The universal charisma of the Oscars is defined in a single image: that of a handful of workers unrolling a piece of red fabric at 10 a.m. on a Wednesday. If we extrapolate the photo, the truth is that it makes little sense. But that's how it is. Because these are the Oscars. The most famous awards ceremony in the world, which turns something as simple as laying the carpet into an entire event full of expectations, journalists and cameras.
But the gesture is universal and known thanks to the awards' nearly century-long existence, and is repeated year after year, with or without a presenter. It is a starting signal, a ritual that is intended to say: here we are, we have come to conquer the television, newspapers and magazines for the next week, to offer you conversations and jokes, to do what we do what they do best: spectacle. And season after season they succeed.
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The carpet and the awards have so much weight in the cultural and social panorama that they don't even need a famous face to accompany them. This Wednesday, some on the Hollywood Walk of Fame were waiting at the door of the Dolby (which has hosted the gala 22 times since moving here from the Shrine Auditorium) for Jimmy Kimmel, the comedian who will present the awards next Sunday for the fourth Just. It wasn't announced, but it was assumed; In addition, the cinema from which he broadcasts his program every evening is right in front of the Dolby system, so he couldn't be caught. But he didn't show up and nobody asked about him. “Nothing, it couldn’t happen, I had a few more interviews later…” commented someone from the (huge) Oscar organizing team. He wasn't missed. The carpet is a separate entity that doesn't need famous surnames to become known.
This was the event with the real protagonist of Sunday in the #Oscar : the red carpet
This Wednesday a small piece was unrolled on Hollywood Boulevard in front of the Dolby Theater. We were there to see (and tell) pic.twitter.com/s01jzjrCdC— María Porcel (@LaPorcel) March 6, 2024
The red carpet was spread out in two parts so that the media could film it in peace, but also because it is very wide and is actually made up of two pieces, each about five meters wide, which are then carefully put together. When the dozens of community members were gone, the workers, mostly Latinos (California's main population group is 50% Latino), continued to work, stapling part of the carpet, placing pieces, making cuts to fit, and removing it Then iron it at about 175 degrees because there is a material on the bottom that makes it stick to the floor when it is hot, similar to patches for clothing.
The 275 meters of carpet were laid in the heart of Hollywood Boulevard, which is virtually closed. Only one narrow sidewalk is more or less clear, the one opposite the theater, where tourists and street vendors of mangoes and watermelons pass by. Although it may seem otherwise, these days are not exactly the time to have fun, as the influx of spectators is low and their access to the Dolby (in reality it is the cinema next to a shopping center) is considered limited . but also to other attractions such as many of the stars of the Paseo, the Chinese Theater and the Hard Rock Café next to the theater. Plus, everything is fenced in, so even the selfies don't turn out as well as they deserve.
After turning champagne in 2023, the red carpet will return to its original state. At almost 300 main meters and 10 meters wide, it will be covered by a huge tent (this one in champagne color) through which the nominees and their companions will march. After him, at four o'clock in the afternoon Pacific time (12 o'clock at night, Spanish peninsular time), the gala will arrive, during which 23 awards will be presented over three and a half hours; then party and great dinner with ham, sushi and waffles. There will be around 3,400 spectators in the theater and around 20 million people on the US screens (and several million in another 200 countries, if you differ from last year's numbers). When everyone has entered the Dolby system, the fantasy of red carpets, lights and cameras will fade and, like Cinderella, disappear before midnight. Utensils that took 10 days to assemble disappeared in just a few hours. And the carpet? Some is collected and recycled for other events, some is thrown away. Not one person takes home a souvenir when they leave the gala. Next year will be another new year and start all over again. The show must go on.
All the culture that goes with it awaits you here.
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