5:17 p.m.
There’s only a few minutes until the telecast starts, so guests at the Elton John Aids Foundation viewing party are frantically trying to mark their paper ballots for a contest. The problem? Patron built all the bars from ice and the ballots are not water-resistant. There are few places for people to check “Alfonso Cuaron” and “Jared Leto” as the consensus locks.
6:28 p.m.
It’s one hour into the show and the TV feed at Elton’s soiree keeps getting intermittently knocked offline. After the third time, the audience groans. Jane Fonda, next year’s AFI Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, takes advantage of the down time.