Article by Jessica Goebel

“Intern” as a title doesn’t usually get you very far — maybe down the street to Starbucks for a coffee run. But not so at MTV News; I received the assignment of a lifetime Sunday night when I got to assist with coverage of the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

I couldn’t show up in my usual intern attire of jeans and a hoodie, so I resurrected a favorite turquoise dress that I hadn’t worn since my sister’s birthday party last year. I also took the opportunity to hit Macy’s for makeup; my personal rule is that dramatic eyes are best left to professionals, especially for events as major as the Oscars. I rocked my usual hairstyle: straight, blonde, bangs. My look worked well, I think, though I’m relieved that I won’t have to endure a verdict from Us Weekly.

My primary responsibility for the show was to record the official feeds of the ceremony and the press room so that MTV could later pull clips from that footage. I lugged equipment onto a shuttle, through security checkpoints, and into the pool feed tent, where I was met with skeptical stares from middle-aged men who, I suspect, doubted my ability to navigate the sea of cables in the room. Hauling that equipment in heels did not reflect well on my judgment.

After setting up the recording devices, I headed over to the red carpet; to my surprise, my
“Press Messenger” credential granted me considerable access. I lurked behind the correspondents planted in front of the red carpet as they beckoned stars to answer questions. MTV’s Tim Kash, ET’s Cojo, and official pre-show host Regis all vied for stars’ attention.

The first famous faces I saw were Heidi Klum and Seal, a stunning pair. The most popular colors for dresses this year seemed to be bold red (Klum, Katherine Heigl, Miley Cyrus, Anne Hathaway) and classic black (Jennifer Garner, Ellen Page, Hilary Swank, Nicole Kidman).

The men stuck with standard tuxes, for the most part — but I’m not complaining. Foxiest of all? Jason Bateman, Dwayne Johnson and George Clooney. The “Michael Clayton” star took his sweet time working his way down the carpet, spreading his personal pizzazz among the many media outlets. When our own Larry Carroll asked him what the best part about being at the Oscars is, he looked at Larry and said: “You.” What a charmer!

I spent the remainder of the show parked in the press room, alternately watching the ceremony, observing the parade of winners who came through to field questions from a gaggle of journalists, and handling small tasks like transcribing and fact checking.

The coolest stuff I saw was behind-the-scenes. Tilda Swinton was in the middle of answering a question when Marion Cotillard’s Best Actress upset came over the monitors — Swinton quipped, “See what I’m saying about Europe?” in reference to earlier praise for her geographic roots. Then there was chatty Javier Bardem, who gamely offered lengthy answers in both English and Spanish. Using my modest grasp of Spanish, I tried to translate his remarks to help Larry, but to little avail. ¡Habla muy rápidamente!

With tapes recorded and roundups written, our business for the night concluded in the wee hours of the evening. Now, I’ve returned to the normal office tasks with an extra bounce in my step, still reeling from a magical evening as part of Hollywood’s most glamorous affair.