The weekend kicked off with the annual Variety and Women in Film’s nominee party on Friday night held at Gracias Madre in West Hollywood. The event was presented by Halo Top Creamery.
Emmy nominees included Viola Davis, Samira Wiley, Claire Foy, Alexander Skarsgard and Cicely Tyson. Many attendees also stopped to pose with the Mercedes Benz on display before moving on to enjoy mini bean burgers, fig appetizers and the Halo Top Creamery ice cream bar that awaited them inside. Some celebrities like Kathryn Hahn and Abbi Jacobson choose to spend the bulk of the evening on the patio, sipping Svedka cocktails with the Variety logo stenciled on top and chatting under festive blue lights with a soundtrack from DJ Daisy O’Dell in the background.
2017 Host Committee members Kelly Kahl, David Nevins, Mike Hopkins, John Landgraf and Lena Waithe were on-hand to mix and mingle with Women in Film board member Lake Bell, “The Handmaid’s Tale’s” Yvonne Strahovski, “Empire’s” Serayah McNeill and comedy stars like Keegan-Michael Key, Sarah Hyland and Zoe Lister-Jones.
But nominee Dolly Parton stole the show forming a half circle of people around her to say hello and snap a photo with her.
O’Dell’s playlist included ’90s hits and modern day chart toppers, and as the night went on tunes like Mariah Carey’s “Honey” and Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” even got attendees singing and dancing in front of the ice cream bar.