SHOTLIST

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 8 February 2006

1. Wide exterior Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences building

2. Close up of AMPAS sign

3. Group at table sorting ballots

4. Close up Academy President Sid Ganis (centre, standing) and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Brad Oltmanns (left) and Rick Rosas (right), posing for photographers

5. Group sorting ballots

6. Close up woman counting ballots

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rick Rosas, Tax Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers:

"Well today's the final leg for the Academy awards, we're taking custody of the ballots from the Academy and we've already audited them this week and we're heading them directly to the US postal service for delivery to the voters. And those ballots will then be sent directly back from the voters to us at Price Waterhouse Coopers, no later than 28th of February"

8. Ballots in boxes being placed on cart

9. Wide shot ballots in boxes on cart

10. PricewaterhouseCoopers' Brad Oltmanns and Rick Rosas push cart through Academy lobby

11. Brad Oltmanns and Rick Rosas push cart to driveway

12. US Postal Service employee and Brad Oltmanns and Rick Rosas load up truck

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Brad Oltmanns, managing partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers:

"When we get the ballots back on 28th, Rick Rosas and I assemble a small team of people to assist us, we open the ballots, and begin the counting process. It takes us three days to complete that and at the end of that counting process the Friday evening before the show, Rick and I are the only two people who know the results of the Academy Award winners."

14. US Postal Service employee and Los Angeles Police office in front of mail truck

15. Mail truck pulls away

OSCAR BALLOTS MAILED

They're in the mail.

Final-award ballots -- all 5,798 of them -- for the 78th Annual Academy Awards were sent this a.m. from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences building in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Completed ballots must be returned to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5 p.m., Tuesday, February 28. Ballots received after the deadline will not be counted.

Listed on the ballots are nominees in 19 Oscar categories. Separate ballots for 5 award categories (foreign language film, short and feature-length documentaries and animated and live-action short films) will be distributed after verification of mandatory member attendance at screenings.

Once the auditing firm has tabulated the votes, the winners' names are placed in sealed envelopes to be opened on Oscar night, Sunday, 5 March.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements for 2005 will be presented on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST. (9am GMT)

A one-hour red carpet arrivals show will precede the telecast at 4 p.m. PST.(8am GMT).

SHOTLIST

APTN Los Angeles, 25 February 2005

1. Wide red carpet

2. Medium Oscar statue pull out to wide

3. Wide red carpet

4. Wide Louis Horvitz and Gil Cates on stage

5. Wide Louis Horvitz and Gil Cates on stage

6. Camera cutaway

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gil Cates/Academy Awards Producer:

"We had a big rehearsal yesterday. We are doing these nominees and some of these awards in very new an unconventional ways. We had a rehearsal where we had many categories come to experience what it is going to experience what it''s going to be like to get an Oscar award firstly by having the nominees on stage and crossing down to get an award, and also to get the Oscar in the aisle in the audience. We practiced that as well and all that went terrifically."

8. Camera cutaway

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Louis Horvitz/Academy Awards Director:

"It''s going to be a great show. Gil has a lot of ideas to streamline the event in general with the presentation of the awards on stage and with the audience to make it kind of interesting and exciting. Last night as Gil said it was very interesting to bring the nominees down to give them an idea of what they were going to do and everybody received it well. I think everybody is in for a treat. We rehearsed a little music this afternoon and we are looking pretty good."

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gil Cates:

"It seems to me that what we tried to do- the Oscars is always the leader of things. We were the first show in colour in stereo and all those things. We were the first show to start the memorial. When we began it, people thought it was depressing to do that, now all shows kind of do that. What we wanted to do is to get more of the nominees on camera to make it an emotional show. It would be more emotional if you saw the visual effects community."

11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gil Cates: "I can''t comment on what he''ll say other than to say Chris (Rock) has a sense of humour and everything he says is said humorously. If you take anything he says seriously, more is the pity for you because he really is a funny guy. To the question of whether we will get a young audience, I hope so. That wasn''t the reason we selected him. You need a movie star and someone who is a standup comic so they can deal with the show."

12. Camera cutaway

13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gil Cates:

"The other thing I''ll add is you know we have Beyonce on the show and she''s going to be singing a duet with Josh Groban from the movie ''Polar Express,'' we have Antonio Banderas and Carlos Santana and he''s doing a song from ''The Motorcycle Diaries.'' We have Counting Crows; we have a wonderful French chorus to sing a song with Beyonce. That entertainment looks like it is going to be really good, the best it''s been in years."

14. Wide stage

15. Wide Frank Pierson

16. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frank Pierson/President Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences:

"Chris (Rock) has his own crew of writers. They work with the staff and crew of the show. Principally his material will be written by his regular people that he knows and knows how to work with."

17. Camera cutaway

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frank Pierson:

"I think the highlights of this year more than anything else are the diversity of the awards across all the categories- the smaller films that are in contention, they sometimes get overlooked. This year they seem to have stepped to the floor and I think it''s a wonderful thing. Ethnically and racially and in every other way it''s a wonderful diverse year that reflects the diversity of the film audience around the world. I think it''s a great thing."

19. Wide entrance Kodak Theatre

20. Wide Oscar stage

21. Medium Antonio Banderas singing, pull out to wide

22. Close-up Banderas

23. Wide balcony pan to stage

OSCARS ORGANISERS PROMISE TO PROVIDE DRAMA

The Oscars countdown is almost over, but you don''t have to wait until Sunday to find out more details about this year''s Academy Awards.

Academy Awards director Gil Cates says this year''s show will be all about the drama. It''s no secret that Oscars will be presented to winners in more unconventional ways this year. Statues will be presented to winners while they are seated. Also, some Oscars will be presented to the winners while the other nominees are also on stage.

"What we wanted to do is to get more of the nominees on camera to make it an emotional show. It would be more emotional if you saw the visual effects community," Cates said during a press conference.

Cates is also hoping Oscar host, comedian Chris Rock, will shake-up the three-hour show.

Obviously the Oscars is all about the acting, but Academy insiders say the musical performances may just steal the show. Beyonce is set to perform a duet with crooner Josh Groban from ''The Polar Express.'' And they aren''t the only singing combo. Antonio Banderas and Carlos Santana are teaming up to perform a song sung in Spanish from ''The Motorcycle Diaries.'' Banderas practiced his performance at the Kodak Theatre on Friday using a guitarist stand-in.

Academy President Frank Pierson says this is the most exciting show in years because, "Ethnically and racially and in every other way it''s a wonderful diverse year that reflects the diversity of the film audience around the world. I think it''s a great thing."

The Academy Awards air live this Sunday (27 Feb) on ABC.

SHOT LIST

APTN

Los Angeles, Ca. 16 November 2004

1. Pan of interior, Anderson Printing

2. Closeup on printing press with pull out

3. Closeup on tech's hands on equipment

4. Wide shot of tech making adjustments to equipment

5. Camera cutaway

6. Closeup of poster detail, with pull out revealing all

7. Closeup poster designer Brett Davidson, with pull out to show him inspecting color of poster

8. Closeup poster

9. Wide shot Davidson speaking with reporter

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Brett Davidson/Oscar Poster Designer (on his reaction to hearing his design was chosen this year's Oscar campaign):

"Actually, it was a really good day. The day I found out that I got the poster was the day that I found out my mom had kicked her breast cancer. So, it was an

excellent day. I actually did not go out drinking, but I went to the back, into the network in the Academy, where I work, and I had a pretty good scream."

11. Shot of two 2005 Oscar posters

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Davidson (on how his design is, in part, a reaction to current world affairs):

"Well, it's kind of crazy times in the world right now. We need a little fun. Last year, we were at war when we had the Oscars, so there was sort of a subdued kind of feeling. And it wasn't necessarily an inspiration, but it definitely gives that sort of happiness and sort of energy back to the show. These are definitely odd times, and we need a little excitement out there."

APTN

Los Angeles, Ca. 27 January 2004

13. Wide shot exterior Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

14. Close up of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sign

APTN

Los Angeles, Ca. 16 November 2004

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Davidson (on why being an Academy employee did not help his chances):

"Well, it was a blind selection competition. So, the poster didn't have my name on it. I didn't want it to be influences one way or another, that it was me or not. It was really about basing the decision on the merit of the work. And so I was submitted blindly with a lot of other artists and it was sort of a unanimous decision. The governors of the Academy, and the executives were all sort of drawn to it, that's what they picked, and I guess I got lucky this year."

APTN

Los Angeles, Ca. 16 November 2004

16. Shot of tech examining color of poster

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Davidson (on where else his design will be employed):

"You'll be seeing in several different places: Wallscapes around town on some of the big buildings, pole banners up and down some of the major streets. I'm not sure if there are going to be billboards or not, but there are going to be different collateral pieces, outdoor advertising, phone shelters, bus shelters, telephone kiosks, taxicab toppers. I think there are going to be doing a few more promotional things that they haven't done in the past with the Oscars, and they're really going to be marketing it pretty big."

18. David posing for photographers

POSTER MARKS START OF OSCAR SEASON

Hard to believe, there are just 103 shopping days left until . . . . . the 2005 Academy Awards.

The movie-awards season got as close as one gets to an official kickoff this morning (16 November 2004) inside a Hollywood printing plant, as the new Oscar

poster rolled off the presses.

A homage to such pop-art legends as Andy Warhol and Peter Max, the poster boasts a blinding-bright graphic rendering of the top half of an Oscar, surrounded by

four blocks of pastels: burnt orange, lime green, light teal and bold fuchsia. The main caption is a single word: "oscar."

This is the work of Brent Davidson, 33, an information-systems specialist at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which supervises and produces the

annual Academy Awards. A self-profession "computer geek," Davidson studied graphics arts at both the University of Miami and University of Southern California. But this marks his first high-profiled artistic accomplishment.

"The day I found out that I got the poster was the day that I found out my mom had kicked her breast cancer," he recalled. "So, it was an excellent day. I actually did not go out drinking, but I went to the back, into the network in the Academy, where I work, and I had a pretty good scream." Davidson said "about 50" designs were reviewed by the Academy executives and members of its Board of Governors, but there wasn't a chance they could have been biased. After all, Davidson is one of their own. "Well, it was a blind selection competition," he explained. "So, the poster didn't have my name on it. I didn't want it to be influences one way or another, that it was me or not. It was really about basing the decision on the merit of the work. And so I was submitted blindly with a lot of other artists and it was sort of a unanimous decision. The Governors of the Academy, and the executives were all sort of drawn to it, that's what they picked, and I guess I got lucky this year."

The poster continues last year's lighter, brighter Oscar-poster sensibility. Davidson's image is, in part, a reaction to deeper, dark world realities. "Well, it's kind of crazy times in the world right now," he noted. "We need a little fun. Last year, we were at war when we had the Oscars, so there was sort of a subdued kind of feeling. And it wasn't necessarily an inspiration, but it definitely gives that sort of happiness and sort of energy back to the show. These are definitely odd times, and we need a little excitement out there."

In spite of his new notoriety and graphic-business success, Davidson insists he's keeping his day job at the Academy. That said, he plans to enjoy being L.A.'s latest man about town. His Oscar image will be just about everywhere. "You'll be seeing it in several different places: Wallscapes around town on some of the big buildings, pole banners up and down some of the major streets. I'm not sure if there are going to be billboards or not, but there are going to be different collateral pieces, outdoor advertising, phone shelters, bus shelters, telephone kiosks, taxicab toppers. I think there are going to be doing a few more promotional things that they haven't done in the past with the Oscars, and they're really going to be marketing it pretty big."

The 72nd Annual Academy Awards takes place 27 February 2004 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

SHOTLIST

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 10 February 2006

1. Wide establishing of the Kodak Theatre

2. Pan from the entrance of the Hollywood and Highland Center to the shopping center itself

3. Pan of the inside of the the Oscar display room

4. Academy President Sid Ganis poses for photographers

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sid Ganis/Academy President:

"Well here we have a display of Academy memorabilia, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences memorabilia, relating to the Oscar show. And so we have 50 Oscars here, 50 Oscars that will actually be given out On March 5th to winners."

6. Medium of two women as they observe the statuettes in a glass case

7. Close-up of Oscar statuettes displayed in a glass case

8. Wide of Oscars displayed in a glass case surrounded by photographs

9. Director of Special Projects for the Academy Rany Haberkamp observes exhibit while speaking to someone

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Randy Haberkamp/Director of Special Projects for the Academy:

"It's quite an arrangement because obviously we had to make sure it's in a secure space, but it's also making sure we're bringing, putting it in a way that people will find it interesting and so there's somethig for everybody. Some people will enjoy seeing all 50 Oscars, some people enjoy learing about the Academy's history and some people enjoy just being able to hold an Oscar for the first time."

10. Wide of a man holding the Oscar while being photogtaphed with it

11. Medium shot of the line of people waiting to see the Oscar statuette

12. Close-up of Oscar statuettes

13. Academy President Sid Ganis speaks to reporter

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Sid Ganis/Academy President:

"Pretty soon when we do take them to the Kodak. We're going to have our own little red carpet walk by the 50 of them. We've figured out a way to do that nicely, and in they'll go. They'll have their walk down the red carpet. They'll have the experience of the red carpet, into the theatre and then March fifth in the evening, five o'clock on the west coast, eight o'clock in the east coast, they'll be busy."

14. Wide pan of poster memorabilia

15. Wide of the nominees posters

16. Zoom out of running video with previous Oscar highlights

17. Medium of Oscar statuettes displayed in a glass case surrounded by Oscar vintage photographs

18. Close-up of Oscar stauette

MEET THE OSCARS

Before the Oscars statuettes are placed in the excited hands of its winners, they will sit in a walk-through exhibition at the Hollywood and Highland Center beginning on Friday, February 10th.

"Well here we have a display of Academy memorabilia," explained Academy President Sid Ganis. "Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences memorabilia, relating to the Oscar show. And so we have 50 Oscars here, 50 Oscars that will actually be given out On March 5th to winners. To the winners."

The exhibition, "Meet the Oscars: The 50 Golden Statuettes" features Academy Award-related displays, with a gallery of photographs featuring winners from previous ceremonies.

"It's quite an arrangement because obviously we had to make sure it's in a secure space," explained Randy Haberkamp, the Director of Special Projects for the Academy. "But it's also making sure we're bringing, putting it in a way that people will find it interesting and so there's something for everybody. Some people will enjoy seeing all 50 Oscars, some people enjoy learning about the Academy's history and some people enjoy just being able to hold an Oscar for the first time."

After the close of the exhibition on March 3, the Oscars, under heavy security, will make their way to the Kodak Theatre where they will be handed out during the Awards Presentation.

"Pretty soon when we do take them to the Kodak," noted Ganis. "We're going to have our own little red carpet walk by the 50 of them. We've figured out a way to do that nicely, and in they'll go. They'll have their walk down the red carpet. They'll have the experience of the red carpet, into the theatre and then March fifth in the evening, five o'clock on the west coast, eight o'clock in the east coast, they'll be busy."

Weighing in at eight-and-a half pounds, each statuette is thirteen-and-a half inches tall and s made of gold-plated titannium, a metal alloy. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements for 2005 will be presented on 05 March 2006 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

SHOTLIST

AP Entertainment

Hollywood, 24 February 2008

1. Wide exterior pan left of arrivals

2. Steve Carell set up

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Carell/Actor:

" Well, I was talking to John Stewart a couple days ago and they didn't have very long to write their awards ceremony, they usual take months and I think they just had a week or two, so it was tough, the strike was hard on a lot of people, I'm very happy everybody is getting back to work."

4. Wide of tent covering arrivals

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sid Ganis/President of the Academy:

" I think it's great to come in under that, although boy oh boy the sun is shining right now, but it's ok I'm glad we're all here, and look at this crowd, this is amazing, this is as good a crowd, I think everybody really wanted to come out, finally come out in Hollywood and tonight's the night."

6. George Clooney on arrivals

7. Heidi Klum on arrivals

8. Amy Ryan on arrivals

9. Laura Linney on arrivals

10. Anne Hathaway speaks to reporter

11. Jason Reitman speaks to reporter

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Jason Reitman/Director:

" I don't even know where I am right now, I'm at the Oscars I can hardly believe it, I'm not even sure if my feet are on the ground."

13. John Travolta and Kelly Preston speak to reporter

14. James McAvoy speaks to reporter

15. Miley Cyrus speaks to reporter

16. Hillary Swank on arrivals

17. Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart on arrivals

18. Forest Whitaker and wife Keisha Whitaker on arrivals

19. Michael Moore on arrivals

20. Cate Blanchett on arrivals

21. Viggo Mortensen set up

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Viggo Mortensen/Actor:

" I thought there would be a show, I didn't really doubt it, I was surprised to be nominated I mean I've been nominated for the Golden Globes and the others which I have never been, it was a chance but I was surprised because I haven't been able to go out and do the kind of self promotion that people say you have to do, I've been busy, and as sorry as I am that David Cronenberg isn't here because I think he really deserves it, I do feel like I am representing him and the movie, I'm very proud of our movie as you know, and let's see what happens you never know, the New York Giants won the superbowl."

23. Hal Holbrook set up

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Hal Holbrook/Actor:

" I think there's something to that, I think you can appreciate it more later in your career, I think when you've got an Oscar when very young it must be quite a burden on you in many ways, very hard to handle because then you have to try to top it, you got a whole life ahead of you and you got to top it early on and that's pretty tough and I know that from my remainder success with Mark Twain, and then I had to spend a whole life time as an actor trying to top it."

25. Camera cutaway

26. SOUNDBITE (English) George Clooney/Actor:

" I think the last couple of days are just, when you're moving towards the end of an election and things start to get a little nastier I think that always happens and I've never seen it not happen so I'm very excited about what's been going on with Junior senator from Illinois, I'm having a really good time with that."

27. Camera cutaway

28. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Christie/Actor:

" This is an ACLU ribbon and it's the " Close Guant�namo " campaign, so it's a very, very important issue for well, I'm British but for us, for everybody in the world, those torture camps should be closed."

29. Casey Affleck set up

30. SOUNDBITE (English) Casey Affleck/Actor:

" Well, I hope that it will be resolved, I know that a lot of people worked really hard on it, I know that Clooney has been involved I know that a lot of actors are playing a part and making sure the same thing isn't repeated from the writers strike, and I hope that it wont come to that.

31. Wide of arrivals

STORYLINE

2008 ACADEMY AWARDS ARRIVAL WRAP

Thousands of fans packed the bleachers and streets around the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, hoping to catch a glimpse of Hollywood's biggest stars as they arrived for the 80th annual Academy Awards.

George Clooney, nominated for best actor for "Michael Clayton," didn't disappoint fans, arriving 90 minutes before the show with girlfriend Sarah Larson and stopping to shake hands and schmooze with several screaming female fans.

Tom Wilkinson, nominated for supporting actor for "Michael Clayton," stopped briefly to wave and flash a shy smile.

The first acting Academy Award was picked up by Spanish actor Javier Bardem, who had been nominated for best supporting actor for his fearsome turn as an unshakable executioner in "No Country for Old Men," the first prize of the night for the Coen brothers' front-running crime saga.

Bardem's character was a terrifying yet perversely amusing presence in "No Country," the best-picture favourite in which his character tosses a coin to decide whether some people he encounters should live or die.

British actress Tilda Swinton won best supporting actress for her portrayal of a fiendish attorney in "Michael Clayton."

France's Marion Cotillard won the best actress Oscar for her performance in "La Vie en Rose."

Hollywood's biggest and glitziest event was a double celebration on Sunday - a ceremony honouring the year's best in film, and a celebration for a town relieved that the crushing writer's strike had ended.

Settled just two weeks before the Oscars, the 100-day strike had left the fate of the show in doubt as stars indicated they would not cross writers' picket lines to attend.

The celebrity party at the Golden Globes ended up cancelled for just that reason, so Oscar organisers figured everyone was ready for a big party.

The surprise best-picture win of "Crash" over "Brokeback Mountain" two years ago remained fresh in awards watchers' minds, but Sunday's show generally had been expected to crown favourites that had dominated throughout awards season, led by the Coen brothers' crime tale "No Country for Old Men."

Past screenplay winners for "Fargo," Joel and Ethan Coen went into the evening positioned to make Oscar history with potential wins in all four categories in which they had individual nominations, best picture, director, adapted screenplay and editing (under the pseudonym Roderick Jaynes).

Only one other person, Walt Disney, had ever won four Oscars in the same year, his prizes coming as producer of three short films and the documentary that won for 1953. No one has ever won four Oscars for the same film.

"No Country for Old Men" and the oil saga "There Will Be Blood" lead with eight nominations each, followed by the tragic romance "Atonement" and the legal thriller "Michael Clayton" with seven apiece.

All four films competed for best picture, with the pregnancy comedy "Juno" earning the fifth slot for the top prize.

SHOTLIST

APTN Los Angeles, California USA 22 March 2003

1. WS and pan of entrance to the Kodak Theater with sign for the Academy Awards.

2. CU technician

3. Ground shot red carpet area at theater entrance.

4. MS spectators and security guard.

5. Medium tight shot security guards near Kodak Theater.

6. WS helicopter overhead.

7. Tight shot of crowd milling around near theater.

8. VOX POP: British Tourist/Christopher Rush (English) "I think they could go ahead and celebrate as usual in my opinion. I don't think they should cut back on everything and just have fun, basically."

9. Medium shot of people taking photos.

10. VOX POP: (English) Tourist/Larry Burke "On the one hand, it's nice that there's recognition of something like this that these events are going on over in Iraq. On the other hand, you know, I guess it just seems so remote here. I came in from out of town just to walk around and it just seems like such a different place here."

11. VOX POP: (English) Tourist/ Vicky Plunkett "It just seems like the respectful response. We came here and we would have loved to see the fanfare and everything, but when you think of all our guys over there, it just seems like the respectful thing to do."

12. CU cameraman

13. WS observation bridge near Kodak Theater and pan to Kodak Theater entrance.

FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR TONED DOWN OSCARS

The last preparations are being made for a subtle version of the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood tonight (Sunday 23MAR03).

The usual showbiz extravagances are being toned down for the 75th annual presentation of the Oscars, to show respect at a time of war.

Artisans and technicians were putting the finishing touches to the Kodak Theater on Saturday. A token red carpet has been rolled out at the entrance - but the usual glitzy runway has been cancelled, and celebrities will not stop for pictures.

The spectator bleachers, one of the biggest attractions for tourists and stargazers, have also gone this year.

Extra security guards in uniform and plain clothes have been stationed on Hollywood Boulevard near the Theater, as the traditional tight security at the Oscars is increased. This year, it includes a National Guard mobile lab to test for suspicious biological or chemical substances.

Frank Pierson, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences repeated what Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton told Oscar planners "he felt the safest place to be in America was probably at the Academy Awards on Sunday night."

Despite the changes, tourists and fans lined the streets near the theater hoping to share in Hollywood's biggest night of the year.

Many visitors say they agree with the decision to scale back the festive air of the Academy Awards. Others say it's important to try to proceed with life as normal.

A celebrity or two have backed out of the Oscars because of the war, among them Will Smith, who withdrew as an awards presenter, saying he was uncomfortable attending given world events.

Fellow presenters Tom Hanks and Cate Blanchett are also reported to be staying away.

But Gil Cates, the show's producer, said organizers have seen no more last-minute cancellations among celebrities and other guests than they do every year.

For those who do intend to be there tonight, formal evening wear remains a must, though guests at the 75th Oscars are expected to aim for respectful elegance rather than glitz.

Studios and other Hollywood groups still plan post-Oscar bashes, though many have dropped the usual gauntlet of reporters and photographers outside.

An extreme turn of events could force postponement of the Oscars, or prompt ABC to bump the live broadcast in favour of news coverage. But organisers said they expect the show to go ahead as planned and that the ceremony this year takes on greater symbolic merit.

"At a time when American culture and values are under attack all over the world, we think it is more important than ever that we honour those achievements that reflect us and America at our best," said Pierson.

Cates said a friend who is executive officer aboard a Navy ship told him that it was important to carry on "as normal, as usual, that we should do the show. That it would be kind of a terrible victory for Saddam if we didn't."

If the ceremony does indeed go ahead as intended, a few notable firsts might come out of the Oscars. Some possibilities:

Best-picture favourite 'Chicago' might be the first musical since 1968's 'Oliver!' to win best picture. Four cast members of 'Chicago' are nominated, with best-actress contender Renee Zellweger and supporting-actress

nominee Catherine Zeta-Jones appearing to have the best shot at becoming the first acting winners from a musical since Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey for 1972's 'Cabaret.'

Jack Nicholson could walk away with his fourth Oscar, tying Katharine Hepburn for most acting awards. Nicholson is up for best actor for the black comedy 'About Schmidt,' earning his 12th nomination.

Martin Scorsese could finally win an Oscar, though for a movie considered inferior to his best work. Scorsese is up for best director for 'Gangs of New York,' after losing with his previous nominations for 'Raging Bull,' 'The Last Temptation of Christ' and 'Goodfellas.'

Awards campaigning usually provokes sniping among rival studios, and Scorsese's nomination resulted in this year's nastiest feud. Competitors griped about distributor Miramax's tactics, characterising 'Gangs..' as a summation of Scorsese's work and suggestion that he might deserve the Oscar as a career honour.

Scorsese is considered a front-runner, though critics feel 'Chicago' director Rob Marshall stands a strong chance too - and it was Marshall who took the prize from the Directors Guild of America, whose winner usually goes on to win the Oscar.

Also competing for best director is Roman Polanski, who would face arrest if he entered the United States to attend the awards. Polanski, nominated for 'The Pianist,' has been living in exile since fleeing the United States 25

years ago while on bail, having pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor.

'The Pianist' is part of a best-picture field of generally dark and dour films, including 'Gangs,' 'The Hours' and 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.' Yet it is "Chicago," a cynical but rousing song-and-dance satire, that could dominate the evening. 'Chicago' leads the pack with 13 nominations.

Host Steve Martin is expected to crack wise, delivering what Cates called a "don't miss it" opening monologue. Presenting awards will be Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Harrison Ford, Denzel Washington and Halle Berry,

while Peter O'Toole will be honoured with a lifetime-achievement Oscar.

All that revelry aside, organizers are aiming for a sober, dignified mood, much like the Oscar ceremonies of World War II.

"They've got to send the signal this isn't a self-indulgent party among pampered people," said Tom O'Neil, author of the book 'Movie Awards,' "and just get down to the business of honoring the best movies."

SHOTLIST

APTN - Beverly Hills California USA, 10 March 2003

1. Various Oscar statues

2. Daniel Day-Lewis posing for press

3. Adrien Brody posing for press

4. Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore

5. Close-up of Salma Hayek

6. Julianne Moore and Salma Hayek

7. Renee Zellweger posing for photographers

8. Nicolas Cage on red carpet

9. Ed Harris posing with Oscar statue

10. Christopher Walken posing

11. Diane Lane posing for photographs

13. Catherine Zeta-Jones posing

14. Queen Latifah posing with statue of Oscar

15. Michael Caine posing with his wife

16. John C Reilly walking on to red carpet

17. Nia Vardalos hugging Oscar statue

18. Michael Moore, director 'Bowling for Columbine', walking in to photographers

19. Martin Scorsese, director 'Gangs of New York', posing for photographers

20. Stephen Daldry, director 'The Hours', posing

21. Todd Haynes, director, 'Far From Heaven'

22. Rob Marshall, director 'Chicago' with Elmer Bernstein

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicolas Cage:

"Those actors that choose to speak out that's their right and I don't think there would be any blacklisting towards that. Again, my own personal view is that I choose to express myself through my work and I'm not a politician."

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Daniel Day-Lewis:

"It's interesting because you all ask these questions because at this very moment the media is sick and tired of people in my position - giving their opinions about it and yet you're kind of encouraging me to give my opinion about it and after giving my opinion you're going to say why doesn't he shut up? You know what I mean? Now what was the question?"

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Catherine Zeta-Jones:

"Don't jinx this! This baby is not going anywhere! I don't know - an OB-GYN (obstetrician) tucked into my dress. It's going to be big enough so that's not a problem. I think I'm okay - I'm due a few weeks after so but you never know. There are no waters breaking! No water's breaking."

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicole Kidman - on constant tabloid coverage:

"I get a little sick of it, but you know I'm very passionate about my work and I love to do my work and at the moment the benefits of that far outweighs the other stuff. It gives me an enormous amount of joy!"

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Queen Latifah - on the war: "I'm the daughter of a Vietnam veteran so I've lived with the effects of what happens with a person who goes to war so to me, war should not be the first choice. It's not something that should be taken lightly. We shouldn't be gung-ho about it and we shouldn't be non-realistic about it. Part of the thing that tripped me out after 9-11 - people were saying why us? Why do they hate us so much? Well, you know - we're pretty busy around the world. We're sitting here saying we're part of the U.N. - but we're also saying we're going to do what we have to do with or without you!"

28. SOUNDBITE (English) Julianne Moore - on whether or not she enjoys awards season:

"When you're working - you know, you do something and you get so much back. And this kind of stuff, although it's fun - clearly there's not a big return emotionally. Do you know what I mean? It's about pictures and outfits and stuff but sometimes it's like a little bit too much candy."

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Salma Hayek - on if Edward Norton, her boyfriend, gives her advice:

"I don't know what advice there is to give! You get on the ride and ride on it and go wooo! every time the rollercoaster goes up and just enjoy it. Anything in life that you do - when it's really an exciting, happy time or when it's a sad time - it's always better when you have somebody by your side to share it with."

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeanne Wolfe, Entertainment Reporter - on changing odds of Best Actress competition:

''There was a long time when people would say Julianne Moore and everyone else and everyone thought she deserved it! Suddenly the buzz changed - the odds changed and Nicole Kidman was the leading contender. Last night at the SAG awards Renee Zellweger kind of raised a lot of eyebrows and changed even that! Now, it's not legal to bet on the Oscars in Vegas, but if they were - we know there are boards up there and numbers are flying around so keep your money in your pocket. We're not sure who's going to win for Best Actress.

32. Various Academy Award nominees 'class photo'

NO REST FOR THE NOMINATED AT OSCAR LUNCHEON

Hot on the high heels of Sunday's (9MAR03) Screen Actors Guild Awards came Monday's Oscar lunch, another chance for this year's Academy award nominees to catch a last minute bit of publicity.

But while most of this year's A-list paraded for the press at one of Beverly Hills' most elite hotels, with two weeks to go before the big day, Best Actor nominee Jack NIcholson was avoiding the press while Best Actress contenders Meryl Streep and Kathy Bates were nowhere to be seen.

Represenatives from 'Chicago' weren't hard to find, though. The musical came away the big winner from Sunday's Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards and holds the lead at the academy with 13 nominations.

And very happy to be seen was Best Supporting Actress nominee, CATHERINE ZETA JONES, who hoped the end of her pregnancy wouldn't coincide with the ceremony. "Don't jinx this!," she said, "This baby is not going anywhere! I don't know - an OB-GYN (obstetrician) tucked into my dress. It's going to be big enough so that's not a problem. I think I'm okay - I'm due a few weeks after so but you never know. There are no waters breaking! No water's breaking."

JULIANNE MOORE, nominated for both 'The Hours' (supporting actress) and 'Far From Heaven' (actress), said she prefered acting to the pre-Oscar season. 'This kind of stuff, although it's fun - clearly there's not a big return emotionally. Do you know what I mean? It's about pictures and outfits and stuff but sometimes it's like a little bit too much candy.'

Fellow Best Actress nominee NICOLE KIDMAN was also tiring of constant attention, in her case from the tabloids: "I get a little sick of it, but you know I'm very passionate about my work and I love to do my work and at the moment the benefits of that far outweighs the other stuff. It gives me an enormous amount of joy!"

Overexposure, fancy clothes and acceptance speeches weren't the only things on the actor's minds, though, and the impending possibility of war dominated the press conference.

Best actor nominee DANIEL DAY-LEWIS was quick to point out the danger of responding to the media's never ending fascination with all things war related: "You all ask these questions because at this very moment the media is sick and tired of people in my position giving their opinions about it and yet you're kind of encouraging me to give my opinion about it and after giving my opinion you're going to say why doesn't he shut up?"

QUEEN LATIFAH, challenging Moore for the Best Supporting Actress gong, wasn't afraid to speak her mind, however. "Freedom is not free," said the 'Chicago' actress, and first lady of Rap. "I'm the daughter of a Vietnam veteran so I've lived with the effects of what happens with a person who goes to war so to me, war should not be the first choice. Is not something that should be taken lightly. We shouldn't be gung-ho about it and we shouldn't be non-realistic about it. Part of the thing that tripped me out after 9-11 - people were saying why us? Why do they hate us so much? Well, you know - we're pretty busy around the world. We're sitting here saying we're part of the UN, but we're also saying we're going to do what we have to do with or without you!"

Oscar producer Frank Pierson vowed that the show will go on - whether or not a war between the United States and Iraq is underway.

He said it was up to individual broadcasters to decide whether or not to air the programme.

Until then, though, most experts agreed the race was wide open.

Jeanne Wolfe, a reporter for Entertainment said the SAG awards had thrown everything into doubt: 'There was a long time when people would say Julianne Moore and everyone else and everyone thought she deserved it! Suddenly the buzz changed - the odds changed and Nicole Kidman was the leading contender. Last night at the SAG awards Renee Zellweger kind of raised a lot of eyebrows and changed even that! Now, it's not legal to bet on the Oscars in Vegas, but if they were - we know there are boards up there and numbers are flying around so keep your money in your pocket. We're not sure who's going to win for Best Actress."

Academy Awards Nominees list:

Directing

Rob Marshall for CHICAGO (Miramax)

Martin Scorsese for GANGS OF NEW YORK (Miramax)

Stephen Daldry for THE HOURS (Paramount and Miramax)

Roman Polanski for THE PIANIST (Focus Features)

Pedro Almodóvar for TALK TO HER (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Adrien Brody in THE PIANIST (Focus Features)

Nicolas Cage in ADAPTATION (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Michael Caine in THE QUIET AMERICAN (Miramax and Intermedia)

Daniel Day-Lewis in GANGS OF NEW YORK (Miramax)

Jack Nicholson in ABOUT SCHMIDT (New Line)

Best Supporting Actor

Chris Cooper in ADAPTATION (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Ed Harris in THE HOURS (Paramount and Miramax)

Paul Newman in ROAD TO PERDITION (DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox)

John C. Reilly in CHICAGO (Miramax)

Christopher Walken in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (DreamWorks)

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Salma Hayek in FRIDA (Miramax)

Nicole Kidman in THE HOURS (Paramount and Miramax)

Diane Lane in UNFAITHFUL (20th Century Fox)

Julianne Moore in FAR FROM HEAVEN (Focus Features)

Renée Zellweger in CHICAGO (Miramax)

Best Supporting Actress

Kathy Bates in ABOUT SCHMIDT (New Line)

Julianne Moore in THE HOURS (Paramount and Miramax)

Queen Latifah in CHICAGO (Miramax)

Meryl Streep in ADAPTATION (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Catherine Zeta-Jones in CHICAGO (Miramax)

END

English/Nat

Final preparations are underway at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

The world famous cinema awards are scheduled for Sunday March the 26th.

But not every one is happy about this year's ceremony:

A small group of anti-abortion protesters took the streets outside the Shrine Auditorium where the Oscars are taking place, to protest the nomination of the film the Cider House Rules which deals with the abortion issue.

Sunny skies greeted organisers of the 72nd Academy Awards on Saturday.

Final preparations are underway for the world famous awards ceremony scheduled on Sunday.

This year, the academy has been the object of a lot of extra publicity.

First it lost ballots and had new ones sent, then Oscar statues were stolen and then found later in a trash bin, and finally a Web site claimed it had an insider's list of nominees but it did not.

No photos or video footage of the ceremony can be used anywhere during the broadcast.

An agreement drawn up by the academy threatens permanent loss of press privileges or legal action for violators.

The technical logistics behind the scenes are massive.

Kilometres of cables have been laid, and just as important, the champagne arrived for the stars to sip at the Governor's ball party taking place right after the show.

This year's show will be different from previous awards.

New producers have brought in a host of new people to work on the event, and that has excited everybody in Los Angeles.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"I think something about the Oscars, having been there the longest, and having had the longest impact on cultural mores throughout the world, somehow this award show has a quality to it that really makes people want to watch it and see what is going on."

SUPER CAPTION: Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter magazine film critic

Outside the Shrine auditorium fans line up to fill the bleachers - the stands outside where they are allowed to sit come rain or shine .

The first to arrive, two weeks ago.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"Thirty years ago I asked my sister if she wanted to go to the Academy Awards, we were going to the ballgame that night. She said no, she didn't know where it was at. She was afraid she couldn't find it. But I talked her into coming. And that was thirty one years this year and now I can't get her to stop. We keep coming and we've had such a good time throughout the years."

SUPER CAPTION: Oscars fan

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"It's terribly exciting. Every year it's different. You are always looking for different things. I've seen a lot of stars, so then you get past that, and then you start looking more at what they are wearing, what do they wear."

SUPER CAPTION: Oscars fan

Meanwhile on the other side of the venue a small group of anti-abortion demonstrators made their feeling known about the film: The Cider House Rules, which is up for seven Oscar nominations.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"We are protesting against the movie Cider House Rules at the Academy Awards because they have nominated it for a number of Academy Awards and we believe that they shouldn't be because they glorify abortion and put down Christianity and they made it seem like abortion is compassion when really it's the brutal killing of a child."

SUPER CAPTION: Arianna Grumeine, Anti-abortion protester

This year, not every one is happy with the biggest entertainment show on earth.

Los Angeles, 25 March 2000 XFA

1. Wide shot of Shrine auditorium

2. Medium shot or worker pushing TV trolley

3. Wide shot of media

4. Medium shot of man fixing auto-cue

5. Wide shot of cables

6. Close up of man marking cable

7. Wide shot of entrance to auditorium

8. Medium shot of man doing flower arrangement

9. Wide shot of man mounting cases of champagne

10. Wide shot of Oscar statue

11. Wide shot of Governor's ball party venue

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter magazine film critic

13. Wide shot or fans camping out

14. Medium shot of fans

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Oscar goer

16. SOUNDBITE: (English) Oscar goer

17. Wide shot of anti-abortion protest outside the Shrine

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Arianna Grumeine, Anti-abortion protester

19. Medium shot of protester holding placard

SHOTLIST

1. WS Kodak theater with Oscars

2. WS banner "74th annual Academy Awards"

3. MS workers wrapping Oscar statues in plastic

4. WS workers wrapping up Oscar statues

5. MS Oscar being rolled into position along the red carpet

6. WS with flowers in foreground and entrance to the Academy Awards

7. CU flowers

8. PAN flowers

9. Zoom In security tent

10. MS security guard directing traffic

11. WS tourists taking pictures and waving

12. SOT Julio (from LA): "This is the first time here and I think they are doing a great job. I guess we are going to stay here until tomorrow to see all the actresses and actors. We are expecting a lot of people. We're gonna

be crowded."

13. SOT Frindiis (from LA): "The security is so tight. I was here last night there was a lot of people here .it's almost midnight time you you the kodak theatre is a good place ..there's nothing to be scared of."

OSCAR PREPARATIONS CONTINUE RIGHT UP TO LAST MINUTE

With just hours to go before the 74th Academy Awards ceremony (24MAR02) workers were putting the final touches to the red carpet arrival area, dubbed "the world's biggest catwalk".

Part of the tightest security team the Oscars have ever seen watched workers erect the larger-than-life-size Oscar Statues, and bring in enough flowers to make Elton John's binges look like a rushed trip to the local petrol station on mother's day.

Later today (24MAR02) the red carpet area will become the most watched place on the planet as television crews from around the world flock to interview Hollywood's A-list arriving in their Sunday best.

And despite the spectator seats being allocated by lottery, fans where already lining the barricades and attempting to take pictures of the Kodak Theater. But only until they were spotted by security personnel.

To be one of the lucky 400 celebrity spotters, fans had to required to fill out security forms and undergo background checks. Other post September 11th security measures include blocking off roads near the theatre, banning planes flying over the Kodak Theatre, video cameras on street corners and metal detectors at the entrance to the venue. On top of all that, the FBI has rented rooms at a hostel opposite the Kodak Theatre to monitor the area.

The Academy is advising people to stay at home and watch the show on television instead of trying to get close to the action.

APTN Entertainment will be providing footage from the 74th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

A series of special feeds will be available on the GVW on Monday 25th March for all APTN Entertainment Clients only. Times/Content as follows:

0345 - 0400 GMT - Celebrity Arrivals

0655 - 0715 GMT - Show highlights/Backstage reax winners

1045 - 1100 GMT - More backstage reax

1415 - 1440 GMT - Oscar aftershow parties

English/Nat

APTN

STORY: OSCAR FASHION

LOCATION: LOS ANGELES

DATE: MARCH 2001

The nominations have been announced and the elements of style are now falling into place for the 73rd Annual Academy Awards.

On Thursday, the designs of some of the biggest names in couture graced the runway at the Oscar Fashion Preview, held at the home of "Oscar," the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills. Nominees, presenters, and guests, at this year's Oscar ceremony may wear any one of the many runway creations.

With awards season well into its stride, the Pre-Oscar fashion show is only the latest tune-up to the ultimate fashion show that takes place before the Academy Awards ceremony on March 25.

But behind the scenes these glittery events provide a multitude of employment opportunities for specialists with taste and gumption. For example fashion guru Frederic Fekkai, who says designs on this year's red carpet will provide an eclectic mix, and fashion will share the spotlight with hairstyles in a kaleidoscope of colours.

Hollywood stylist Phillip Bloch is another specialist, working with stars such as Jodie Foster, Nicholas Cage, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez and Salma Hayak to mention a few.

The styles of Versace and Valentino were absent from the Oscar fashion show preview. But Anne Klein offered a show-stopping homage to Oscar, in a matte-gold pailette wrap gown. Designer Marc Bouwer made an impact with his elegant lime-green, body-conscious halter gown.

Men aren't left out either, Dolce and Gabbana provided a sleek irridescent monochromic suit for the catwalk show. Designers in general are giving men more choices. An elongated coat from Donna Karan is another alternative to the more traditional tuxedo, so often seen on Oscar night.

Celebrities like Sigourney Weaver relax and really enjoy the awards season in Hollywood. Bloch thinks she is a great role model, and her style is flawless.

Other role models on the red carpet runway this awards season according to Phillip Bloch include Bette Midler.

For the most part, silhouettes at the fashion preview were lean and svelte, as in Richard Tyler's gleaming black fishtail gown. A platinum charmeuse halter gown by Pamela Dennis made the perfect grand entrance and exit, with its dramatic train and plunging "V" back.

Jewels, courtesy of Harry Winston, provide the finishing touches to the glamorous fashions. The Academy Awards are definitely high stakes for the designers whose fashions land on the red carpet Oscar night. The Oscars can launch careers.

Phillip Bloch says the red carpet at the Academy Awards is the biggest runway in the fashion world, but nothing is guaranteed until the celebrity sets foot on the red carpet Oscar night.

1.W/S of runway at the 2001 Oscar Fashion Preview.

2.SOT FREDERIC FEKKAI, hair and makeup sylist (on importance of the silhoutte)

3.Various shots of models being dressed and combed in dressing room.

4. .SOT FREDERIC FEKKAI (on hair trends)

5.Various shots of awards shows red carpet arrivals at the Golden Globes, the Peoples Choice Awards.incl angelina jolie, macy gray

6. b-roll Sigourney Weaver at Golden Globes

7. SOT SIGOURNEY WEAVER (on awards ceremonys being like proms)

8. SOT PHILLIP BLOCH, celebrity stylist (on Sigourney's style)

9. b-roll Bette Midler

10 SOT BETTE MIDLER (describing dress)

11. SOT PHILLIP BLOCH (on Bette)

12. b-roll Winona Ryder

13 SOT PHILLIP BLOCH (on winona's approach to dressing for awards)

14. GVS catwalk

15. SOT PHILLIP BLOCH (on how oscars can help designer's career)

16. GVS catwalk

SHOTLIST:

1. Pan from entrance of the Kodak Theatre, venue of Academy Awards, to the red carpet

2. Sign: "The Academy Awards"

3. Tilt from Academy Awards sign to Oscar statues wrapped in plastic

4. Media setting up in stands

5. Various of models and TV reporter on red carpet

6. Various of workmen carrying giant Oscar statues

7. Tilt up view of red carpet being steam cleaned

8. Oscar statue wrapped in plastic

9. Fans waiting in front of souvenir store

10. Women from Texas holding signs supporting Jamie Foxx

11. UPSOUND: (English) Vox Pop, Jamie Foxx Fan:

"We love you, great job on ''Ray''. We hope there is a ray of sunshine today - it''s kind of cold."

12. People waiting in front of souvenir shop

13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Vox pop, Chandra Hawthorne, Movie fan from Texas:

"I am rooting for Jamie Fox of course. Woow. Go Jamie. We are representing from Texas, yeah."

14. SOUNDBITE" (English) Vox pop, Skye Hagood, Movie fan:

"My prediction is Hilary Swank and ''Million Dollar Baby'', because all she came out here - her and her mom with just a car -and that is what I am doing and look how big she is now. She has been in a movie and that is really good and that is what I am going to do and that is who I am rooting for ... Hilary Swank you go."

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Vox pop, Ken Marsh, Movie fan:

"I have seen quite a few of them, I think ''The Aviator'' is absolutely spectacular - in fact it is a toss up between ''Ray'' and ''Aviator''. Especially for historic content - but I loved it that they did the life story of Ray Charles. I think he was a great man and it is a sad thing to lose someone of his stature."

16. Pan of fans seated behind fence

17. Tilt up from flowers to Oscar statue

STORYLINE:

As the sun rose in Los Angeles on Sunday, the frantic work continued to put the final touches to the venue for the evening''s most glamorous event - the Oscars.

Workers were putting the giant Oscar statues in place along the red carpet and TV reporters were filing their preview pieces where just hours from now the stars of Hollywood will be standing in front of thousands of cameras.

Die-hard fans were already gathering across the street from the Kodak Theatre in preparation for the 77th annual Academy Awards.

Many of them are waiting in the hope of getting a glimpse of their favourite actors or actresses.

Martin Scorsese''s Howard Hughes epic "The Aviator" and Clint Eastwood''s boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" are fighting for best picture and director.

It would be Scorsese''s first Oscar after four previous best director losses, and the first time he has delivered a best picture winner.

Eastwood claimed both prizes with 1992''s "Unforgiven."

The other best picture candidates are the J.M. Barrie tale "Finding Neverland," the Ray Charles saga "Ray" and the road trip comedy "Sideways."

Among actors, "Ray" star Jamie Foxx is a favourite for best actor for his remarkable embodiment of Ray Charles.

Besides his best actor nomination, Foxx was also picked in the supporting category for "Collateral."

Hilary Swank, an Oscar winner for "Boys Don''t Cry," is the favourite to take best actress again for "Million Dollar Baby," while Cate Blanchett is predicted to win best supporting actress for "The Aviator."

SHOTLIST

APTN Los Angeles, 16 January 2005.

1. Wide shot, roof, Beverly Hilton hotel

2. Wide shot Beverly Hilton hotel

3. Wide of fans in bleachers with pan to Golden Globes Awards sign

4. Zoom into Golden Globe Awards sign

5. Pan of Ernst & Young accountants, with pull out and push in

6. Wide red carpet, with pull out

7. Scarlett Johansson walks carpet

8. Debra Messing walks carpet

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicole Kidman/Actor:

"Yes I like feathers, peacocks Gucci..."

10. Kate Winslet walks carpet

11. Prince walks carpet

12. Uma Thurman walks carpet

13. Mick Jagger and Jennifer Garner walk carpet

14. Setup shot of Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, with pull out

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Ferguson/Duchess of York, on why she's attending the Golden Globe Awards:

"Firstly the thing is that I think it is a great place for children to be, children all over the world that they see this happening and they think , maybe one day I can do that, you know, maybe I can walk the red carpet. So it gives children the right to dream. Secondly, I support British Film and British goods abroad and one thing is the film industry and thirdly it is not bad being with all the stars and you know, Leonardo DiCaprio, he has got to get it tonight."

15. Kevin Kline walks carpet

16. Halle Berry walks carpet

17. Kate Hudson walks carpet

18. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver walk carpet

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Javier Bardem/Actor, on Golden Globe Award presence of his film "The Sea Inside":

" Well it is pretty amazing, the movie ' The Sea Inside ' got two nominations and that is a lot I and I guess beyond a foreign movie it is a good movie, that is the reaction of people watching the movie, they like it "

20. Pan up on Cate Blanchett

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Imelda Staunton/Actor, on her first time at the Globes:

" Well it is lovely, it's lovely, very joyous and good fun you know and I dare say the fun hasn't even started yet so, very nice indeed , very nice …"

22. Pan up on Minnie Driver

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Morgan Freeman/Actor, on the significance of Globes and critical attention to "Million Dollar Baby":

"will the critics response was important to the success of any movie, this kind of critical acclaim because that is what we really got, and what we have got is an absolute pantheon of good movies, you know, great outstanding, the Aviator, outstanding, all the ones I have seen so far, all the ones that don't come to mind right now, but I mean we are looking at really terrific work so we are in great company"

24. Wide shot red carpet

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Helen Mirren/Actor, on how the Globes are different than the Oscars:

" It is thought of as a lighter hearted awards ceremony, possibly more fun. I mean I have always enjoyed the Academy Awards because you usually get an amazing show. The Globes are very different. It's a sort of incredibly well-organised Mom-and-Pop organisation, if you know what I mean, so it's always got that kind of slightly loosey-goosey feeling about it and that kind of makes it fun."

26. Pan up and down of Raquel Welch showing off jewelry and gown

27. Camera cutaway

28. SOUNDBITE (English) Miranda Richardson/Actor, on why the Golden Globe Awards are so much fun:

"Well it's a bit of a loose cannon because once the vodka gets flowing you never know what's going to happen really. But don't look at me because I'm chaste and good (laughs). Well what else is there? It's just fun because you can move between the tables and nobody is sitting there like a frightened dummy, well they are, but they move about at the same time."

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Annette Bening and Warren Beatty/Actors:

"I'm a little nervous. It's good to be a little nervous, you know, not a bad thing. But I'm happy to be here."

30. Camera cutaway

31. Wide shot Jean-Pierre Jeunet

32. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Jeunet/Director, "A Very Long Engagement," on the Golden Globe nomination for his film:

"Is it a dream? It's cool, you know. It's not, it's just cool but in fact, if I could be here for each movie, it would be perfect - maybe it would be the case. I start to be used to it."

33. Pan down on Jeunet

34. SOUNDBITE (French) Jean-Pierre Jeunet/Director, "A Very Long Engagement," on the Golden Globe nomination for his film:

(SAME AS TRANSCRIBED ABOVE).

35. Wide carpet, with pull out

36. SOUNDBITE (English) Gerard Butler/Actor, on his first impression of the Golden Globes:

"Obviously I've seen them before. I mean this is fun, it's great coming down, it's a little crazy, it gets a little intense but any time you do something for the first time, for me, it's nice."

37. SOUNDBITE (English) Brooke Adams and Tony Shaloub, on who he's wearing:

"I'm wearing Kinalli, yes."

38. Show attendees make a toast

39. Pan up woman in gown

40. Close up spider jewelry

41. Pan up woman in blue gown

42. SOUNDBITE (English) Brad Bird/Director, "The Incredibles," in the voice of the film's uber-designer, Edna 'E' Mode, assessing the fashion on the red carpet:

"You know, some people look wonderful darling and some people would be better off wearing the red carpet, if you know what I mean?"

43. Fashion shot of designer Taryn Rose

44. SOUNDBITE (English) Taryn Rose/Designer, on what awards-show fashion trends she's seeing:

"I really feel that that retro look, very Hollywood glamour, the satins, will be the highlight of the red carpet. It's going to influence a lot of people's choices and it's great because it's a very glamorous, feminine time but the women are still very strong."

45. Pan up William Shatner

46. SOUNDBITE (English) William Shatner/Actor, on donating his shoes to the charity auction, "Clothes Off Our Backs," to benefit Tsunami-relief efforts:

"well, um, I assume there are various parts of people's clothing coming off to be auctioned to raise money for the tragedy and I am so pleased to be a part of this community that's able to raise funds in that way, in every which way we can, Hollywood is always there, at some emergency."

47. Pan up woman in Andy Warhol Brillo dress

48. Pan up Diane Kruger in Indian-styled dress

49. SOUNDBITE (English) Diane Kruger/Actor on taking risks with red-carpet fashion:

"you know, I think European women, in general, have a little bit more fun with fashion. Like we don't, I'm not afraid to like do something that's a little different, you know, I don't know. I'm just not so comfortable wearing gowns gowns, I feel like everybody steps on your train the whole night and I wanted to be young."

50. Fashion shot Shohreh Aghdashloo

51. SOUNDBITE (English) Shohreh Aghdashloo/Actor, on her choice of gown:

"Definitely. For the Oscars, Seman (?) made my dress, the red dress and I really loved it, so I decided to go to Seman again. But this time, I had cream, an off-cream creamy colour in mind and the minute I told her, she said 'By all means, let's go for it'. Because I have a dark texture, with dark hair, I thought that maybe the best way is to wear something creamy and since I'm not a nominee, I'm just a guest here to enjoy myself, try to make it as simple as possible but of course it has it's Seman's edges on the simple dress but I hope that you like it."

52. SOUNDBITE (English) Raquel Welch/Actor, on how fashion statements have changed since the'60s:

"Well in the 60s and not just to date myself but in the 60s, people were not so careful, they dressed the way they felt. I mean, a lot of people would do outrageous things and wear, I don't know a mini-skirt from home and stuff like that and people would go 'Oh how could she dress up like that?' You know. But there were a lot of different faux-pas, people weren't quite so careful but you've got to see the personality of the person, do you know what I mean, more than just the fashion. And we never did talk about the labels or any of the things that we were wearing, never, it was considered very gauche to be a billboard."

53. P. Diddy walks carpet

54. Fashion shot of Laura Linney

55. SOUNDBITE (English) Imelda Staunton/Actor, on her clothes:

"Roberto Cavalli, yeah, and the back's very nice, yeah. And that's all I know."

56. Mos Def speaks to reporter

57. Fashion shot of Virginia Madsen

58. Fashion shot of Miranda Richardson

59. Shot of man in kilt

60. People cleaning up red carpet after tub of Evian tumbled over and created a flood

61. SOUNDBITE (English) Will Arnett and David Cross/Actor, "Arrested Development," commenting on the red-carpet disaster:

"Like elsewhere around the world, they'd laugh at this 'You call this a disaster?' But here in Hollywood, this is a true disaster."

GOLDEN GLOBES RED CARPET

Celebrities zipped past the waiting international press last night at the Golden Globe awards.

Nicole Kidman, dressed in a blue satiny dress adorned with peacock feathers stopped long enough to tell us who designed her dress.

"Yes I like feathers, peacocks Gucci"

Raquel Welch, sixties icon and sex symbol extra-ordinaire put the event in a historical perspective:

"Well in the 60s and not just to date myself but in the 60s, people were not so careful, they dressed the way they felt. I mean, a lot of people would do outrageous things and wear, I don't know a mini-skirt from home and stuff like that and people would go 'Oh how could she dress up like that?' You know. But there were a lot of different faux-pas, people weren't quite so careful but you've got to see the personality of the person, do you know what I mean, more than just the fashion. And we never did talk about the labels or any of the things that we were wearing, never, it was considered very gauche to be a billboard."

One of the few not in a rush to enter the building was Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, she told APTN :

"Firstly the thing is that I think it is a great place for children to be, children all over the world that they see this happening and they think , maybe one day I can do that, you know, maybe I can walk the red carpet. So it gives children the right to dream. Secondly, I support British Film and British goods abroad and one thing is the film industry and thirdly it is not bad being with all the stars and you know, Leonardo DiCaprio, he has got to get it tonight."

Spanish actor Javier Bardem, lead actor in Globe winning film ' The Sea Within ' was happy to be there :

"Well it is pretty amazing, the movie ' The Sea Inside ' got two nominations and that is a lot and I guess beyond a foreign movie, it is a good movie, that is the reaction of people watching the movie, they like it "

Much lauded actor Morgan Freeman who attended in connection with Clint Eastwood's " Million Dollar Baby ", radiating calm, told us about the meaning of the Golden Globe awards :

" Well the critics response is important to the success of any movie, this kind of critical acclaim, because that is what we really got, and what we have got is an absolute pantheon of good movies, you know, great outstanding, 'The Aviator', outstanding, all the ones I have seen so far, all the ones that don't come to mind right now, but I mean we are looking at really terrific work so we are in great company"

While British Actress Helen Mirren compared the event to the Oscars:

" It is thought of as a lighter hearted awards ceremony, possibly more fun. I mean I have always enjoyed the Academy Awards because you usually get an amazing show. The Globes are very different. It's a sort of incredibly well-organised Mom-and-Pop organisation, if you know what I mean, so it's always got that kind of slightly loosey-goosey feeling about it and that kind of makes it fun."

At some point a bucket filled with bottles of mineral water and ice spilled onto the carpet, a minor disaster, which caused Will Arnett and David Cross/Actor, "Arrested Development," to cammoent.

"Like elsewhere around the world, they'd laugh at this 'You call this a disaster?' But here in Hollywood, this is a true disaster."

Of course fashion is one of the more interesting aspects of the red carpet arrivals at Awards ceremonies, which caused Brad Bird/Director, "The Incredibles," in the voice of the film's uber-designer, Edna 'E' Mode, to say :

"You know, some people look wonderful darling and some people would be better off wearing the red carpet, if you know what I mean?"

A major celebrity party in their own right, the Globes serve as the most prominent ceremony in Hollywood's pre-game show leading up to the Academy Awards on Feb. 27.

The Globes are awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, whose small membership of about 90 people pales compared to the nearly 6,000 film professionals eligible to vote for the Oscars.

Yet the Globes historically serve as a solid forecast that helps set the odds for subsequent film honours.

Golden Globe winners gain attention that can put them on the inside track for prizes from acting, directing and other filmmaking guilds, momentum that often sticks with them right through Oscar night.

All four of last year's Oscar winners for acting - Sean Penn, Charlize Theron, Tim Robbins and Renee Zellweger - earned Golden Globes first. Best-picture champ "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and its director, Peter Jackson, also preceded their Oscar triumphs with Globe wins.

Along with "The Aviator," other dramatic best-picture nominees for the 62nd annual Golden Globes were "Closer," "Finding Neverland," "Hotel Rwanda," "Kinsey" and "Million Dollar Baby." Joining "Sideways" in the best musical or comedy race were "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "The Incredibles," "Andrew Lloyd Webber's the Phantom of the Opera" and "Ray."

Besides best actor in a musical or comedy for "Ray," Foxx scored nominations for supporting actor in the thriller "Collateral" and actor in a TV movie or miniseries for the prison drama "Redemption."

Robin Williams, a five-time Globe winner for such films as "The Fisher King" and "Good Morning, Vietnam," received the Cecil B. DeMille award for career achievement.

SHOTLIST

APTN

Los Angeles. 9 February 2004

1. Pan of hotel interior

2. Clint Eastwood, with pan to Tim Robbins

3. Diane Keaton with Academy president Frank Pierson

4. Diane Keaton with Academy president Frank Pierson

5. Sean Penn and mother

6. Wide shot of Sean Penn and mother with Academy president Frank Pierson

7. Close-up of Ben Kingsley

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Ben Kingsley, Actor:

"If we accept that every moment is absolutely unique and unrepeatable, then nothing compares to me standing here now. It's completely unprecedented in the present. Look, this is wall-to-wall enthusiasm and questions. It's extraordinary."

9. Shot of Keisha Castle-Hughes

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Keisha Castle-Hughes, Actor:

"They were happy about it. Then, I was like, 'Oh my god! I can't believe it!' And they were like, 'It doesn't matter, you're still Keisha.' That's what keeps me really grounded, 'cause sometimes, when I'm in magazines that we read, I'm like, 'I can't believe it.' And they're like, 'So, we just won't buy it." (Laughs.)

11. Pan up of Charlize Theron

12. Theron joined by mother

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Charlize Theron, Actor:

"It would be great! Is that not politically correct to say? No, it would be great, you know. I think that . . . I've never gone through this experience. And the great thing is that I've never really relied on these things to have, in order for me to be happy about my career. And now that they have happened, it's really nice. And, now, being nominated, and it actually happening, I'm ecstatic. But it if doesn't happen, I'm OK."

14.Naomi Watts

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Naomi Watts, Actor:

"I'm speechless. Yeah, you know, it is far beyond what I ever dreamed for, that which has seemed too far-fetched. I grew up knowing this is what I wanted to do, but I wasn't dreaming of being nominated for an Academy Award. I would dream that I would be a working actor, and I would interview myself in the bathtub and on toilet seats. But I was never thinking that it would turn into this. It's mind-blowing."

16. Shot of Alec Baldwin

17. Camera cutaway.

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Alec Baldwin, Actor:

"What happened at the Super Bowl, I thought should have been censored just because it wasn't very interesting. (Laughs.) You know, Janet Jackson's performance at the Super Bowl was dull and kind of hackneyed to me. We'd seen that before. It's not about the sexuality. It's the doing that and you know we thought that was interesting."

19. Nominees Tim Robbins and Benicio Del Toro

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Tim Robbins, Actor:

"Of course you should keep it live. What are they afraid of? Spontaneity is great. And who's gonna make the judgement that something is appropriate or not? Is it appropriate to make jokes about someone's panties? Which I remember someone at the Oscars was doing something about whether someone was wearing panties or not. Maybe that's inappropriate. Maybe if there's a time delay someone's gonna say, 'Maybe that isn't good for the kids to be hearing that.' I think we're a pretty tough society. I think we can deal with, you know, some, uh, 'inappropriateness' -- sexually or socially. We have tough skin. The kids are not going to be destroyed for seeing Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl. If anything, they're just going to be curious about whether that's what all nipples look like."

21. Djimon Hounsou

22. Hounsou with Pierson

23. SOUNDBITE (French) Djimon Hounsou, Actor:

"The identity I have with this character is that I came here to this country without a single word of English and I came to this country for the pursuit of this dream, the pursuit of the cinema. I am a perfect example of the American Dream.''

24. Shot of Marcia Gay Harden

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Marcia Gay Harden, Actor:

"We have so many girls right before me: Cate Blanchett, Catherine Zeta, Debra Messing and Reese Witherspoon, who just prove, 'If you got it, flaunt it,' and we don't mean cleavage -- although, if you're pregnant that helps. So, on the red carpet it's kind of wonderful and exciting and the final priority, obviously, is here. But I've been talking to my doctor and he's like, 'You're going?' And I said, 'And I'm wearing heels. So, let's stop right there.'"

26. Shot of Patricia Clarkson

27. Wide shot of Patricia Clarkson

28. SOUNDBITE (English) Patricia Clarkson, Actor:

"I think you can do that, too. And I have no complaints with that, seeing I've been living in independent film for years and years. I would welcome one zero. (Laughs.) Oh, I'll take another zero any day."

29. Shot of Shohreh Aghdashloo

30. Close up of Shohreh Aghdashloo

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Shohreh Aghdashloo, Actor:

"There has been this big discussion on Persian satellite TV that airs all over the world, including Iran, all about my dress -- whether I'm going to wear an Iranian dress or not. We do not have such thing as Iranian dress. People who are pro-modernization, we joined the people of the world almost few-hundred years ago and decided to wear the same clothes. So, that's what I'm going to do, obviously, and, also, if, if, if I'm going to go up and give a speech, they're interest in what I'm going to say. Fortunately, it gives me a lot of support. But like Greek mythology, on the other hand, unfortunately, it puts too much strain, too much pressure on my shoulder. But I take it all well because I enjoy doing this and I'm proud doing this."

32. Pan up from Peter Jackson's feet

33. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Jackson, Director:

"I think designers have given up on me. I've got a suit that Versace made for me, kindly, for the 'Fellowship of the Ring' award. So, I'll get into that one again."

34. Peter Weir arrives

35. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Weir, Director:

"I think a much more primitive part of you is appealed to when it gets down to who will win and that's not a terribly nice part of you actually. There is a competitive aspect to all human beings and it is at its sharpest when they read the names out in the final moments before the envelopes opened and there is some Stone Age thing comes out and you want to win, it's like an acid in your mouth. Horrible. It's a relief that someone won, if it's not you then at least it is over and that feeling disappears and then you are back to being the film maker you should be."

36. Shot of Gary Ross

37. Shot of Elvis Costello, with Diana Krall

38. Shot of Sofia Coppola

39. Shot of Annie Lennox and Howard Shore

40. Shot of Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards

41. Shot of Annette O'Toole and Michael McKean

42. SOUNDBITE (English) Fernando Meirelles, Director:

"All the actors in the film are not professional and they are really thrilled because they know that they have a lot to do with those nominations. I mean I never gave them the script, all the the dialogue is co written by them and so they are really thrilled to, it's such a surprise."

43. Wide shot Oscar nominees

44. Mid shot pan of nominees

OSCAR CLASS OF 2004 DO LUNCH

Three weeks from now, they're competitors. But on this sunny Los Angeles day (9FEB04), nominees for the year's Academy Awards put the movie horse race aside and simply did lunch at the swanky Beverly Hilton.

The most relaxed affair of the Oscar season - the only one without red carpet arrivals - allows the stars to meet fellow nominees over a glass of wine and talk to the press in relative comfort, before posing for together for the year's so-called 'class photo'.

Talk this year ranged from the usual 'surprise' at being nominated to the likely transmission delay following the Janet Jackson superbowl incident, how that will affect mid-ceremony pantie discussions, and what Iran will make of the fashion on show.

About a dozen nominees made voluntary stops for brief question-and-answer sessions in the press room.

Ben Kingsley, Best Actor nominee for his role in 'House of Sand and Fog,' said he refused to compare this go-'round to his three previous times as a nominee (including a 1982 win for 'Gandhi').

'Whale Rider' star Keisha Castle-Hughes, at age 13 the youngest Best Actress Oscar nominee, said her schoolmates take her success lightly.

Charlize Theron ('The Italian Job') garnered her first nomination for the gritty drama 'Monster.' Another first-time nominee, '21 Grams'' Naomi Watts ('Mulholland Drive'), was equally excited.

Stage and film veteran Alec Baldwin ('State and Main') is another Oscar first-timer, nominated for his supporting role for 'The Cooler,' commented on the American television networks' adding time delays to live broadcasts, in the wake of Janet Jackson breast-baring Super Bowl performance.

"What happened at the Super Bowl, I thought should have been censored just because it wasn't very interesting. (Laughs.) You know, Janet Jackson's performance at the Super Bowl was dull and kind of hackneyed to me," he said.

Tim Robbins ('Shawshank Redemption'), Supporting Actor nominee for 'Mystic River,' added his own perspective. "The kids are not going to be destroyed for seeing Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl. If anything, they're just going to be curious about whether that's what all nipples look like," he said.

Djimon Hounsou ('Gladiator') nominated for his role as the terrifying downstairs neighbour in director Jim Sheridan's 'In America,' said he personified the American Dream. The actor, form Benin, in West Africa, was once a teenage vagrant in Paris until he was discovered by the designer Thierry Mugler and transformed into a fashion model before he arrived in America to pursue his acting dream.

Along with Charlize Theron he is the first African to be nominated for an Oscar.

Another first is for Iran with the nomination of Shohreh Aghdashloo, Best Supporting Actress nominee for 'House of Sand and Fog,' acknowledged she feels pressure from all of the attention and high expectations at home.

Likewise, in the barrios (slums) of Brazil they will be huddled round their TV screens hoping that 'City of God' a story of life in the ghettos starring many young gang members is up for four awards including, Best Director.

Indie art-film regular Patricia Clarkson ('The Green Mile') is nominated for her supporting role in "Pieces of April." Clarkson admitted that she'd cheerfully take the raise, the so-called "adding zeros" to paycheck that usually comes with a nomination and Oscar win.

Last year's Supporting Actress winner, Marcia Gay Harden ('Pollack') competes this year with her supporting role in 'Mystic River.' Harden, who is expecting twins in early spring, said she's going to have fun with her Oscar-night wardrobe, despite her new plus-size physique.

Forget nominees with such designer-friendly physiques as Clarkson and Theron, it was 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' director Peter Jackson who offered the final word on red carpet fashion on Oscar night

'I think designers have given up on me. I've got a suit that Versace made for me, kindly, for the 'Fellowship of the Ring' award. So, I'll get into that one again.'

The 76th Academy Award ceremony takes place in Los Angeles on 29th February 2004.

English/Nat

Anti-abortion campaigners tried to disrupt the Academy Awards Sunday with a protest against the movie Cider House Rules.

They targeted the British actor, Michael Caine, who went on to win the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role as an orphanage doctor who carries out abortions.

The pro-life group Survivor staged its demonstration outside the Los Angeles theatre where the Academy Award ceremony was being held.

They also demonstrated outside Michael Caine's home in Beverly Hills.

They claim the film is spreading a message that abortion is acceptable, and say that Michael Caine was wrong to have appeared in the film.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"Most of Hollywood in their movies are pro-choice. They never expose the other half of it and expose it for what it really is, so that's why we have to come out here and show Hollywood what it is and maybe we can get them to make some movies which are true about abortion."

SUPER CAPTION: Steven Shine, Anti-abortion protester

The protesters tried to attract the attention of stars as they drove in their limousines to the Academy Awards ceremony.

The film, set in the 1940s, is based on the best-selling novel by John Irving, and angered abortion opponents when it was first published in 1985.

It grossed U-S 23 (m) million dollars before winning seven Oscar nominations last month, including best picture.

Los Angeles, California 26 March 2000

1.Wide shot of limousine past protesters

2. Various of protesters with placards.

3. SOUNDBITE: Steven Shine, Anti abortion protester

4. Various of roadside protest.

SHOTLIST:

Los Angeles - February 25, 2005

1. Entrance leading into the Academy Award celebrity arrivals area

2. Traffic officer in street in front of arrivals area

3. Hollywood Boulevard street sign

4. Oscar billboard sign

5. Oscar venue entrance

6. Oscar statue

7. Photographer setting up video camera

8. Technician setting up lights

9. Technicians working on lights

10. Technicians working in red carpet entry way

11. Reporter speaking in front of Oscar venue

12. "Academy Award" lettering on red carpet

Los Angeles - February 24, 2005

13.Street scene on Hollywood Boulevard

14. People taking photos near Kodak Theatre

15. SOUNDBITE(English) Voxpop:

"I don''t know. Some of the girls I guess, Jennifer Aniston if she''s free. But, I don''t know, anyone."

16. People waking along Hollywood Walk of Fame

17. SOUNDBITE(English) Voxpop:

"Good fun. It''s typical America. It''s Hollywood in America, yeah typical."

18. Street scene on Hollywood Boulevard

19. Rap artist performing an Oscar-related rap near Kodak Theatre

20. Street performer breakdancing on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Los Angeles - February 25, 2005.

21. Oscar statue and entryway to Kodak Theatre

22. Worker outside theatre, Oscar statue

STORYLINE:

Workers were busy on Friday getting Hollywood''s Kodak Theatre ready for this year''s Academy Awards gala event which takes place on Sunday (US time).

The ceremony honours the best in American and foreign film making.

Outside the Oscar venue finishing touches were being put on a grand, red-carpeted entrance that will welcome a throng of stars and celebrities for the seventy-seventh annual Academy Awards show.

Tourists in the area said they were looking forward to the ceremony.

More than three-thousand people are expected to descend on the Kodak Theatre for the ceremony.

Security will be tight.

On Friday, the streets surrounding the theatre were blocked off already, metal barricades limited walkways and uniformed police officers were standing guard.

The red carpet walkway to the theatre received a bit of a face-lift this year - following recent rainstorms, Academy Award planners were not taking any chances and put up a plastic tent over the red carpet.

English/Nat

Just days before the American Academy Awards, Christie's in New York auctioned off 54 dresses, evening gowns and ensembles worn by famous actresses at earlier Oscars.

The charity auction raised nearly 800 thousand dollars for the American Foundation for AIDS research.

The highest price - 167-thousand-500 dollars - was fetched by Elizabeth Taylor's dress, worn at the 1969 Academy Awards and designed by Edith Head.

The Academy Awards, affectionately known as the Oscars, have become synonymous with glamour and each ceremony is now renowned for presenting the pinnacle of the year's fashion.

Christie's auction house in New York decided to use this pseudo fashion event to host a charity auction called "Unforgettable: Fashion of the Oscars" to benefit the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR).

The gala event presented a stunning selection of 54 of the most beautiful -- and sometimes the most outrageous -- dresses worn to the Academy Awards by some of the most distinguished actresses.

The highest price was fetched by a periwinkle blue and violet faille crepe evening dress designed by Edith Head and worn by Elizabeth Taylor in 1969.

A dress by Madonna brought the second highest price, at nearly 80 thousand dollars.

The third highest price was paid for a dress worn by Kate Winslet, nominated for best supporting actress in Titanic.

Elizabeth Taylor, Cher, Glenn Close and Sharon Stone were just some of the Academy Award winners, nominees, presenter and guests who opened their closets and donated their Oscar couture gowns to help amfAR's work in AIDS research.

After rigorous bidding, Mattel Inc. bought the dress for over 150 thousand dollars, but not without stiff competition from A-M-C, American Movie Classics.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"Well we had thought that it would go for around a hundred thousand to maybe a hundred and twenty five thousand. So we were prepared to go up, a little over budget to 140, and lost. But it's all for a good cause."

SUPER CAPTION: Kate McEnroe, President, AMC and RC

Madonna's black silk faille and dove-grey tulle evening ensemble, designed by Olivier Theyskens and Jean Paul Gaultier brought in the second highest price of the evening, just shy of 80 thousand dollars.

The dress worn by Kate Winslet, nominated for best supporting actress in 1997 for her role in "Titanic," brought in the third highest price of 57-thousand-500 dollars.

Designed by Alexander McQueen for Givenchy, the forest green silk crepe marocain and duchesse silk satin evening ensemble was bought by American Movie Classics.

Almost immediately after appearing in the dress, Winslet was dubbed a "Hollywood heavyweight, " implying she was fat by the industry's standards.

For this reason, Lane Bryant, the largest plus-size retailer in the U-S had high hopes for acquiring the dress, in order to make a statement about what it calls "the outrageous standards set for women's bodies at the end of the 20th century. "

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"Well, we really wanted to bid on the Kate Winslet dress because she wore it at a time when everyone was calling her fat. And Lane Bryant starts at a size 14. And we really wanted to buy the dress, travel with it around the country and show our customers how skewed and warped Hollywood's sense of body image is. And this is a beautiful, voluptuous woman, and she looked gorgeous."

SUPER CAPTION: Catherine Lippincott, Spokeswoman, Lane Bryant

Other highlights of the auction included a dress made of 171 gold American Express credit cards, worn by Lizzy Gardiner at the 1994 Academy Awards.

Ms. Gardiner won an Oscar for Best Costume Design with Tim Chappel, for the "Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert."

The oldest dress sold at auction was originally worn by Janet Leigh in 1959.

The silver beaded dress was designed by Edith Head and sold for 30 thousand dollars.

The world auction record for a dress is 222-thousand-500 dollars, paid for a dress worn by the late Princess Diana.

New York, USA - 10th & 18th March 1999

March 18 1999

1. Wide shot of Christie's auction room

2. Zoom into auctioneer

March 10 1999

3. Medium shot of dresses on display

March 18 1999

4. Zoom out of 1969 photo of Elizabeth Taylor

5. Close up of Elizabeth Taylor's dress

6. Wide shot of auction room

7. Medium shot of telephone bidders

8. Medium shot of auctioneer striking final price

9. Close up of bidding board

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kate McEnroe, President of American Movie Classics and The Romance Channel

11. Close up of photos on wall, pull-out to wide shot of auction room

12. Medium shot of Madonna's dress

13. Wide shot bidders under photo of Madonna at Academy awards

14. Medium shot of bidders

15. Close-up bidder in audience

16. Medium shot of auctioneer

17. Close-up of currency board

18. Wide shot of audience

19. Close-up of cameraman

20. Medium shot Kate Winslet's dress

21. Wide shot of auctioneer

22. Medium shot of bidders

23. Medium shot of auctioneer giving final price

24. Wide shot of audience

25. SOUNDBITE: (English) Catherine Lippincott, Spokeswoman, Lane Bryant

26. Wide shot, American Express Card dress

27. Pan up dress

28. Close-up of currency board

29. Close-up of audience

30. Close-up of catalogue

31. Wide shot of zoom to Janet Leigh's dress

32. Medium shot of bidder in audience

33. Medium shot of auctioneer giving final price

English/Nat

Oscar fever has hit Los Angeles, with the big event now less than three weeks away.

And like every year, it's not only about movies, it's about the glitz, the food and the fashions.

With the elaborate preparations for the Oscars ceremony well underway, Hollywood is getting excited.

Glamour and hype - the trademarks of the Oscar season - hit the runway here at the Academy of Motion Pictures in Beverly Hills just three weeks before the big show.

Thirty models showed off the latest couture from some of the biggest names in fashion, from Giorgio Armani and Christian Dior to Shanghai Tang.

Most of these outfits probably won't be seen on Oscar night, although if they do it could mean huge business for those who dress the winners.

After all, the Oscars is the world's biggest fashion show and there's no better exposure to potential buyers than to the millions who tune in to the awards show every year.

Typically, Oscar nominees and presenters borrow and wear these fashionable gowns for one night only.

And to designer Fred Hayman, a winning look is nearly as important as winning an award.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"It's almost as much about clothes as it is for the awards itself. I know the award is an amazing achievement but then when you dress well and get an award you get much more mileage."

SUPERCAPTION: Fred Hayman, Coordinator of the Oscars Fashion Preview

Smoked salmon and sturgeon will be on the menu at the Governor's Ball - the official post-Oscar party.

It's become a legendary appetizer from renowned chef Wolfgang Puck, who will lead the culinary team at the Governor's Ball for the fourth year in a row.

Puck's menu features elegant fare that's still simple enough to prepare for the 1-thousand-650 guests.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"I think we make it tasty every year so every year is exciting. It's like with the movies, people don't make movies bigger and better every year. Once in a while you get a movie like Titanic which sells more tickets than any other movie but then you have wonderful smaller movies, and I think with food it's the same. You know we just try to make each year special for what it is."

SUPER CAPTION: Wolfgang Puck, Governor's Ball Chef

Sketches of the Governor's Ball reveal a romantic setting that looks like it's come straight out of one of the two Elizabethan films that are up for Oscars.

The ball is the first stop on the party tour for the winners to show off their trophies and for the losers to drown their sorrows.

But win or lose, it's the stars' looks that will no doubt grab the attention of the media and the fans.

In past years, certain female stars have made memorable faux pas by going for extreme hair styles that didn't work.

Renowned hair stylist Frederic Fekkai is in charge of hair styling for the models in the Oscar preview fashion show.

He claims to know the secret of a sexy hairdo on Oscar night.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"It's prepared but not overdone. It's slick, it's long hair, it's straight, there are pieces attached to the hair, there is hair accessories, there is hair up, hair down, there is hair curly, it's a very real thing and you know what, it's a great way of showing that everyone is different."

SUPER CAPTION: Frederic Fekkai, Hair Stylist for Oscars Fashion Preview

But nothing happens until each of the 5-thousand-557 Academy voters cast their final ballots at the offices of Price Waterhouse Coopers.

Voters have until Tuesday, March 16th to return their ballots to the auditing firm that carries out the counts.

Many studios take out huge advertisements in the Hollywood trade magazines to persuade Academy members to vote for their films.

Roberto Benigni's 'Life is Beautiful' has been nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Actor, Best Director and Best Film.

Miramax, the studio behind the Italian film, is hoping its aggressive campaign in the trade magazines could make the difference.

And with three weeks to go before the Oscars, there's still time for plenty of hype.

Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, U-S-A - 2 and 3 March 1999

1. Various of models walking down catwalk inside Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Fred Hayman, Coordinator of Oscars Fashion Preview

3. Chef Wolfgang Puck preparing Oscar-shaped hors d'oeuvres

4. Wide shot of Puck

5. Close-up of Puck putting caviar on lox

6. Puck pouring dressing on tuna platter

7. Scroll down the menu for the Academy Awards Governor's Ball

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Wolfgang Puck, Governor's Ball Chef

9. Sketches of bar decoration for Governor's Ball

10. Sketches of entrance to Governor's Ball

11. Pan of proposed tablesetting for Governor's Ball

12. Close up of model's lips being brushed with lipstick

13. Wide shot of model having lipstick applied

14. Close-up of lipstick applied to model

15. Set up shot of hair stylist Frederic Fekkai

16. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederic Fekkai, Hair Stylist for Oscars Fashion Preview

17. Pull out from Oscar statue to group mailing Academy ballots

18. Sample envelope containing ballot

19. Close-up of ballot for Best Actor

20. Wide shot of Hollywood trade magazines

21. Close up of "FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION" - "Elizabeth"

22. Benigni's "Life is Beautiful" on cover of The Hollywood Reporter

23. Pull out from Oscar statue to models posing for photo on runway

SHOTLIST

1. Pan Hollywood & Highland courtyard

2. Pan down to "Meet the Oscars!" sign

3. Pan up Oscar statue

4. Pan inside exhibit to display of Oscars

5. Closeup placard noting 50 statuettes for 79th Annual Academy Awards, with pull out to reveal portion of Oscar display

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sid Ganis/President, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: "Well, here we are: 'Meet the Oscars.' We're at Hollywood & Highland -- just up the escalator from the Kodak theatre, where, on February 25th, we'll be handing out the Oscars. So, come here anytime between now and February 25th, and we have a display of the 50 Oscars, which we're actually going to give out on Oscar night -- are here! Right here in this room! In addition to that, I'm holding this baby in my hand, but, actually, you can pick it up, have your picture taken with it, have a good love at it, understand it, and, of course, feel the heft of it: eight-and-a-half pounds of Oscar right here. And it's a rare, and kind of nice, experience. I mean, I'm a movie producer and I hope I win one one of these days. But, in the meantime, I can hold it in my hand, and so can everybody else."

7. Closeup of cameraperson with pull out to reveal reporter handling Oscar

8. Closeup placard noting 50th 79th Annual Academy Awards statuettes, with pull out to reveal actor Katharine Hepburn's four Oscars

9. Pan of black-and-white stilla of Hepburn in her Oscar-winning roles

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sid Ganis/President, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: "Speaking of Oscars, we have all four of Katharine Hepburn's winning Oscars. Her estate has presented us with all four of her Oscars. So, they're here. Then we have two other Oscars. We know we're going to give special Oscars to Ennio Morricone and Sherry Lansing, for the work Ennio has done as a compose and for Sherry as a philanthropist -- not as a movie producer or studio head, but as a philanthropist. But also you can come and, we have a great trivia contest that I'm getting pretty good at now, but I've been kind of working at it for about three weeks as we've been preparing, video montages of former Oscar shows and the current nominees, so it's a good, it's a very good installation."

11. Pan down on photos of Best Director nominees

12. Detail man touching video screen of Oscar-trivia game

13. Pan up honorary award to composer Ennio Morricone, to be handed out 25 February

14. Push in to photo of Morricone

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Sid Ganis/President, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with news about the telecast: "We're live on February 25th: 5 o'clock on the west coast, 8 o'clock on the east coast, and, I promise you, tune in at the top of the show because the producer, Laura Ziskin, has a surprise that is going to set us off in a great direction."

16. First public visitor to exhibit poses with statuette

17. Subsequent public visitor to exhibit poses with statuette

18. Subsequent public visitor to exhibit poses with statuette and walks off camera

MEET THE OSCARS!

Now, everyone can come to Hollywood and get their hands on an Oscar.

This morning marked the Los Angeles opening of "Meet the Oscars," an installation in honour of the annual Academy Awards.

"Well, here we are," noted Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. "We're at Hollywood & Highland -- just up the escalator from the Kodak theatre, where, on February 25th, we'll be handing out the Oscars," Ganis continued. "So, come here anytime between now and February 25th, and we have a display of the 50 Oscars, which we're actually going to give out on Oscar night -- are here! Right here in this room! In addition to that, I'm holding this baby in my hand, but, actually, you can pick it up, have your picture taken with it, have a good love at it, understand it, and, of course, feel the heft of it: eight-and-a-half pounds of Oscar right here. And it's a rare, and kind of nice, experience. I mean, I'm a movie producer and I hope I win one one of these days. But, in the meantime, I can hold it in my hand, and so can everybody else."

In addition to the 50, unengraved competition-category statuettes for this year's telecast, there are the two engraved honorary Oscars already earmarked for composer Ennio Morricone and, for her philanthropic efforts, movie producer and studio exec Sherry Lansing.

The installation also includes an Oscar trivia game, video presentation and photo displays.

As for any hints about what to expect from the Oscar telecast, Ganis was pretty much mum. "We're live on February 25th: 5 o'clock on the west coast, 8 o'clock on the east coast," he said, offer just one hint: "I promise you, tune in at the top of the show because the producer, Laura Ziskin, has a surprise that is going to set us off in a great direction."