Red Carpet Ex-Files: Oscar Night Is as Much of a Relationship Showdown as an Awards Show

    /24-7PressRelease/ - ROSS, CA, January 31, 2007 - All bets are on that Brad Pitt will be strolling the red carpet on Oscar Night, hand-in-hand with Angelina Jolie. After all, he is the top star of Babel, which has received seven Oscar nods.

Does that mean that Jennifer Aniston be a no-show?

For sure, Reese Witherspoon - the 2006 Academy Award winner for Actress in a Leading Role - will be there, but unlike last year, not on the arm with soon-to-be ex, Ryan Phillippe.

And while Jude Law currently casts a bigger shadow, his 2006 releases (All the King's Men, The Holiday, Breaking and Entering) got nowhere near the buzz that the Edie Sedgewick bio-pic Factory Girl - starring his ex-fiance and couture house favorite, Sienna Miller, making her appearance more likely than his, making it more convenient for Law's publicists to claim that he's "busy filming his latest movie, on location . . ."

According to Josie Brown, author of the Tinseltown glam-lit novel Impossibly Tongue-Tied, "When it comes to Hollywood's many red carpet events, its not so much who will be walking and waving, but who is not at their side when they do so."

Even if she isn't a nominee, for an actress whose recent split have been with either a less stellar actor (think Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe) or a musician (Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson), the saving grace of a hit movie or an upcoming release may net her another coveted role: that of category announcer during the event, giving her an excuse to saunter the ruby gauntlet with her head high - "And of course, donning a designer gown that will have her ex remembering what he saw in her in the first place," says Brown.

On the other hand, many a high profile actor has figured out that it's easier to marry someone who isn't in show business in the first place than to pass on any high visibility opportunity. Matt Damon dropped both Winona Ryder and Minnie Driver, and now walks down the aisle with Luciana Barroso. Explains Brown: "Not only does this announce to the world that everyone has moved on, but it keeps the focus on his roles instead of his relationship."

It's par for the course that Brown's novels, which are set in Hollywood, have Oscar award or party scenes that are pivotal to the plot. The closing scene of True Hollywood Lies took place at the Oscars. In her latest novel, Impossibly Tongue-Tied, it suddenly dawns on the heroine, a struggling actress, that her up-and-coming actor husband is in fact having an affair with his highly acclaimed co-star as she watches them stroll down the runway joined at the hip.

"Does the escort stand to the side during the interview, or are they pawing each other like a couple of high school sweethearts?" asks Brown. "Their body language says it all."

The big question this year, says Brown, is whether perennial Oscars attendee Nicole Kidman shows up with husband Keith Urban at her side.

"With his former girlfriend telling tales to the tabloids, and his substance abuse issues, Keith may be too much baggage for Nicole to tote down the runway with her. Frankly, the only thing I hope she has on her arm is a charm from Harry Winston. As she sang in Moulin Rouge, diamonds are a girl's best friend."

Josie Brown's latest book is IMPOSSIBLY TONGUE-TIED (HarperCollins/Avon). You can read more about Josie and her books at http://www.josiebrown.com.

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