From actor Joel Edgerton to model Jessica Gomes to chef Neil Perry, red-carpet excitement among a cross-section of home-grown glitterati was squarely trained on the pint-sized singer.

On the eve of her flight to Australia to start filming The Voice, the seasoned pop star used hers as only she knows how. Do the Locomotion, Can't Get You out of My Head and an obligatory I Still Call Australia Home rang out to an intimate Beverly Hills crowd of Australians, honorary and otherwise, on a chilly LA winter evening.

Speaking about her work on The Voice, the 45-year-old, wearing Balmain, told Fairfax Media she was "crazy excited" and that it comes after a year of working hard behind the scenes.

"Life is really, really good right now - it's manic. I don't know up from down," she said.

This year she will release a single and album, and said she had another tour in mind.

While the LA soiree for 150 may not have been her largest crowd, it more than made up for it in Hollywood clout, celebrating an array of Australian talent in arts, hospitality, entrepreneurship and business.

Jacki Weaver, who will be honoured at Saturday's G'day USA Black Tie Gala with an Excellence in Film award to be presented by Mel Gibson, said the cocktail evening was "genuinely great fun" and that being invited to such events still took her by surprise.

"It's a delight every day," said the Silver Linings Playbook Oscar nominee. "I get up and pinch myself, I'm having such a good time."

She will return home for the first time in six months next week, visiting family in Randwick while taking two weeks to act in a short film with Mirrah Foulkes of Dumpy Goes to the Big Smoke and Top of the Lake fame.

Also bridging the Pacific Ocean in style was singer Tina Arena, who said she had no nerves but a little healthy butterflies in advance of her turn as guest performer at the gala, and Offspring's Matt Le Nevez, an LA local.

Dovetailing with the festivities was the embattled national airline's announcement hours before the party that it will provide flights for the stars of Modern Family as part of the hit US TV show's plans to film an episode in Australia.

Despite the news, patriarch in the show Ty Burrell made a hasty exit at the cocktail party, barrelling past media on the red carpet, leaving young actors Nolan Gould and Ariel Winter to fly the flag.

As for what might feature in the special episode from Down Under, creator Steve Levitan remained predictably coy.

"Crocodile Dunphy will be mentioned," he said, riffing off the main character's surname, "and there will be a bridge climb."

At Saturday's G'day USA gala, Cate Blanchett will present Geoffrey Rush with his Excellence in the Arts award, while chef for the night Curtis Stone will have his work cut out for him, overseeing dinner at the Australian-American celebration, as well as collecting the Excellence in Culinary Arts award from Sharon Osbourne.

Tinsel Town's award season reheats on Sunday with the Golden Globes, while the Academy Awards will cap the season on March 2.

Daisy Dumas travelled to Los Angeles courtesy of Qantas.