2/27/2008

in

At the Jimmy Kimmel Oscar evening, some shocking news came out: Jimmy Kimmel is f\*\*\*ing Ben Affleck!

Susie Kopecky

Ah, Oscar night in Hollywood. Arguably the premiere evening in a city of beauty and movie magic, the Academy Awards took place in Hollywood, California on Sunday evening. Hosted by Jon Stewart, the telecast was witty and yet moved along quickly. And I got to see it from the front lines! Well, close enough anyway. The front lines were, in fact, blocked off to civilians like myself, but I glimpsed the glamour from only feet away.  
  
I attended the Jimmy Kimmel Oscar evening, beginning with a run-down street corner, and ending with my own Oscar goodie bag. For the Jimmy Kimmel Oscar evening, we were instructed to arrive by 5 p.m., at the latest. My friend and I parked at the Arclight Theater and got our spaces in line shortly after 4:30 p.m. After a frantic search for the elusive parking permits (which first were gone, then were only a myth, then miraculously appeared!), and vicious rumors that only the first 167 people in line would even be allowed in, we were off. Shuttles transported us to the back entrance of the El Capitan Theatre, where we were directed to sit in folding chairs in the "Lounge" area. The airplane-like atmosphere was dotted with large plasma televisions, from which we were able to watch the Academy Awards. The bar was stocked with water, sodas and a mysterious fruit drink I had never seen and probably will never see again. Hungry? Baskets of candy adorned the bars, and later a boxed lunch was served. The streets were closed off, but the El Capitan is literally right across from the Kodak Theater. Right before the end of the Oscars, we were moved into the studio where *Jimmy Kimmel Live* is taped. After the obligatory strategic seating session, a woman from the staff came around telling us to get up, clap, dance around and get generally excited for the show.  
  
Me: "How much time do we have until taping?"  
Staffwoman: "35 minutes."  
  
Jimmy's guest that Oscar evening was the popular Ben Affleck. The main subject of the evening's interview was a mock love song the two made as an answer to Sarah Silverman's (who is Kimmel's girlfriend) mock video, "I'm F\*\*\*ing Matt Damon," a supposedly phenomenally popular video now on *YouTube*, chronicling a fake affair between Silverman and Damon, a frequent target of Kimmel's jokes. On Sunday, Kimmel unleashed his answer, "I'm F\*\*\*ing Ben Affleck," a star-studded song including cameos from Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, and Robin Williams, in which Kimmel and Affleck sing of their fake love affair. After the show, all guests were treated to an Oscar bag of goodies, including ABC-related giveaways.