PHOTOS: An Oscar Preview Party at a Newly Remodeled Theater

The wine bar is open.

An Oscar preview party with local Hollywood producers Robert Kline and his wife Stephanie Heredia kicked open the new wine bar at the newly remodeled Regency Niguel.

Then it was inside one of the plush theaters for clips from this year’s Academy Award nominees and Oscar trivia.

For example, did you know, Marilyn Monroe never was nominated for an award? Not only that, she only attended one ceremony her whole life, and pretty much had to be dragged there, according to Kline, a former Fox Studio bigwig.

Did you know a movie called The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure earned the lowest revenues for a major release this year? Regency General Manager Larry Porricelli said theaters yanked it before the end of its first weekend.

“It may be if you build it, they will come, but if you make a movie, they may not come,” he said.

And one last bit of movie trivia for you. Kline said the best movies are released mostly between September and the end of the year because filmmakers don’t want the 5,950 Academy members – “depending on everyone’s health this weekend” – to forget about their pictures when it comes time to vote.

The real Oscars are Sunday.