Leah Braaten Larson’s obsession with the Oscars finally paid off this year.
The Mayville, N.D., woman had a front-row seat to the Academy Award’s red carpet event Sunday in Hollywood after winning a magazine contest.
She and her close friend Laree Schell Balvitsch, Fargo, were treated to bleacher seats right in front of the ABC-TV stage and co-hosts Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan.
“I was excited about everyone, really,” Larson said. “Matthew McConaughey and Leonardo DiCaprio in particular. And after seeing him on the Red Carpet, Jared Leto.”
McConaughey won the Best Actor and Leto the Best Supporting Actor awards for their roles in “Dallas Buyers Club.”
“He’s my new favorite,” Larson said of Leto. “There’s just something about him. He just seems like a fun guy. He seemed like he was really having a good time. Bradley Cooper was another one who seemed to be having a good time.”
‘We were on TV’
A longtime subscriber to People Magazine, Larson was reading her email when she received an alert announcing the annual “Experience on the Red Carpet” contest, with two free tickets going to the first person who enters. Balvitsch being a close friend and a fellow Oscars aficionado was the natural recipient of the other ticket.
“It was really a no-brainer for us to go. We’re both big celebrity fans,” Larson said.
She is employed by Amity Technology, a Fargo manufacturer of sugar beet and other farm equipment. Balvitsch works for Auto Owners Insurance in Fargo.
Sunday was a long day for the pair, but one they’ll never forget.
After going through a background check, they were instructed to be at the red carpet by 8:30 a.m., hours before the event began. Each received breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with an exclusive swag bag filled with memorabilia and other gifts.
They also received tickets to the El Capitan Theatre where they watched the Academy Awards ceremony on a giant movie screen. El Capitan is across the street from the Oscars venue, the Dolby Theatre.
Although they’re graduates of Moorhead State University, they wore bright gold NDSU Bison T-shirts to stand out.
It worked.
“You could see us waving on TV. We were really sticking out,” Larson said. “I could tell the first time we were on TV. My phone just went crazy.”
1/38: Leah Braaten Larson and her friend Laree Schell Balvitsch take a seat on their trip to the red carpet.
2/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt on the red carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
3/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Brat Pitt on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
4/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Cate Blanchett on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
5/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Charlize Theron on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
6/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Jared Leto on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
7/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Julia Robert on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
8/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Leo DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
9/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Matthew McConaughey on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
10/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Robin Robert s and Bette Midler on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
11/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Will Smith on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
12/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Amy Adams on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
13/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Bill Murray on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
14/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Bono on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
15/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Bradley Cooper greeting Christian Bale on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
16/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Channing Tatum on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
17/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Dern family on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
18/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Harrison Ford on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
19/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Jennifer Carner on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
20/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Kerry Washington on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
21/38: Laree Schell Balvitsch answers a question from a reporter from The List.
22/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Leo taking a video of the bleachers on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
23/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Leo DiCaprio being interviewed on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
24/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Meryl Streep on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
25/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Ryan Seacrest on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
26/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Sandra Bullock on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
27/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Sidney Portier on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
28/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Whoopie Goldberg and Kevin Spacey on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
29/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Will and Jada Smith being interviewed on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
30/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Bradley Cooper on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
31/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
32/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Jared Leto on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
33/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Jennifer Lawrence on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
34/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Jessica Biel on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
35/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of John Stamos on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
36/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Kate Hudson on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
37/38: Leah Braaten Larson took this photo of Lady Gaga on the Red Carpet at the 2014 Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
38/38: Leah Braaten Larson and Laree Schell Balvitsch pose for a picture for People magazine.
