dinner plans with Sir Elton John for later that night, gal pals Beckham, Beckinsale, and Longoria Parker stayed close and discussed their evening agenda, as well. "We just wanted to go out and make a night of it," explained Beckinsale, who is currently filming Everybody's Fine with Robert DeNiro and Drew Barrymore. "Eva wants us to go to her restaurant, but if my husband has anything to do with it, we'll probably get an In-n-Out burger somewhere along the way," the actress, clad in Imitation of Christ, said with a wink. "I'm very pleased that there are more Brits in Hollywood now. People are finally starting to understand my jokes!"
A Versace-clad Beckham added, "Wherever we end up, I know I won't be out late; I'm still a mom and a wife and I must be up at seven in the morning to get my boys ready for school!" The petite fashion plate couldn't help but gush about her other leading role in life: fashion designer. "dVb is doing very well and I am currently working to expand the line," she hinted, brushing off recent reports that Fred Segal and Kitson had stopped carrying her line due to lackluster sales. "I want to take it at a steady pace, of course, and I certainly don't want to do anything too quickly, but I am having so much fun with it! It would be a dream to show my collection to the world at Fashion Week one day, but for now, it's a very hands-on process and I'm concentrating on it everyday."
Across the room, Joshua Jackson kept a low profile and spent much of the evening canoodling with girlfriend Diane Kruger. "I'm not a fashion-conscious man, so I'm a little out of my depth here!" the actor said modestly. "Quite a crowd, isn't it? I'm really more Diane's plus one tonight."
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