Events of the Week: ‘Babylon,’ ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ and More

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Babylon, Avatar: The Way of Water, Emily in Paris and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

Avatar: The Way of Water premiere

The Avatar sequel’s cast and crew continued its world tour on Monday with the Los Angeles premiere, and though writer-director James Cameron was forced to miss after testing positive for COVID-19, stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Bailey Bass, Duane Evans, Jr. and producer Jon Landau still came out to celebrate. The Weeknd, who has a song in the film, also walked the carpet, as did Bob Iger, with the premiere marking his first since returning as Disney CEO.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody premiere

Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci and Nafessa Williams, who star in the Whitney Houston biopic, supported the film at its NYC premiere on Tuesday, alongside producer Clive Davis and director Kasi Lemmons.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish premiere

Universal’s latest exploration of the Shrek universe premiered in NYC on Tuesday with stars Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek Pinault, Harvey Guillén and Wagner Moura.

The Pale Blue Eye premiere

Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Lucy Boynton, Harry Lawtey, Hadley Robinson, Timothy Spall, Fred Hechinger and writer-director Scott Cooper attended the L.A. premiere of their Netflix thriller on Wednesday.

Paul T. Goldman premiere

Peacock hosted the L.A. premiere of its new series on Wednesday, with executive producer Seth Rogen, director Jason Woliner, Paul T. Goldman (who plays himself in the show) and costars Rosanna Arquette, Melinda McGraw, Christopher Stanley and Dee Wallace.

Babylon premiere

The star-studded cast of Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, including Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Tobey Maguire and Olivia Wilde, walked the carpet at the film’s world premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Emily in Paris premiere

Lily Collins, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Lucas Bravo, Ashley Park, Camille Razat, Samuel Arnold, Bruno Gouery, William Abadie, Lucien Laviscount, Kate Walsh, Jeremy O. Harris, Paul Forman, Jean-Christophe Bouvet and creator Darren Star attended the season three premiere of their Netflix show on Thursday in NYC.

Christmas Con

That’s4Entertainment hosted its third annual Christmas Con at the New Jersey Expo Center on Dec. 9 and 10, hosted by Jonathan Bennet. Also in attendance throughout the weekend were Melissa Joan Hart, Tyler Hynes, Bethany Joy Lenz, Mario Lopez, Danica McKellar, Jesse Metcalfe and Chad Michael Murray.

Armageddon Time special screening

Sean Penn hosted a special NY screening for the Focus Features film on Saturday, with actors Jeremy Strong and Tovah Feldshuh.

The Bardo Experience

On Saturday, Netflix hosted The Bardo Experience at Goya Studios, which took the audience on a journey behind the filmmaking of Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths. The event featured conversations highlighting the work of production designer Eugenio Caballero, cinematographer Darius Khondji, and the film’s sound team, wrapping up with a chat between Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Chloé Zhao.

Children and Family Emmys

The inaugural Children’s and Family Emmy Awards took place in L.A. on Saturday and Sunday, with JoJo Siwa hosting the first night and Jack McBrayer hosting the second. LeVar Burton was awarded a lifetime achievement honor for his work on Reading Rainbow, presented by his longtime friend Laurence Fishburne, and other winners included Olivia Colman and the Obamas.

Public Counsel’s William O. Douglas Award

Viola Davis received the William O. Douglas Award from the Public Counsel on Sunday in Beverly Hills, presented by Octavia Spencer with a special performance by Andra Day.

Get Lit gala

Get Lit- Words Ignite, the L.A.-based education nonprofit aiming to increase literacy, empower youth and energize communities through poetry and visual media, honored H.E.R. at its gala on Sunday, held at the Grammy Museum. H.E.R. was part of the Get Lit program when she attended CHAMPS High School in Los Angeles and competed in the first-ever Get Lit Classic Slam, held in 2012.

Brooks Brothers x St. Jude holiday party

Brooks Brothers held its annual holiday party in Beverly Hills on Sunday, co-hosted by Christina Hendricks, to benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Bardo dinner

Netflix and The WIE Suite hosted a dinner and salon in celebration of the Netflix movie Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths on Monday in NYC. Speakers and hosts included Alicia Menendez, Pilar Guzman, Ruzwana Bashir, Vanessa Cornell and Dee Poku, with guests Joy Sunday, Nicole Ari Parker, Zani Gugelman, Paula Ramos, Lilia Luciano, Shantell Martin, Sofia Karvela, Nayeema Raza, Crystal McCrary and Sabrina Mallick Peterson, as well as Bardo producer Karla Luna. 

Emily in Paris NYC party

Ahead of the season three premiere, the stars of Emily in Paris stopped by the Empire State Building on Tuesday, followed by Pierre Cadault’s Penthouse Party featuring fashion and products from the show.

Instituto Cervantes inauguration

Her Majesty the Queen of Spain was in Los Angeles on Tuesday to attend the Instituto’s inauguration, with an opening ceremony attended by Kate del Castillo, Eugenio Derbez, Spanish music composer Pedro Osuna, Spanish actress María Valverde and Venezuelan composer and conductor Gustavo Dudamel, head of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Love, Lizzo screening

The Grammy Museum hosted a special screening of the HBO documentary Love Lizzo, followed by a post-screening conversation with the star, in L.A. on Wednesday.

Corsage special screening

Patti Smith hosted a special screening of IFC Films’ Corsage on Wednesday in NYC with Vicky Kreips and Marie Kreutzer.

Saks x American Express Platinum Kacey Musgraves event

On Thursday, Saks and American Express Platinum hosted a special concert featuring Kacey Musgraves live at The Lot at Formosa in L.A.