As soon as I tell people I went to jcpenney’s Oscar Fan Experience at the Academy Awards, everyone asks the same questions. Let’s get those answered first: Yes, I saw Angelina and Brad and the famous LEG pose. Yes, I saw George Clooney and yes, he is fantastic, personable, and wonderful. Yes, it was amazing and I’ll be talking about it for the rest of my life –it’s crossed of my “Life List”! And finally, yes, I could see EVERYTHING. Our seats were incredible!

Now here are some details:

The Road to The Red Carpet
After meeting our representative at the designated place and time near the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, we were escorted to the red carpet area to get our clearance badges. Security was tight, roads and sidewalks were blocked off, (we definitely couldn’t straggle behind) but not matter what, the excitement in the air couldn’t be controlled. As soon as we got our badges, we moved into the area where we spent the next five hours. Jcpenney did a terrific job of adding to the experience with makeup touch-ups, photo opps in front of a jcpenney backdrop and plenty of food and drinks all afternoon.

I was graciously allowed to bring a guest and my sister (a fashion/design expert) came with me for the day. We had plenty of time to experience the added features of the day, but decided to head up to see where our seats were first. We wanted to feast our eyes on that Red Carpet! We couldn’t have been more thrilled when we saw our seats were right behind Robin Roberts of Good Morning America and in the center of all the action. Somebody pinch us! We felt like we were dreaming.

The Stars Came Out
We didn’t have to wait very long before the stars began arriving, but like a child at Christmas, it seemed like the moment would never come. We sat poised, cameras ready, as we recognized our favorite television newscasters and style channel personalities go through their warm-ups, check their equipment and greet each other like old friends. Mario Lopez and Maria Menounos from Extra walked right in front of us as they taped a live segment. Ryan Seacrest (who was far over to our left) taped a few opening pieces, and Wolfgang Puck delivered hors d’oeuvres to the television personalities as they waited to get their prized interviews with the big movie stars. It was fascinating to see the behind the scenes action and set up involved in the Oscars.

We were told we better get drinks and go to the bathroom, because as soon as stars started pouring in, we weren’t going anywhere. My sister and I weren’t going anywhere anyway! We didn’t want to miss a minute!

And here they came! The stars walked right in front of our bleachers and different fans started yelling for their favorites. As the stars heard their names, they graciously turned and waved to us. We saw them all: Leah Thompson, the entire cast of Bridesmaids, Steven Spielberg, the cast of The Help, Jane Seymour, Tony Bennett, Christopher Plummer, Jason Segal, Glenn Close, Tina Fey, Michelle Williams, Rooney Mara, P. Diddy, Prince Albert of Monaco, James Earl Jones, Jennifer Lopez, Colin Firth, Sandra Bullock, and last but never described as least, Meryl Streep, along with countless others who I didn’t capture on film or, sadly, recognize.

My favorite moment was when George Clooney turned to face us (since everyone in the stands was chanting “George! George! George!”, we were pretty difficult to ignore). Then, he didn’t just face us and take it all in. He walked over, crossed the ropes that were the barrier for the bleacher area, and started shaking hands and signing autographs. The entire set of bleachers were on their feet and screaming! It was outstanding. He’s the only one who did this (and probably the only one who could have gotten away with it!). According to a woman who was in the bleachers previously, George did the same thing last year with the same reaction. What a guy!

Across the Street to the El Capitan
Even though this would have been plenty of excitement for one day, the fun was far from over. Jcpenney hosted a wonderful Oscars party across the street from the Kodak Theater at the El Capitan Theater. They provided food, drinks, and activities as we settled into the soft, comfortable seats to watch the Academy Awards on the massive movie screen. What a treat to see this star-studded event in this setting –just like going to the movies! Watching the show this way was like being at a huge, interactive party. People clapped when stars won awards and cheered as their favorites took home a statue. My sister and I started saying, “We saw him! We saw her! We saw her!” as the stars came up on the screen. Eventually we stopped saying this when we realized we saw EVERYONE that was on the red carpet!

I have to admit, as soon as I sat in that comfortable seat, I sank into it and didn’t want to get up. After such an exciting afternoon (and not getting much sleep the night before due to the anticipation) I was really tired. My sister chases around my darling, three-year-old niece every day, so her stamina is a lot stronger than mine –I was exhausted! But I felt tired in the best possible way –the kind of tired caused by the sheer thrill of witnessing an event better than I could have dreamed: the Red Carpet!

The jcpenney Catalog
As if getting me to the Academy awards wasn’t enough, jcpenney gave us a few goodies to remember our time with them that day. The item I felt most excited to receive from jcpenney is their March monthly book. The first chance I got when I returned home, I poured myself a comfy cup of tea and dove into the pages like I would a favorite magazine. I understand jcpenney’s desire to call it a monthly book instead of a catalog –it’s so much more than that! It’s filled with layouts of fun colorful clothes, accessories, and a peek at their outdoor furniture, home, and kitchen items. The pages are well-designed, the square shape ties in  perfectly with their logo, and I loved the age range of the models.

As a Mom, I felt represented, not left out by looking at twenty-something models on the pages. Another feature that added value and connection were the two, short articles contained in the catalog. One featured a group of men who have played basketball together every week for forty (yes, 40!) years. I love that jcpenney gave up valuable page-space to tell the story of these gentlemen and look forward to what might be featured next month.

Fair and Square Pricing
Are any of us fooled with the “one-cent-less” pricing strategy anymore? You know what I mean: instead of pricing something $13.00, the price listed in one cent less than a full dollar to give the illusion of a lower price. I’ve explained this pricing to my sons. They ask, “Why don’t they just charge the full dollar? We can figure out what they’re doing!” Yes, we can figure it out, and jcpenney know this. They’ve priced items without the .99 at the end. Thanks for knowing we’re smarter than this, jcpenney, and creating Fair and Square Pricing.

They didn’t stop there when changing up how items are priced. jcpenney has created “red, white, and blue” pricing which is clearly explained in the catalog (thank you, again). Red prices are the “everyday” price, rounded to the dollar. White prices are the sales for the entire  month. You won’t be disappointed by missing out on weekend specials –you have an entire month to take advantage of sale items. Blue prices are what they call “best prices”. Every 1st and 3rd Friday items are marked “way down” and they will probably be snatched up quick!

I look forward to my next trip to jcpenney to see all the wonderful merchandise in real life. I trust I’ll be able to find just what I’m looking for –at a fair price that makes sense.

The Final Award of the Night
And the Oscar for Best (Event) Director goes to jcpenney! To quote one of my favorite, classic movies of all time: “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Thank you, jcpenney, for a day my sister and I won’t forget as long as we live.

Take a look at all of my red carpet photos in the gallery below!

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Disclosure: Eileen was a guest of jcpenney at their Oscar Fan Experience at the Academy Awards. She received a “survival kit”, food, and a gift certificate for her participation at the event.

When Eileen Calandro isn’t recovering from being star-struck at the Oscars with jcpenney, she is the Chief Mom Connector of Mom Central. You can read about other things that put stars in her eyes on her personal blog at calandroclan.com and connect with her on twitter at @MomCentralChat and @calandro5.

Eileen Calandro