Oscar-worthy experience

It wasn't only a night for the rich and famous.

While most people settled in to watch the 82nd annual Academy Awards on their television March 7, Marlene and Mike Thompson of Labrador City, were taking in the glitz and glamour of the Oscars from the sidelines of the red carpet.

"I always wanted to go to the Oscars," Marlene said. "I always wanted to take in the event and be as close to the red carpet as possible. The whole idea of stargazing and seeing all the glamour appealed to me."

Hollywood has always been like a dream to Marlene and when she decided to travel to California to visit a friend Long Beach, she knew she had to take in the energy of the Oscars.

By the time she checked into getting bleacher tickets to sit along side of red carpet on Oscar night, it was past the deadline, but she was still determined to go.

"This is the biggest night of a celebrity's life," she said of the Academy Awards. "This is what they work for all year round, so we just wanted to be around all that hype."

Marlene said it was nearly impossible to find a hotel in downtown Hollywood right next to the Kodak Theatre - where the awards ceremony takes place - on Oscar night, but after what felt like hundreds of phone calls, the couple and their friend, Donna Simpson, found accommodations right next door to all the action.

"We took in all the hype of the red carpet," she recalled the location. "We were right there where the limos were pulling up and saw the stars being escorted into the Kodak Theatre. We got to see a lot of stars."

Marlene said she saw a variety of people ranging from singers Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Miley Cyrus and Mariah Carey, to movie stars Jeff Bridges, Zoe Saldana, and Mo'Nique, who won best supporting actress for the film Precious.

She also saw the entire cast from the movie Inglorious Bastards, with the exception of Brad Pitt, who didn't make it to this year's Academy Awards.

However, Marlene admits she didn't get a close-up look at the one star she had hoped to see above all others - George Clooney.

"We saw him from afar," she said. "We had to leave for a few minutes to check into our hotel and when we when we left George came up and high-fived everyone in our area and signed autographs. George is kind of a sensitive topic."

After taking in the red carpet festivities, the friends went back to their hotel to watch the Oscars on TV and after it was over, the trio got dressed up to go out to dinner at the Sky Bar - a famous Hollywood celebrity bar next door to the Vanity Fair soiree where all the movie stars go after the ceremony on Oscar night.

Marlene said she wasn't letting any security guard intimidate her from trying to get into the celebrity shindig.

"When we came out of the Sky Bar, we decided we were going to try to get into the Vanity Fair party," she explained with a laugh. "I went to the security guard and asked if I could get in, trying to be a nice Canadian, and he asked if I had a pass to get in, and I said 'no, but I know everyone in there.' It didn't work, but it was worth a shot."

It wasn't a total waste of time though; as they were leaving the group ran into Katy Perry and were able to get a photo of the singer after chasing her a little way down the street.

Marlene said the stars weren't very open about getting a photo taken with fans, but she was happy just to see a lot of the celebrities.

However, she did manage to get a photo taken with an Oscar when her group ran into Juan JosÉ Campanella, the director of The Secret in Their Eyes, which won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

"It was an amazing experience," she said. "We got to get a picture with his Oscar and touch it and hold it, which I never thought would happen. It was awesome."

The Thompsons also sat in the audience for The Wanda Sykes Show - a late-night comedy show - while in California and got to shake hands with actors Wesley Snipes, Nick Cannon, and Gina Gershon.

Marlene said they even had a short chat with the host after the show was over.

"We were right in the front row," she recalled. "At the end we got to meet her. We were the last to leave the studio and I waved at her and shouted that I came all the way from Eastern Canada and she came over and started talking to us. We were chatting it up with her talking about Newfoundland and Labrador. It was totally surreal."

Marlene and her husband were in California for eight days where they had the chance to take in several other tours and exciting events, and though she admitted the trip isn't for everyone, it was amazing for her.

She was able to get a lot closer to the red carpet and the celebrities than she ever thought she could and she enjoyed every minute.

She even had her very own star moment.

"There were cameras flashing everywhere on Oscar night and the paparazzi was actually right outside our hotel and when I came out they must have thought I was someone because they started snapping pictures," she remembered with a laugh. "It was funny because the cameras started to slow down as they realized I wasn't anybody. It was a great night. We met a lot of great people. I'll definitely do the Oscars again."