It is synonymous with the glitz and glam of the Oscars. But tonight, Hollywood’s biggest stars will no longer step on the traditional red carpet as they arrive at the biggest event of the year in Tinseltown.
Instead, for the first time since 1961, the famous ‘Academy Red’ carpet will be replaced by a champagne-colored one.
Organizers say the 900-foot-long pale beige carpet, surrounded by orange drapes to shield stars from possible showers, is designed to “add sophistication” to the event.
Host Jimmy Kimmel, referring to last year’s ‘slap’ incident, when Will Smith punched host Chris Rock, quipped: “I think the decision to go with a champagne carpet instead of a red carpet shows how confident we are that no blood will be shed.” .’
Beige: For the first time since 1961, the famous ‘Academy Red’ carpet will be replaced by a champagne-colored one. Pictured: Florence Pugh and Paul Mescal
Party of four: Brendan Fraser, who is up for best actor on Sunday for his comeback film The Whale, beamed as he attended the pre-Oscar party with his ex-wife Afton Smith and their two youngest sons Holden, 18, and Leland, 16
The Oscars producers say they want the color scheme to be “soft.” Consultant Lisa Love said that she “was inspired by watching the sunset on a white sand beach with a glass of champagne in hand, evoking calm and peace.”
But others disagree, with one Academy member telling The Mail on Sunday: ‘Why do they have to mess with everything? We’ve had a red carpet for six decades. It’s part of the glamour. Beige is boring. Tonight’s Oscars are expected to be dominated by the quirky time warp comedy-drama Everything Everywhere All At Once, which has been nominated for 11 awards.
Star Michelle Yeoh is poised to win the Best Actress Oscar, beating out Cate Blanchett (Tár) and Britain’s Andrea Riseborough, who found themselves embroiled in controversy after celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow and Demi Moore launched a campaign to have her was nominated for the crude drama To leslie
Side by side: Outgoing late-night show star James Corden, who is wrapping up his talk show in April and heading back to England, smiled beatifically as he rubbed shoulders with Game Of Thrones dreamer Richard Madden
Acclaimed: Cate Blanchett, who has two Oscars to her name and may take home a third on Sunday, could be seen lovingly hugging Allison Janney, who won Best Supporting Actress in 2017 for I, Tonya.
The film, about an alcoholic mother, grossed just £22,000 at the box office and Riseborough’s Best Actress nomination was branded as racist by some, as it beat out black actresses such as Viola Davis and Danielle Deadwyler for the nomination.
Scottish triathlete Lesley Paterson, who spent 16 years pouring all her money into making the German-language war film All Quiet On The Western Front, is the favorite to take home the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.
Paterson told the MoS: “I don’t drink alcohol so if I win I plan to celebrate with hot chocolate.”
She added: “If I win, the first person I’ll call is my mum in Stirling.”
Northumberland-born writer and illustrator Charlie Mackesy is the favorite to win Best Animated Short for The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse.
Bill Nighy (Living) will compete for Best Actor against favorite Austin Butler (Elvis), with Irishman Colin Farrell (The Banshees Of Inisherin) and Paul Mescal (Aftersun) also nominated.
Irish actress Kerry Condon, for The Banshees Of Inisherin, is nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a category that includes Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu, (Everything Everywhere All At Once) and Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever).
Vietnamese-American actor Ke Huy Quan, who stopped acting for 20 years before his role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, is expected to win Best Supporting Actor opposite Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan (The Banshees Of Inisherin ).
One Academy member said: ‘We’ve had the year of the women, we’ve had the year of the black stars. It’s time to recognize the impact Asian stars and filmmakers have had on Hollywood.”
The Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director are tipped to go to Everything Everywhere All At Once.
