Terrorism, rain threaten Oscars
2005-02-22 12:23
Hollywood - The Oscars have battened down the hatches six days ahead of cinema's biggest night, as organisers moved to ward off a dual threat to this year's Academy Awards: terrorism and driving rain.
Authorities threw a security blanket around Hollywood's Kodak Theatre as they launched the process of transforming the area ahead of the glittering arrival of hundreds of top stars for Sunday's 77th annual Academy Awards.
An army of police and anti-terrorism operatives was expected to flood the area later in the week ahead of the show that will be attended by around 3 300 VIPs and watched by up to a billion viewers across the world.
"We will do our best to make the Oscars safe for everyone involved because it's kind of obvious that it is a potentially very attractive target for terrorists," said Los Angeles Police Department officer Jason Lee.
Security guards, wearing vivid yellow rain slickers against the unseasonably inclement weather, dotted the edges of the area where the famous 150m long red carpet will be laid later this week.
A crane lowered a giant 7.5m Oscar statuette, wrapped in waterproof plastic, into place beside a grand-stand from which 300 hand-picked fans will get a front row view of their favourite stars as they glide up the world's most famous red carpet.
Streets to be closed
Streets immediately around the theatre were due to be closed off late on Monday as officials gradually ramp up security around the venue of festivities where Tinseltown careers can be made and broken.
Later in the week scores of stores along Hollywood Boulevard, one of Los Angeles' main tourist attractions, will be sealed off, while more streets, subway stations and even freeway offramps in the area will be shut down.
"Everybody has to be away by 22:00 on Saturday for the security check", a security guard watching over a shop close to the theatre.
But on Monday, the heavy rain was posing more of a problem to nervous organisers than the tight security arrangements that have been in place since the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks on US targets.
Preparing for the wet weather
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences officials said they were taking precautions to keep the $20 000 - about R117 000 - designers gowns and tuxedos of Hollywood's good and great dry in case the wet weather extends into Sunday.
"Tents and canopies are going be constructed all over the red carpet," which will is due to be laid on Wednesday, one official said.
Local businessmen were non-plussed by the frenetic activity overtaking the area that is home to Hollywood's walk of fame, where more than 2 000 bronze-edged stars immortalising screen luminaries are set in the pavement of Hollywood Boulevard.
"Of course, we going to lose money," sighed the manager of a souvenir shop that sells imitation plastic Oscar statuettes next door to the Kodak Theatre.
Meanwhile the countdown to movieland's ultimate awards was underway, as stars and producers nervously began preparing their acceptance speeches.
The Academy's 5 808 voters must return their Oscars voting ballots to auditors by 17:00 on Tuesday in order for them to be influence the outcome of the awards in 24 categories.
The ballot papers will be held under high security at an undisclosed location while they are tallied, and will then be carried into the Oscars ceremony by two PriceWaterHouse Coopers accountants on Sunday.