Well, it was Hollywood's time to shine last weekend, as if the stars don't shine enough, but on Hollywood Boulevard the red carpet was out, the cameras were in place, the flowers, decorations and gold Oscar statues were set to welcome the stars for the 77th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony at the Kodak Theater.
It was fun working there at the heart of the action all week. The street was abuzz with crews running cables, installing spot lights, and setting up bleachers for the fans and platforms for the TV crews.
I was really surprised that the public were allowed to walk on the red carpet at the entrance of the Kodak Theater up until show day. I thought for sure the whole place would be blocked off, but in fact we were allowed to roam pretty much everywhere (except on the carpeted Boulevard itself) despite camera crews setting up lights, cables, and generators everywhere. I would have thought it too risky for insurance purposes, but hell I'm not complaining.
It was great fun also for my tour groups to see all the "magic" in process and to get a behind-the-scenes perspective on the preparations for the awards ceremony broadcast. My favorite part was all the beautiful roses and other greenery they used to decorate the grand entrance way to the theater, known as Awards Walk. The colors were fantastic and the smell was delicious!
Another perk for the tourists was the relatively high visibility of celebrities in and around the theater in preparation for the Oscars broadcast. We saw Sharon Osbourne, Roger Ebert, Chris Connelly (who hosted ABC's red carpet preview show), and Michelle Tuzee and Mark Brown, our local ABC news anchors here in Los Angeles.
This year instead of partying with my friends, I stayed home to watch the show, but I wasn't alone since I was in almost continuous phone contact with my Mom and sister watching together in Denver. Since my cell phone company gives me free weekend and evening minutes, I called long distance and talked for more than three hours for free!
Overall, it was a pretty good year for movies. I was a little disappointed with some of the choices for winners, but not surprised. I had really hoped Martin Scorsese would get his just desserts, but I kinda knew Clint Eastwood would win. And Million Dollar Baby won for Best Picture, even though few people saw it and some of those who did walked out early because of the disturbing ending. I thought The Aviator was a more typical Oscar choice, even though my favorite movie was Sideways. I was at least glad that Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor won the Best Adapted Screenplay award for Sideways 'cause it was a very fresh piece. I'm a real fan of Mr. Payne's style.
Now that the show is over, the winners have been announced, and the festivities have concluded, I feel a little post-partem depression. It's funny -- I often feel this way after a big event. One has waited with much anticipation for an exciting experience and then suddenly it's over so quickly. Not much to look forward to anymore. Oh well, there's always next year.
And Paul Giamatti better get nominated, dammit!
No comments:
Post a Comment