This year Hollywood is getting revved up for the Oscars earlier than usual, thanks to a new location that promises an added dash of glamour.
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When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first formed, its president, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., personally cajoled more than 200 industry professionals into joining in one single evening over cocktails at the swanky Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. The original Oscar statuette was sculpted by an out-of-work art school graduate. The awards ceremony was held in the intimate, dimly lit Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. And it took only five minutes for Fairbanks, who also served as presenter, to dole out the shiny gold men.
A lot has changed since 1929. The Oscars are now watched by one billion people. Every red-blooded American saves the date so they can sit in front of the TV, stuff themselves with salty Chinese take-out and diss the poorly dressed, praise the beauties and make fun of Joan Rivers. In L.A., however, Oscar participation is kicked up a few hundred notches. It's as if everyone treats the event like it's their own personal prom. In the past three years the number of Oscar parties has quadrupled. There are the famous fetes thrown by Vanity Fair and In Style. But there are also the offshoot parties thrown by studios, record companies, talent agencies and charities. And it keeps getting bigger.
The frenzy promises to get outlandishly intense for the 74th Academy Awards next March, because the Oscars have a brand-new home. After 41 years of bouncing around town, the Oscars are finally back where they belong--in Hollywood. For the past three years, construction workers have been slaving away to prepare the Hollywood & Highland complex on Hollywood Boulevard--which you can get a sneak peek at on these pages--that will house the elegant, enormous Kodak Theatre, designed specifically for the Oscar ceremony. To some, a new address may not seem like a big deal, but it is. It means more of everything. More guests, more coverage, more anticipation, more places to throw parties, more limos, more gowns, more diva moments--more Oscarmania. Which is why we're talking Oscars as early as October.
AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER: The first Oscar ceremony was a banquet affair held in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (below, right). Only 250 people attended the event, which cost $10 to get into. Today, attendees have to purchase tickets for up to $250 through a lottery system limited to Academy members. This year's Oscars will be held in the 3,300-seat Kodak Theatre (left), which will also host Broadway musicals like The Full Monty and the closing night of the American Film Institute's 15th anniversary film festival.
BABYLON REVISITED: Emulating the grandiose sets of D.W. Griffith's 1916 film Intolerance (above), the Babylon Court (left) will be the hub of the Hollywood & Highland complex, joining the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, the Kodak Theatre, restaurants and retail stores like Louis Vuitton, Sephora and Banana Republic. The two 33-foot-tall replicas of the original elephant sculptures, together with the archway that frames the Hollywood sign, cost $1.5 million.
ON LOCATION: The Oscars return to Hollywood this year, after having traveled throughout greater Los Angeles for decades. The ceremonies were held at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre (inset, left) from 1944 to 1946; at what was then known as the RKO Pantages Theater (top left) from 1950 to 1960; at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (middle left) from 1961 to 1968; and at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (bottom left) in downtown L.A. from 1969 to 1987. Other former venues include the Ambassador and Biltmore Hotels, the old Academy Award Theater on Melrose Avenue and the Shrine Auditorium. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a lease to hold the Oscars at the Kodak Theatre (top right) for the next 20 years.
Oscar Island
A sketch of the Hollywood & Highland complex where Oscar activity will be bubbling over come March 2002.
1. KODAK THEATRE This is where the Oscar ceremonies will be held. The rest of the year, the theater, which has one of the largest stages in the country, will be home to big-ticket musicals and other events.
2. RENAISSANCE HOLLYWOOD HOTEL PANORAMA SUITE This penthouse suite will be a mid-century modern masterpiece. See our fashion shoot on pages 78-82 for a preview.
3. BABYLON COURT The center of the Hollywood & Highland complex will also feature outdoor musical and theatrical performances.
4. RETAIL SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS A shopaholic's dream, with stores like Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria's Secret and Aveda, and food from around the globe.
5. RED CARPET ARRIVAL Where the paparazzi will be poised for action on Oscar night.
6. GRAND BALLROOM The ubiquitous Wolfgang Puck will whet Oscar-goers' appetites at the Governors Ball held here.
7. MULTIPLEX CINEMAS A spanking-new six-screen multiplex with stadium seating.
8. GRAUMAN'S CHINESE THEATRE Hollywood's most famous movie palace.