Rule Breakers
NBCUniversal’s Wendy Schellinger takes us along as she preps for Oscar Sunday.
The seven and a half hours of Oscars coverage by E!
Entertainment are all thanks to her teams legwork done in advance.
Throughout the day, she sneaks moments of calm, reminding herself how much she genuinely enjoys her job.
This is Hollywood, the land of dreams.
Its such a Hollywood/not-Hollywood moment.
For those 15 minutes after I wake up, I’m forcing myself to grab a Zen moment.
Todays look is a black Simone Rocha high-low dress and my go-to black Adidas Samba sneakers.
Oddly enough, theyre my sons old shoes.
I like to listen to old school, ’90s hip-hop in the car.
The upbeat music helps me bring that energy to the event and all of the people Im around.
By this point, I’ve got about six different colored wristbands on display.
The show’s energy is building, and its electric.
10 a.m.:Now back at the Roosevelt pool, our live show officially begins.
The sun is hitting the set perfectly a bright and cascading golden glow over the set.
Being constantly on the lookout makes the day go by much faster.
1:15 p.m.:Im eating a quick salad from Joan’s on Third.
To enter the set, I have to go up five flights of temporary scaffolding staircases.
2 p.m.:It’s showtime again.
TheLive From E!panel begins, and the next three hours fly by.
It’s almost as if we’re watching multiple sporting matches at the same time.
5 p.m.:The panel wraps, and all eyes are on the start of the Oscars.
I need to run her through the visuals of our set for next week at the Grammys.
We also talk through the Met Gala set coming up in May and our take on the theme.
Finally, we discuss what locations I’ll be scouting forBillboardMusic Awards when I’m out in Las Vegas.
Were eating as if we’re watching from home, but we know we still have work to do.
Time speeds up and slows down at the same time at that moment.
I stick around a bit to confirm all is well.
I never make it inside, and unlike the Chinese food, I think it was the right call.
10:15 p.m.:I finally return home.
When I enter, I pass my packed bag for Las Vegas by the door and head to bed.
Tomorrow, I fly there for Grammys prep andBillboardscouts.
I take a moment to settle down from the frenzy of the day.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
This article was originally published onApril 1, 2022
