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."

English/Nat

HOLLYWOOD GEARS UP FOR THE BIGGEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR

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.

-

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.

-

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.

-

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

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

ACADEMY OFFERS GUESTS A WHIMSICAL OSCARS AFTER PARTY

The Academy's official after party, the Governors Ball, is intended to offer guests a sense of whimsy, according to event producer Cheryl Cecchetto, speaking at a media preview of the event Thursday (16 FEB.).

"You're coming into a massive, massive, very dense sea of red," Cecchetto explained, adding, "a little bit of white, a little bit of gold. It's actually really going to hit you. Then, when you walk in the door, it's really 100-percent the opposite. So, it should really take your breath away. It should be like, 'Wait a minute here!'"

So exclusive that only about half of the Academy Awards-ceremony attendees get an invitation, the Governors Ball accommodates approximately 1500 guests, who travel just a few flights up from the Dolby Theatre to The Ray Dolby Ballroom. Oscar winners get their statuettes engraved there. All will be treated to the cuisine of Chef Wolfgang Puck.

"When people walk in, we're going to pass around a lot of food, like our mini Kobe burgers, our smoked-salmon Oscars, our spicy lobster tacos, our Chinese pot stickers," Puck said. "And when people sit down or hang out, and it's a more loungy feeling, you will, for example, a baked potato with caviar. You might have a little cup of soup, an espresso cup of soup of artichoke soup with truffle. And you might say, 'I'll eat a little more.' You have a little lobster pasta. A little more, you're going to have Dover sole with caramelized cauliflower and lemon, maybe a chicken pot pie -- I know Barbra Streisand and John Travolta and all those people like the chicken pot pie. It's really a favorite. 'I don't care what you cook, but you have to make the chicken pot pie.'"

Puck and his team will prep some 20 desserts, and even makes sure that everyone leaves with at least some kind of Academy Award.

"Everybody's going to get a chocolate Oscar from us," Puck noted. "You know, so when you leave the party, that's our gift to everybody. I don't want everybody to go home crying and say, 'I didn't win an Oscar.' We give them an Oscar, so everybody's happy. And if they're still hungry, they can eat it, too."

The 89th Annual Academy Awards is set for Feb. 26 in Los Angeles.

1. Wide exterior The Ray Dolby Ballroom

2. Tilt up interior Ray Dolby Ballroom, preview of The Governors Ball

3. Tilt up Oscar statue

4. Display of flowers and candles

5. Table setting

6. Push in on exclusive Governors Ball label Piper-Heidsieck champagne

7. Display of wines from Coppola Vineyards

8. Setup shot event producer Cheryl Cecchetto

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Cheryl Cecchetto/Governors Ball Event Producer:

"You're coming into a massive, massive, very dense sea of red. A little bit of white. A little bit of gold. It's actually really going to hit you. Then, when you walk in the door, it's really 100-percent the opposite. So, it should really take your breath away. It should be like, 'Wait a minute here!'"

10. Oscar statue in center of area decorated primarily in white

11. Woman sitting on white couch

12. Table decorated primarily in white

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Cheryl Cecchetto/Governors Ball Event Producer:

"Walk back on the south balcony, you're back to the sea of red. So, it's a juxtaposition of two very distinct palates. It should really change your thought pattern."

14. Pull out from red pillows to reveal curved pink sofa

15. Pan seafood display

16. Salad

17. Wide display of some of the 35 offerings to be served by Wolfgang Puck at the Governors Ball

18. Tilt down two-tiered salad display

18. Pan of gnocchetti with braised mushrooms and cashew cream

19. Chef stirs up vegetarian pasta with carrot juice

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Wolfgang Puck/Chef:

"When people walk in, we're going to pass around a lot of food, like our mini Kobe burgers, our smoked-salmon Oscars, our spicy lobster tacos, our Chinese pot stickers. And when people sit down or hang out, and it's a more loungy feeling, you will, for example, a baked potato with caviar. You might have a little cup of soup, an espresso cup of soup of artichoke soup with truffle. And you might say, 'I'll eat a little more.' You have a little lobster pasta. A little more, you're going to have Dover sole with caramelized cauliflower and lemon, maybe a chicken pot pie -- I know Barbra Streisand and John Travolta and all those people like the chicken pot pie. It's really a favorite. 'I don't care what you cook, but you have to make the chicken pot pie.'"

21. Wide of the nearly 20 desserts to be served at the Governors Ball

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Wolfgang Puck/Chef:

"They are prepping 20 different desserts. Now, obviously, everybody's going to get a chocolate Oscar from us. You know, so when you leave the party, that's our gift to everybody. I don't want everybody to go home crying and say, 'I didn't win an Oscar.' We give them an Oscar, so everybody's happy. And if they're still hungry, they can eat it, too."

23. Display of mini Oscar-shaped chocolates

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER AT THE OSCARS

With the the 84th Oscars just around the corner this year's attendees will now be making those final tweaks to their all important outfits.

Once the dresses have been chosen the next decision to be made is how to accessorize and for many celebrities that will be diamonds.

Nothing says glamour like a diamond and according to Maria Divaris, former editor at Marie Claire, there will be an abundance of them on this year's red carpet.

"I think we will see a good array of different diamond trends but certainly lots and lots of diamonds," says Divaris.

"Everything from cluster earrings to long dangles, tons of great chunky diamond bracelets... I think we will see someone such as a Meryl Streep where we might see something more minimal and then on someone like Michelle Williams we might see something more fresh and modern that we haven't really seen before."

Martin Katz, jewellery designer to the stars, says this year's trend is likely to be colored stones.

"You saw the look of the colors you saw on the last two red carpets. It was either very neutral pallet and had bigger colorful jewelry to it, or it was a very strong color that was always in the diamonds," notes Katz.

"Glamour and red carpet for Oscar always number one. Always going to be a lot of diamonds. But I am really looking to put out a lot of color this year on the red carpet."

And, according to Katz, the precious stones aren't just for the women.

"The men's jewelry has really become very popular the last three, four years especially," he says. "We didn't use to give the men the cuff-links and the studs. They either had their own or were always wearing something very funky or artistic. But in these last several years, it has become very popular. Johnny Depp for the last two award shows has asked me for my personal set of black diamond cufflinks and studs, he loves them. But they are my personal set and so they are not for sale."

The 84th annual Academy Awards takes place on Sunday 26 February 2012 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

SHOTLIST (including transcript):-

AP Entertainment

FILE: Los Angeles, 27 February 2011

1. Wide exteriors of the Kodak Theatre

2. Wide of Natalie Portman posing for photographers

3. Medium of Sandra Bullock posing for photographers

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 15 February 2012

4. Pan right of diamond jewelry

5. Close up of round drop earrings

6. Medium of diamond bracelet

7. Close-up of diamond vintage cut ring

8. Medium of diamond heritage line bracelet

9. Push in of diamond pendant

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Maria Divaris/Fashion Stylist, on diamond trends for the Oscars:

"I think we will see a good array of different diamond trends but certainly lots and lots of diamonds. So everything from cluster earrings to long dangles, tons of great chunky diamond bracelets."

11. Medium of vintage cluster diamond earrings

12. Medium of view of diamond earrings

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Maria Divaris/Fashion Stylist, on diamond trends for the Oscars:

"On someone such as a Meryl Streep where we might see something more minimal and then on someone like Michelle Williams we might see something more fresh and modern that we haven't really seen before."

AP Entertainment

FILE: Los Angeles, 27 February 2011

14. Fashion shot, Michelle Williams

AP Entertainment

FILE: Los Angeles, 6 February 2012

15. Fashion shot, Meryl Streep at Oscar luncheon

AP Entertainment

FILE: Los Angeles, 27 February 2011

16. Fashion shot, Nicole Kidman

17. Fashion shot, Penelope Cruz

AP Entertainment

FILE: Beverly Hills, California, 15 January 2012

18. Pull out of actress Angelina Jolie

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 7 February 2012

19. Exterior of jewelry store

20. Colored stones and diamonds inside jewelry case

21. Close of red ruby pendant

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Katz/Jewelry designer, diamond expert on Oscar trends for women:

"The trend I see are colorful. You saw... look of the colors you saw on the last two red carpets. It was either very neutral pallet and had bigger colorful jewelry to it, or it was a very strong color that was always in the diamonds. Glamour and red carpet for Oscar always number one. Always going to be a lot of diamonds."

23. Large diamond flower pendant

24. Case with blue color Paraiba tourmaline

25. Close of bracelet and ring

26. Medium view of men's cuff links

27. Close of pearl and black diamond cuff links

28. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Katz/Jewelry designer, diamond expert on Oscar trends for men:

"Well, the men's jewelry has really become very popular the last three, four years especially. We didn't use to give the men the cuff-links and the studs. They either had their own or were always wearing something very funky or artistic. But in these last several years, it has become very popular. Johnny Depp for the last two award shows has asked me for my personal set of black diamond cufflinks and studs, he loves them. But they are my personal set and so they are not for sale."

AP Entertainment

FILE: Los Angeles, 29 January 2012

29. Fashion shot, Oscar nominee Viola Davis

30. Fashion shot, Oscar nominee Glenn Close

31. Fashion shot, Oscar nominee Octavia Spencer

32. Fashion shot, Oscar nominee Berenice Bejo

33. Fashion shot, Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy

HIGH NECKS AND HAIR PIECES: TRENDS FROM THE OSCARS' RED CARPET

Want to dress like a star? Simple. Just look at the red carpet from this year's Academy Awards.

"Oscars 2017, I think more than any other Oscars in recent memory really showcased trends that we can adapt into our own life," says Good Housekeeping style director, Lori Bergamotto.

The easiest trend: black dresses, worn by the likes of Salma Hayek, Kirsten Dunst, Alicia Vikander and Brie Larson.

"Just beautiful, says Bergamotto. " Well made, well fitted, just gorgeous black dresses in classic silhouettes that really hugged the curves in all the right places."

Another trend was red, which "celebrities avoid red at all costs, because they think the red carpet with the red dress, it's going to clash, it's not going to work."

Ruth Negga, Viola Davis and Ginnifer Goodwin all wore red and "we saw that could be bold and really beautiful on a red carpet," says Bergamotto.

"It is such a power color, women can wear it to a black tie affair and feel like they're standing out in a sea of maybe darker dresses and still look really feminine and really beautiful."

Hair pieces, like those worn by Negga, Janelle Monae and even Salma Hayek, can also be very effective.

"You don't just need to wear the dripping diamonds on your earlobes and your neck and your fingers, you can wear beautiful pieces in your hair and that really completes the look for you. It makes things really simple and it's like jewelry for your hair. I mean, what's not to like?"

Older women might want to try the high neck dress trend which Negga, Ginnifer Goodwin and Hailee Steinfeld brought to the red carpet.

"The thing I think is so beautiful about that is a couple of things. One, as women age they often start to feel self-conscious about their necks and so this is a really great way to hide that feature with something really beautiful. Because a lot of the high necks have embellishments, have lace detail. And this is a really beautiful way to highlight a very slim part of your body and feel proud about it."

Los Angeles, 26 February 2017

1. Wide shot Oscars red carpet

New York, 27 February 2017

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Bergamotto, Style Director of Good Housekeeping:

"Oscars 2017, I think more than any other Oscars in recent memory really showcased trends that we can adapt into our own life. Sometimes you see things that are so avant-garde that you think, 'Oh my God, where else could you wear that but the Oscars?' Not this year, because one of the biggest trends was black. Just beautiful, well made, well fitted, just gorgeous black dresses in classic silhouettes that really hugged the curves in all the right places."

Los Angeles, 26 February 2017

3. Medium shot Brie Larson posing for posing on Oscars red carpet

4. Pan down, Kirsten Dunst posing for photos on red carpet

5. Various shots of Salma Hayek posing for photos on red carpet

New York, 27 February 2017

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Bergamotto, Style Director of Good Housekeeping:

"Red carpets, often times we see celebrities avoid red at all costs because they think the red carpet with the red dress, it's going to clash, it's not going to work. But I think, again, last night, we saw that could be bold and really beautiful on a red carpet. It is such a power color that women can wear it to a black tie affair and feel like they're standing out in a sea of maybe darker dresses and still look really feminine and really beautiful."

Los Angeles, 26 February 2017

7. Wide, Viola Davis posing for photos on Oscars red carpet

8. Zoom in, Ginnifer Goodwin posing for photos on Oscars

New York, 27 February 2017

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Bergamotto, Style Director of Good Housekeeping:

"And I think that is another way that we regular women can take a cue from celebrities. You don't just need to wear the dripping diamonds on your earlobes and your neck and your fingers, you can wear beautiful pieces in your hair and that really completes the look for you. It makes things really simple and it's like jewelry for your hair. I mean, what's not to like?"

Los Angeles, 26 February 2017

10. Pan down Ruth Negga posing for photos on Oscars red carpet

11. Zoom in, Janelle Monae posing for photos on Oscars red carpet

New York, 27 February 2017

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Bergamotto, Style Director of Good Housekeeping:

"The high neck, the thing I think that's so beautiful about that is a couple of things. One, as women age they often start to feel self-conscious about their necks and so this is a really great way to hide that feature with something really beautiful because a lot of the high necks have embellishments, have lace detail. And this is a really beautiful way to highlight a very slim part of your body and feel sort of proud about it. Another thing that the high neck does, especially in a dress like Hailee Steinfeld's, is her high neck was cut on a bias, so you got to see her arms in this amazing way. The truth is, even if you don't have the best shoulders or the best arms - like 20-something Hailee Steinfeld does - because it is cut on an angle like that, it makes everybody's upper body look that much better."

Los Angeles, 26 February 2017

13. Various, Hailee Steinfeld posing for photos on Oscars red carpet

FASHION EXPERT: EMMA WATSON AND VIOLA DAVIS WON BOTH ON AND OFF THE RED CARPET

The 89th Academy Awards may be over but the fashion from Hollywood's biggest night is still a buzz.

'Good Housekeeping' style director, Lori Bergamotto picks her top three stars on the red carpet in Los Angeles Sunday night (26 February 2017).

"My choices for Best Dressed at this year's Oscars were Emma Stone, Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis. I thought these three women really dressed for the ages."

Emma Stone - who took home an Oscar for Best Actress in "La La Land" - chose an ornate gold, fringed dress.

"There was definitely an art deco vibe to what Emma Stone was wearing but I think on a certain level there was sort of a sartorial node to her role in 'La La Land' - it was all about LA and Hollywood and she was an actress and you really got that vibe from that beautiful, gold Givenchy gown. The embroidery, the fringe, it felt like something a performer would wear. It almost felt like the art deco, fancy version of an Oscar statuette itself," Bergamotto said.

Another winner both on - and off - the red carpet according to Bergamotto: Best Supporting Actress, Viola Davis.

"And for Viola Davis, I literally have never seen her look better. From head to toe, even when she got up there and accepted that award, the way that she gathered the train from that Armani Prive gown it was like she really carefully thought about each element of that dress. From the cutouts to the way her hair felt, her make-up. She just was stunning, not a misstep, not even one."

While she wasn't up for an Oscar, Taraji P. Henson has everyone talking today with her midnight blue, velvet Alberta Ferretti dress.

"If you take that dress and you look at it in isolation you might say 'that's a beautiful gown, meh' you know, no big whoop. But when you put that gown on Taraji P. Henson and her body and the way she works it and that attitude and 'Cookie' comes out, that dress really was one of the big winners of the night I think across the board. There were a lot of people, the fashion police did not all agree on a lot of the looks but I think Taraji, across the board, got rave reviews."

Not everyone was a winner. Bergamotto said while she loves Leslie Mann the actress, she wasn't thrilled with her chartreuse Zac Posen ball gown.

"Leslie Mann is also very petite and sometimes when a petite person wears a ball gown like that, it can overwhelm her. So I think that was the first issue with that dress, secondly the color, that is a really tough color to pull off especially with someone with her coloring, her skin tone and also her hair color. It was a lot of shades of yellow and it just, something seemed a little off, I heard somebody I think on Twitter say 'is she ill?' - and it does, it gives it that, there is like a palor to it that is maybe not her best look. She is so beautiful that you wanted her to wear something that showed off her amazing body and I don't know that that dress was the perfect one for her. You can love the actress, you can love their look and not like the dress and I think that's where I fall on Leslie Mann."

Bergamotto also didn't understand the high-fashion look of Dakota Johnson's champagne Gucci gown.

"You had a lot of fashion people on one side of the spectrum say 'high risk, high reward... that's how you do fash-ion' and then you had a bunch of people, critics in their own right, look at that and saying, 'what am I missing? There is some sort of Little House on the Prairie aspect that isn't really working with her very sexy, Dakota Johnson persona.' I think that the truth is, that dress, it looked like it was wearing her. I didn't really feel like it was the right moment, Dakota Johnson is young, she's got a hot body and she is really hot right now in the zeitgeist like she is a cultural phenomenon with '50 Shades' and that dress just felt like it flat-lined on her. It is a beautiful Gucci gown but I feel like that is something that reads really well on a runway, I don't know that it reads really well on a red carpet."

The men pushed the envelope, as well, with many thinking outside the classic, black tuxedo box. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Chris Evans and Best Director for "La La Land" winner, Damien Chazelle all chose a navy blue tuxedo.

++CLIENTS NOTE: AUDIO ON RED CARPET VIDEO AS INCOMING++

Los Angeles, 26 February 2017

1. Wide, Oscars red carpet

New York, 27 February 2017

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Bergamotto, Style Director of Good Housekeeping:

"My choices for Best Dressed at this year's Oscars were Emma Stone, Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis. I thought these three women really dressed for the ages."

Los Angeles, 26 February 2017

3. Pan down, then out Emma Stone posing for photos on Oscars red carpet

New York, 27 February 2017

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Bergamotto, Style Director of Good Housekeeping:

"There was definitely an art deco vibe to what Emma Stone was wearing but I think on a certain level there was sort of a sartorial nod to her role in 'La La Land' - it was all about LA and Hollywood and she was an actress and you really got that vibe from that beautiful, gold Givenchy gown. The embroidery, the fringe, it felt like something a performer would wear. It almost felt like the art deco, fancy version of an Oscar statuette itself."

Los Angeles, 26 February 2017

5. Wide, Viola Davis posing for photos on Oscars red carpet

New York, 27 February 2017

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Bergamotto, Style Director of Good Housekeeping:

"And for Viola Davis, I literally have never seen her look better. From head to toe, even when she got up there and accepted that award, the way that she gathered the train from that Armani Prive gown it was like she really carefully thought about each element of that dress. From the cutouts to the way her hair felt, her make-up. She just was stunning, not a misstep, not even one."

Los Angeles, 26 February 2017

7. Pan down, Taraji P. Henson posing for photos on Oscars red carpet

New York, 27 February 2017

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Bergamotto, Style Director of Good Housekeeping:

"It's so funny, the Taraji P. Henson phenomenon is amazing to me because I think if you take that dress, which was an Alberta Ferretti midnight blue, velvet dress - which is a huge trend that we are seeing in 2017, velvet. If you take that dress and you look at it in isolation you might say 'that's a beautiful gown, meh' you know, no big whoop. But when you put that gown on Taraji P. Henson and her body and the way she works it and that attitude and 'Cookie' comes out, that dress really was one of the big winners of the night, I think, across the board. There were a lot of people, the fashion police did not all agree on a lot of the looks but I think Taraji, across the board, got rave reviews."

Los Angeles, 26 February 2017

9. Pan down, Leslie Mann posing for photos on Oscars red carpet

New York, 27 February 2017

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Bergamotto, Style Director of Good Housekeeping:

"Leslie Mann, that dress was really a polarizing dress. It was a chartreuse Zac Posen and it had a really big, ball gown silhouette to it. Which I think, in and of itself, is tough to pull off. Leslie Mann is also very petite and sometimes when a petite person wears a ball gown like that, it can overwhelm her. So I think that was the first issue with that dress, secondly the color, that is a really tough color to pull off especially with someone with her coloring, her skin tone and also her hair color. It was a lot of shades of yellow and it just, something seemed a little off, I heard somebody I think on Twitter say 'is she ill?' - and it does, it gives it that, there is like a palor to it that is maybe not her best look. She is so beautiful that you wanted her to wear something that showed off her amazing body and I don't know that that dress was the perfect one for her. You can love the actress, you can love their look and not like the dress and I think that's where I fall on Leslie Mann."

Los Angeles, 26 February 2017

11. Zoom into Dakota Johnson posing for photos on Oscars red carpet

New York, 27 February 2017

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Lori Bergamotto, Style Director of Good Housekeeping:

"So Dakota Johnson was wearing Gucci, a champagne Gucci dress. And you had a lot of fashion people on one side of the spectrum say 'high risk, high reward... that's how you do fash-ion' and then you had a bunch of people, critics in their own right, look at that and saying, 'what am I missing? There is some sort of Little House on the Prairie aspect that isn't really working with her very sexy, Dakota Johnson persona.' I think that the truth is, that dress, it looked like it was wearing her. I didn't really feel like it was the right moment, Dakota Johnson is young, she's got a hot body and she is really hot right now in the zeitgeist like she is a cultural phenomenon with '50 Shades' and that dress just felt like it flat-lined on her. It is a beautiful Gucci gown but I feel like that is something that reads really well on a runway, I don't know that it reads really well on a red carpet."

Los Angeles, 26 February 2017

13. Pan out, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson posing for photos on Oscars red carpet

14. Zoom into Chris Evans posing for photos

15. Medium Damien Chazelle posing for photos on Oscars red carpet

OSCAR FASHION PREDICTIONS

Ever wonder where the journey begins for the fabulous Oscar gowns you see on the red carpet? Chances are the vintage or fresh-off-the runway couture was first discovered on the racks of Hollywood's number one fashion showroom, Starworks Group. The company's COO Alana Varel says Starworks will likely have a hand in dressing many of the starlets in the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories at Sunday's Academy Awards.

"At this point we would have been communicating with almost every single stylist leading up to the ceremony," said Varel. "This is really the big one, and so this is the time that they have thought about what the silhouette for their clients are going to look like. What their client is going to like to wear. What kind of colors, are they neutral, are they going to be jewel tones. So we have been working with them, whether we are going to be creating custom gowns for certain designers and presenters or whether they are going to be pulling from the showroom and simply come in and get the beautiful gowns that are here already that are one of a kind pieces most of the time anyway. So leading up to the awards all the work that goes into the back that you don't see until that one moment that you see the celebrity on the camera and on the red carpet."

The big reveal of who is wearing what is the most eagerly awaited moment in Hollywood since the Oscar's red carpet wrapped last February.

"So obviously I can't tell you exactly what the outcome is going to be," said Varel. "But I can definitely tell you that during the course of these months and this week, we are working with every single top stylist and the people that they are working with include Jessica Chastain, Rooney Mara, Meryl Streep, and many of the other nominees. So definitely expect to see many of our gowns on those girls."

Varel predicts black and white, jewel tones, liquid metal, mermaid and princes dresses will make a splash this year.

"So the classic silhouettes are obviously the mermaid silhouette that you see every year and it works on so many people and people always come back to it," Varel said. "So there is also the neutrals. And we have seen a lot of jewel tones, and you see people like Michelle Williams really embracing those jewel tones. You can expect to see that continued on the red carpet. There is also a really big trend with backless, sexy silhouettes. So someone that we anticipate someone continuing that trend into the Oscars is Halle Berry. She always wears that type of silhouette and obviously, it is a huge night so the embellishments and embroidery and all the work in addition to that. Of course, you have a couple of the out-of-the-box people that you really can't anticipate what they are going to wear."

The 84th annual Academy Awards is set for Sunday in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.

SHOTLIST (including transcript):-

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 9 February 2011

1. Wide exterior fashion showroom

2. Close of sign

3. Pan interior clothing in showroom

4. Wide top view of accessories in showroom

5. Bags on display

6. Woman holding clothes, stylist assistant pulling clothes for recording artist Fergie

7. Close of clothes

8. View of COO of Starworks Group, Alana Varel, walking through showroom

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Alana Varel, COO of Starworks Group, on how the showroom works with stylists to dress Oscar nominees:

"At this point we would have been communicating with almost every single stylist leading up to the ceremony. This is really the big one, and so this is the time that they have thought about what the silhouette for their clients are going to look like. What their client is going to like to wear. What kind of colors, are they neutral, are they going to be jewel tones. So we have been working with them, whether we are going to be creating custom gowns for certain designers and presenters or whether they are going to be pulling from the showroom and simply come in and get the beautiful gowns that are here already that are one of a kind pieces most of the time anyway. So leading up to the awards all the work that goes into the back that you don't see until that one moment that you see the celebrity on the camera and on the red carpet."

AP Entertainment

Beverly Hills, 15 January 2012

10. Fashion pan of Oscar nominee Rooney Mara

11. Fashion pan of Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 29 January 2012

12. Fashion shot, Oscar nominee Meryl Streep

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 9 February 2011

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Alana Varel, COO of Starworks Group:

"So obviously I can't tell you exactly what the outcome is going to be. But I can definitely tell you that during the course of these months and this week, we are working with every single top stylist and the people that they are working with include Jessica Chastain, Rooney Mara, Meryl Streep, and many of the other nominees. So definitely expect to see many of our gowns on those girls."

14. Pan of backless dress

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Alana Varel, COO of Starworks Group, on Oscar trends:

"So the classic silhouettes are obviously the mermaid silhouette that you see every year and it works on so many people and people always come back to it. So there is also the neutrals. And we have seen a lot of jewel tones, and you see people like Michelle Williams really embracing those jewel tones. You can expect to see that continued on the red carpet. There is also a really big trend with backless, sexy silhouettes. So someone that we anticipate someone continuing that trend into the Oscars is Halle Berry. She always wears that type of silhouette and obviously, it is a huge night so the embellishments and embroidery and all the work in addition to that. Of course, you have a couple of the out-of-the-box people that you really can't anticipate what they are going to wear."

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, File

16. Fashion pan of Halle Berry

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 29 January 2012

17. Fashion shot, Oscar nominee Michelle Williams

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, File

18. Fashion pan of Anne Hathaway in backless dress

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 9 February 2011

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Alana Varel, COO of Starworks Group, explaining the showroom:

"When we started Starworks, it was really a way to connect Hollywood and fashion. And it was at a time when that really didn't exist. A natural extension of that became our LA showroom. Which now really is probable one of the premier destinations for anyone who needs to dress for any awards ceremony or red carpet or even the day-to-day celebrities. So we have so many people that come through here and pull our amazing designers that include Vivienne Westwood and Monique Lhuillier, Roland Mouret, Julian McDonald, Amanda Wakeley and so on. So most of these designers you will see throughout the red carpet season everywhere."

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Alana Varel, COO of Starworks Group, on black and white trend:

"So here is the kinds of things we expect to see on the red carpet. This is a black and white trend that we have seen a lot. We saw Tina Fey wear it before. We saw Kate Winslet wear it before, and we anticipate Rooney Mara to continue her black trend. So it could be something that she wears. Going on to the jewel tones."

21. Pan of Vivienne Westwood silver dress

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Alana Varel, COO of Starworks Group, on neutral and liquid metal trend:

"So this dress is a Vivienne Westwood gown and it follows really the neutral trend that we expect to see throughout the red carpet and so people that you might expect to see wearing a gown like this are Charlize (Theron) and J-Lo (Jennifer Lopez), who normally wear pallets like this. Liquid metal, beautiful silver gown."

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 27 February 2011

23. Fashion shot, Penelope Cruz

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 9 February 2011

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Alana Varel, COO of Starworks Group:

"We just heard that Penelope Cruz was going to be a presenter and her stylist comes in here all the time to pull clothes. We could expect her to wear a body conscience silhouette and in a jewel tone, something like this by Roland Mouret."

25. Close of jewel tone Roland Mouret dress

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Alana Varel, COO of Starworks Group:

"You always see this beautiful princess silhouette that comes every Oscar. You never know who is going to wear it, but you can definitely make sure you are going to see it on the red carpet. Here is a really good example of that. It is a Monique Lhuillier gown. It's got the embellishment. It's got the beautiful full silhouette. It is shorter in the front, and longer in the back."

27.Pan of blue Monique Lhuillier dress

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 29 January 2012

28. Fashion shot, Oscar nominee Viola Davis

29. Fashion shot, Oscar nominee Glenn Close

30. Fashion shot, Oscar nominee Octavia Spencer

31. Fashion shot, Oscar nominee Berenice Bejo

32. Fashion shot, Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy

STARS ARRIVE FOR THE 86TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS

By mid-afternoon Sunday (2 MARCH 2014), the red carpet at the 86th annual Academy Awards was in full swing.

Actress Lupita Nyong'o, who went on to win Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of an abused slave in "12 Years a Slave," turned heads for her bold light blue gown.

"This is a Prada gown that was made for me," she said. "And I'm wearing Fred Layton jewelry. And it's a color -- I wanted to wear blue because blue reminds me of home -- of Nairobi. I grew up in classrooms with blue walls and things like that, so I just wanted to have a sense of home with me. And yeah, and also Champagne bubbles inspired this dress."

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, part of two films nominated for various awards -- "12 Years a Slave" and "August: Osage County" -- joked that he didn't even know where he was. When told this was the Oscars, he replied:

"Is it? Oh shit, I'm at the wrong party. I can't believe I sweared already. That's terrible. Or swore, even. I'm kind of overwhelmed, as all that sentence just said. It's amazing. It's amazing. I mean, I was on the phone to my mom. I can't take this ridiculous grin off my face. Whatever you want to throw at awards ceremonies, the Oscars are an extraordinary event to be at."

Cumberbatch also joked that his next dance off would feature the cast of "12 Years a Slave."

"They're all groovers, they're all groovers," he said. "They've got the rhythm. Yeah. And I love going non-verbal. There's a lot of this that goes on, which is lovely by the way, but it's always nice when you can switch it off and just dance. And I hope that we'll have something to celebrate. Fingers crossed. Many fingers crossed. Yeah."

Actor Jared Leto, who went on to win the first major category of the night, Best Supporting Actor, was grateful to be part of the party.

"It's wonderful to be here. I'm so proud. It's such a tremendous group of nominees. A very, very, very, very magical night. And I'm super-excited to be here," he said.

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 2 March 2014

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Lupita Nyong'o/Actress - on her dress: "This is a Prada gown that was made for me. And I'm wearing Fred Layton jewelry. And it's a color -- I wanted to wear blue because blue reminds me of home -- of Nairobi. I grew up in classrooms with blue walls and things like that, so I just wanted to have a sense of home with me. And yeah, and also Champagne bubbles inspired this dress."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Benedict Cumberbatch/Actor - on Oscars: "Is it? Oh shit, I'm at the wrong party. I can't believe I sweared already. That's terrible. Or swore, even. I'm kind of overwhelmed, as all that sentence just said. It's amazing. It's amazing. I mean, I was on the phone to my mom. I can't take this ridiculous grin off my face. Whatever you want to throw at awards ceremonies, the Oscars are an extraordinary event to be at."

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Benedict Cumberbatch/Actor - on dancing after show: "The entire cast of '12 Years A Slave.' They're all groovers, they're all groovers. They've got the rhythm. Yeah. And I love going non-verbal. There's a lot of this that goes on, which is lovely by the way, but it's always nice when you can switch it off and just dance. And I hope that we'll have something to celebrate. Fingers crossed. Many fingers crossed. Yeah."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Idina Menzel/Actor-Recording Artist, on 'Let It Go' success: "Yeah, it's such a gift to me. I had no idea. I knew it was a beautiful song but to see it evolve like that just exponentially everywhere. It's a beautiful thing. And it's what it means to people -- it's about liberating your soul and accepting yourself for who you are. And that's why it's so important to little kids."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) John Legend/Recording Artist - on Oscars: "I feel more like a visitor. All of these great actors and directors and filmmakers. And I'm just a lowly musician. But no it's exciting to be here. I'm a fan of a lot of these people here. And it's exciting to be here."

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Pharrell Williams/Recording Artist - on Oscars: "I'm happy, man. I really am. I appreciate this. I do. I know it's the people. They have to vote for the songs. They have to download the songs. Or even in certain cases upload videos or whatever. And the fact that they have, is just -- done so much for me and I'm ever so grateful."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) June Squibb/Actress - on Oscar nomination: "Well it feels great and I don't want to say fulfilled because I intend to keep working. But this is great to have happened. And no matter what happens, if it happens again this will still be the first time, and that's very exciting."

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Ethan Hawke/Actor-Writer - on Oscars: "For a movie like ours that came out in May that we made because we wanted to -- it's not a commercial endeavor -- this is a victory lap for us just to be here."

Julie Delpy/Actor-writer: "It's amazing. It's such an honor and we've worked on this together. It's true love - labor of love. And it's amazing that it gets recognized, you know."

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Spacey/Actor-Producer, on 'House of Cards' success: "Look, for us, it's an acknowledgement that what we're doing, we're doing all right. And people are enjoying it. I think it's an incredible experience for me as an actor to work with Beau Willimon and David Fincher and all of our cast. And to have an audience all over the world respond to it and be excited by it, particularly this new way to discover it, in which they're able to be in total control of how it's going to unveil to them -- binge-watching or however they want to watch it, it's very exciting."

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jared Leto/Actor - on Oscars: "It's wonderful to be here. I'm so proud. It's such a tremendous group of nominees. A very, very, very, very magical night. And I'm super-excited to be here."

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Paulson/Actress - on Oscars: "Me, I'm a person who has only ever been a fan -- has only ever watched this on my couch with a pint of ice cream and some burritos. So this is extraordinary. There's 'American Horror Story' fans screaming my name back there. That's a really exciting, fun time."

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Christoph Waltz/Actor, on Oscars: "You know, when you're nominated, you're nervous -- and so you should be. Today, I just take it in as a guest, so to say. It's very enjoyable."

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Naomi Watts/Actress - on fashion: "It's Calvin Klein collection, Francisco Costa. It was an easy pick. I just wanted to go clean and simple. And I'm a friend of Francisco and the brand for a long time, and Bulgari jewels."

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Naomi Watts/Actress - on advice: (Reporter: "As a nominee, what advice do you give to the newcomers? There's a lot of new nominees tonight?) "Enjoy it. Try to. You never completely do, because it's too scary. But yeah, it's a night to remember."

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Win Butler/Recording Artist (Arcade Fire), on bowtie: "Thank you. Some safety pins. If anyone needs any safety pins, just let me know. You never know if you're going to get a little tear in your dress."

English/Nat

With less than 48 hours to go before the start of the 71st Academy Awards ceremony, it seems like all of Hollywood is giddy with excitement.

But while the public mulls their picks for best film and actors, preparations at the site of the big event are still far from complete.

Nor have all the stars chosen what they'll be wearing for the biggest fashion show in the world.

These are the statues and this is the site where the intrigue of Sunday's 71st Oscars will unfold.

Winning a golden statuette has the potential to create a windfall of movie roles and a dramatic increase in an actor's market value.

And for the designers who dress the stars, the Academy Awards are the most closely watched fashion show in the world.

A designer who makes a splash on Oscar night could become the buzz of the fashion world the day after the show.

SOUNDBITE (English):

"It's the best publicity, it can make a name. And it will make a name if she wears a young new designer or new designer. It is awesome, the impact on fashion."

SUPERCAPTION: Fred Hayman, Fashion Designer

For jewellery, the dynamic is the same.

This year, the House of Harry Winston will bejewel 25 people involved in the awards - 10 of them nominees or presenters.

Winston staffers refuse to name names, but one of the stars will be wearing this 25 carat diamond ring valued in excess of one (M) million U-S dollars.

Another star will don this 350 carat diamond necklace that's valued at more than five (M) million dollars.

And where the stars go, tuxedoed security guards will follow.

The company markets the nominees' jewellery along the themes of the top films under consideration.

This year it's World War II and Elizabethan England - naturally they chose the latter.

SOUNDBITE (English):

"The necklace that we're seeing today is very reminiscent of the Elizabethan mode. When I look at it I immediately think of Queen Elizabeth. It's got over 300 carats of fancy intense yellow and white diamonds cascading in a waterfall down the neck and that was also the style that was used in the Shakespearean times."

SUPER CAPTION: Carol Brodie-Gelles, Spokeswoman, House of Harry Winston

Stepping back from the glitz and glamour reveals that construction of the red carpet area is still far from complete.

Flowers are still being placed along the perimeter of the arrivals zone while several Oscar statues remain under protective wraps.

Meanwhile, workmen are constructing a tarp over the arrivals area to protect the stars from possible rain.

It would not be the first time it's rained on Oscars night but it would certainly undermine the glamour of the big night.

Los Angeles, California, U-S, March 19 1999

1. Academy Awards site - Dorothy Chandler Pavilion - with Oscar statues in foreground

2. Oscar statue

3. Models

4. Model

5. Models and Oscar statues

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Fred Hayman, Oscar Awards Fashion Coordinator

7. Diamond ring

8. Diamond necklace

9. Model wearing necklace

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Carol Brodie-Gelles, Spokesperson, House of Harry Winston

11. Red carpet arrivals area under construction

12. Man carrying flowers walks by Oscar statue

13. Workmen constructing tarp over arrivals red carpet

14. Workmen pulling cables attached to tarp

15. Flowers brought down arrivals area

16. Engineer laying cables

17. Static of Oscar statue half-wrapped in plastic cover

OSCARS FASHION FORECAST EXPECTS LOTS OF BLING

The prestigious Academy Awards are popularly referred to by stylists and fashionistas as the Super Bowl of fashion. Clothing and jewelry designers anxiously await to see if the stars have stepped on to the red carpet wearing their goods.

When it comes to jewelry, in particular, it's like the frosting on the cake.

"The Oscars are a big moment for jewelry and especially for diamonds," said Forevermark Diamond expert Kristen Trustey. "So far this awards season at Golden Globes we saw a lot of trends including ear climbers and statement earrings in the form of chandelier earrings. The ear climber trend isn't going anywhere. That something that Kate Hudson wore at the Golden Globes. Also, I would say statement necklaces. Allison Williams wore an incredible 43-carat bib necklace to the Golden Globes which was incredible as well, so expect to see a lot more of those."

Jewelry designer Martin Katz has been working with stars on red carpets for over 25 years. Since the Oscars are possibly the most glamorous event of the year, he agrees celebrities usually gravitate toward diamonds.

"To me, sometimes there is more of a stylized fashionable statement that's made with color," said Katz.

Katz likes monochromatic or contrast to the clothes when it comes to picking bling. He said colored looks can appear younger and more relatable  "so that it doesn't look like they're borrowed."

"The process for choosing a piece for a particular celebrity has morphed over the years," explained Katz. "In the early days, through the 90s and even mid-2000s, we had a much more direct contact with the celebrity. They would come in personally, most of them, we would work together, choose things. Today it is morphed into the stylists, they control that."

Stylists can chose four or six different for each celebrity client. This can mean they've collected hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars worth of looks.

"When you are dealing with such high volume merchandise, security is part of the process," said Forevermark Diamond's Trustey. "Our diamonds are well protected from the time that stylists are visiting the suite to when we are doing drops to celebrities homes or hotels with armored trucks and guards and of course insurance. It's all part of the process."

Katz said on average most stars are wearing anywhere between a couple hundred thousand dollars to one million worth in jewelry alone. It's possible a star might wear a five million dollar diamond necklace, but as a rule he personally doesn't go over one million dollars in borrowed gems.

"At the Oscars, the biggest risk is that a piece of jewelry were to fall off a celebrity unnoticed," added Katz. "Maybe a bracelet becomes unhinged, falls on the red carpet, gets kicked. Or an earring falls off and get kicked and nobody notices. They don't notice until later it's gone. That's really the biggest risks for red carpet wearing and something that we hold our breaths until all the babies come home the next day."

The Forevermark Diamond jewelry expert remembers when Margot Robbie dyed her classic blonde hair dark brown, and wore an incredible classic diamond necklace to the 2014 Academy Awards.

"It was her first time there, it was right after '(The) Wolf of Wall Street' and she came out channeling old Hollywood glamour and she was wearing a 60- carat diamond Riviera necklace as well as a 14-carat ring and her overall look, I would say was about  $2.5 million," said Trustey.

Trustey also explained that Forevermark Diamonds customize jewelry for red carpets. Last year celebrity stylist Karla Welch designed a pair of diamond ear dusters for Sarah Paulson and recently for Elisabeth Moss when she won her Emmy. Once the jewels are returned, the jeweler can attempt to sell them as is, or more commonly they are taken apart and repurposed to make other pieces.

The days of collecting extravagant diamond jewelry the way the late Elizabeth Taylor did might be over according to Katz.  

"I used to have a lot of celebrity clients, but over the years what has happened with celebrity as an advertisement- they are gifted at so many things, they are loaned so many things, they virtually have no need to buy anything," said Katz.

While stars get to borrow fancy gowns and expensive jewelry for free the fashion designers and jewelers are reap their own rewards. Celebrity branding has become a huge business for companies. Aside from the customary red carpet coverage, and magazine pictures, stars are also bringing attention to their worn products on their social media accounts.

A celebrity's reach on social media can bring in  millions of views. For example, Selena Gomez has 133 million followers on Instagram. In some cases celebrities are paid to don a designer's jewels.   

But not Katz -  he doesn't pay.

"We've jeweled probably at least 1,000 celebrities in Hollywood over the years. And we are very proud of the ones we've worked with and we are very proud of the fact that in all those years we've never paid a single one of them to wear our jewelry, they did it because they like my brand or the like the jewelry I'm offering."

Katz explained it's a cost of advertisement these days for many large jewelry brands. He said it doesn't make sense for him to pay stars to wear his jewels because he's a smaller independent jeweler as opposed to other brands that might have stores located all over the world.

Forevermark Diamond expert Trustey declined to comment whether her company pays stars to wear their jewels on the red carpet but did emphasize that all of their diamonds are "responsibly sourced as part of the De Beers Group, which gives back to their diamond producing communities."

The 90th annual Academy Awards takes place on Sunday, 4 March 2018 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

File: Los Angeles, 26 February 2012

1. Fashion shot, Angelina Jolie at the 2012 84th Academy Awards

2. Fashion shot, Michelle Williams at the 2012 84th Academy Awards

File: Beverly Hills, Calif., 7 January 2018

3. Angelina Jolie poses for photographers in Forevermark Diamond earrings at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards with her son Pax

Los Angeles, 14 February 2018

4. Close-up of Forevermark Diamond earrings worn by Angelina Jolie at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Kristen Trustey/Forevermark Diamonds expert, on jewelry trends for the upcoming Oscars:

"The Oscars are a big moment for jewelry and especially for diamonds. So far this awards season at Golden Globes we saw a lot of trends including ear climbers and statement earrings in the form of chandelier earrings. The ear climber trend isn't going anywhere. That something that Kate Hudson wore at the Golden Globes. Also, I would say statement necklaces. Allison Williams wore an incredible 43-carat bib necklace to the Golden Globes which was incredible as well, so expect to see a lot more of those."

File: Beverly Hills, Calif. 7 January 2018

6. Still image (photo by Jordan Strauss): Allison Williams wears 43-carat bib Forevermark diamond necklace to the 2018 75th Golden Globe Awards

7. Video: Fashion shot, Kate Hudson wears Forevermark diamond ear climber earrings to the 2018 Golden Globe Awards

Los Angeles, 14 February 2018

8. Close-up of Forevermark Diamond ear climber earrings worn by Kate Hudson at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards

Beverly Hills, Calif., 13 February 2018

9. Wide of Martin Katz jewelry on display

10. Close-up of Martin Katz yellow and white diamond earrings

11. Close-up of Martin Katz gold bracelet and matching yellow ring

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Katz/Jewelry designer, diamond expert on Oscars trends:

"There is glamour to the diamonds that can never – nothing can take its place, the glamour of white diamonds, but to me, sometimes there is more of a stylized fashionable statement that's made with color."

13. Close-up of Martin Katz yellow ring and matching earrings

14. Close-up of Martin Katz turquoise blue and diamond ring and earring set

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Katz/Jewelry designer, on how celebrities chose their Oscars jewelry in 2018:

"The process for choosing a piece for a particular celebrity has morphed over the years. In the early days, through the 90s and even mid-2000s, we had a much more direct contact with the celebrity. They would come in personally, most of them, we would work together, choose things. Today it is morphed into the stylists, they control that."

Los Angeles, 14 February 2018

16. Wide of Forevermark Diamond jewelry displayed

17. Close-up of Forevermark Diamond rings

18. Close-up of Forevermark Diamond chandelier earrings

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Kristen Trustey/Forevermark Diamonds expert, on jewelry security:

"When you are dealing with such high volume merchandise, security is part of the process. Our diamonds are well protected from the time that stylists are visiting the suite to when we are doing drops to celebrities homes or hotels with armored trucks and guards and of course insurance. It's all part of the process."

Beverly Hills, Calif., 13 February 2018

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Katz/Jewelry designer, on jewelry security:

"At the Oscars, the biggest risk is that a piece of jewelry were to fall off a celebrity unnoticed. Maybe a bracelet becomes unhinged, falls on the red carpet, gets kicked. Or an earring falls off and gets kicked and nobody notices. They don't notice until later it's gone. That's really the biggest risks for red carpet wearing and something that we hold our breaths until all the babies come home the next day."

21. Close-up of Martin Katz pink and white diamond bracelet

22. Close-up of Martin Katz diamond chandelier earrings

Los Angeles, 14 February 2018

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Kristen Trustey/Forevermark Diamonds expert, on one of their most expensive looks worn on a red carpet:

"One of the most major Forevermark red carpet looks I can remember is Margot Robbie at the 2014 Oscars. It was her first time there, it was right after '(The) Wolf of Wall Street' and she came out channeling old Hollywood glamour and she was wearing a 60-carat diamond Riviera necklace as well as a 14-carat ring and her overall look, I would say was about $2.5 million (USD)."

File: Los Angeles, 2 March 2014

24. Still image (Photo by/Dan Steinberg): Margot Robbie in a 60-carat diamond Riviera necklace by Forevermark Diamonds at the 86th Academy Awards

Beverly Hills, Calif., 13 February 2018

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Katz/Jewelry designer, on celebrities purchasing jewelry after they've borrowed it:

"I used to have a lot of celebrity clients, but over the years what has happened with celebrity as an advertisement- they are gifted at so many things, they are loaned so many things, they virtually have no need to buy anything."

File: Los Angeles, 2 March 2014

26. Still image (photo by/Jordan Strauss): Salma Hayek wears Martin Katz earrings to the 75th Golden Globe Awards

File: Los Angeles, 20 September 2015

27. Still image (photo by/Danny Moloshok): Emma Roberts wears Martin Katz jewelry to the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards

File: Los Angeles, 25 March 2001

28. Still image (photo by/Michael Caulfield): Angelina Jolie wears Martin Katz jewelry to the 73rd Academy Awards

Beverly Hills, Calif., 13 February 2018

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Katz/Jewelry designer, on not paying celebrities to wear his jewelry to red carpets:

"And today, like I said we've jeweled probably at least 1,000 celebrities in Hollywood over the years. And we are very proud of the ones we've worked with and we are very proud of the fact that in all those years we've never paid a single one of them to wear our jewelry, they did it because they like my brand or the like the jewelry I'm offering."

File: Los Angeles, 1 November 2007

30. Still image (photo by/Dan Steinberg): Kate Winslet wears Martin Katz jewelry to the BAFTA Britannia Awards

File: Los Angeles, 1 November 2007

31. Still image (photo by/Jordan Strauss): Helen Hunt wears Martin Katz jewelry to the 4th Annual Governor's Awards

File: Los Angeles, 26 February 2012

32. Fashion shot, Penelope Cruz at the 2012 Academy Awards

SHOTLIST:

1. Mid shot Oscar statues carried along in procession

2. Close-up, man walks by with Oscar statue

3. Pan down from poster to various of Oscars procession

4. Close up man holding Oscar

5. Back view procession

6. Tilt down from front of Kodak Theatre to large Oscars statue

7. Close-up Oscar statue in front of theatre

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Maurice Griffin, film student:

"It's an amazing experience. It feels like we are holding on to our dreams, especially in the midst of the Dream Girls era. I feel like a dream boy myself. It is like I am holding on to like my dream literally, you know hopefully in the future all of us will be able to win our own Oscars award."

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ivan Rubio, film student:

"It's great, I came here when I was five-years old from another country. To stand here, like, I would have never dreamed it."

10. Various woman tearing off plastic cover and unveiling number 79 (for 79th Academy Awards)

11. Pan down statue to woman

12. Wide of theatre

13. Close up sign reading "The Oscars"

14. Wide Hollywood road sign

15. Mid shot man takes photo, tilt up to Oscars statue

16. Mid shot tourists

17. SOUNDBITE: (English) John Neville, British tourist:

"It is a bit little freaky, if that is a term. We come from Las Vegas... we began in Las Vegas for a couple of days, we just come back to Los Angeles for a couple of days. And pity we are not here another night, it would have been quite fun."

18. Various media at site

19. Wide of theatre

20. Cutaway Oscar statues in front of theatre

STORYLINE:

The countdown has well and truly begun in Hollywood for Sunday's 79th Academy Awards.

On Saturday, residents and tourists alike looked on as the iconic Oscar statutes arrived at the venue for the awards ceremony.

The much coveted golden statues got their own special walk down the red carpet as Hollywood prepares for the big event.

50 students from Inner-City Filmmakers (ICF), a training and film industry job development programme, carried the Oscar statuettes of the 79th Academy Awards to the Kodak Theatre.

The Oscars will be kept backstage overnight under heavy security, until they are presented at the awards on Sunday.

One of the fifty young people who took part, film student Maurice Griffin told Associated Press TV "It is like I am holding on to like my dream literally, you know hopefully in the future all of us will be able to win our own Oscars award."

For Ivan Rubio, meanwhile it had been an experience he would have never believed possible.

"It's great, I came here when I was five-years old from another country. To stand here, like, I would have never dreamed it" he said.

This year, there is no clear winner in the best-picture category, and organisers are hoping that a classic Hollywood cliffhanger will keep TV audiences tuned in right up to the finale.

Hollywood's biggest party has lost some of its lustre for television viewers at home over the last decade, with TV ratings on a general

decline.

Critics lay the blame on the judging panel, which has often picked smaller movies in key Oscar categories, that have been seen by less people.

This means, the critics maintain, that television viewers are less involved in the outcome.

Tourists are still keen however to get a glimpse of the action and on Saturday they were rubbing shoulders with media crews from around the world.

John Neville, a British visitor, said he would have liked to spend another night in Los Angeles in order to see the stars.

He said: "Pity we are not here another night, it would have been quite fun."

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide exterior ABC-Good Morning America studio in Times Square, ticker reads: "The Oscars hosted by Ellen DeGeneris"

2. Pull out from flyer being distributed on Broadway, reads: "Meet the Oscars - 50 Oscars on display"

3. Pull out from close up of screen on digital camera as woman takes photos of Oscars in window

4. Pull out from man taking photos of Oscars through window using mobile phone

5. Close up tilt down Oscar statuette after it has received its final coat of gold plating

6. Pull out from face of gold Oscar to show the five stages of Oscar production

7. Medium pan from people taking photos of Oscars to 50 Oscars in case

8. Medium of woman holding Oscar

9. Close up of woman taking photo

10. Medium shot woman holding Oscar. UPSOUND: (English) Terry Labonte, Canadian tourist

"I'd like to thank my mother and my father!"

11. Pull out from boy taking photo to wide of Barbie Markey, tourist from London, UK, holding Oscar

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Barbie Markey, British tourist

"It felt amazing! We can't believe that you can just walk down the street in Times Square and you come across things like this! And you can actually hold Oscars! So it's great!"

13. Wide pan of people lined up to hold Oscar statuette

14. Pull out from face of giant Oscar statue to reveal movie posters

15. Wide shot Robert Osborne, film critic and author, being interviewed next to Oscar

16. SOUNDBITE: (English) Robert Osborne, film critic and author

"This fellow is Oscar. And that nickname came around 1934. Up until that time he was always referred to just as the gold statuette of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and there were three people that claimed that they nicknamed it 'Oscar.' One was Bette Davis, and she claimed that she named it 'Oscar' because he looked - it's a statue of a nude warrior holding a sword standing on a reel of film - and she said that it looked just like her husband when he stepped out of the shower with no clothes on, and his name was Oscar."

17. Pull out from Oscars won by Bette Davis and Clark Gable

18. Medium shot Oscars in case

19. Wide shot Oscars in case

STORYLINE:

For the first time in the history of the Oscars, Oscar got off his pedestal and met the other half - the regular fans who adore him and his history.

Film stars and directors long to hold him but also, so it seems, does everyone else.

At "Meet the Oscars" in ABC's Times Square studio, 50 of the famous statuettes were on display and one was available to pose with for photos.

Surprised tourists and New Yorkers alike stopped to snap photos of what is one of the most desired little men in the world.

The gold statuettes are handmade in Chicago, Illinois, at R.S. Owen & Company.

Before receiving their 24 carat gold plating, Oscar, made of an alloy called britannia, is coated with copper, nickel and silver.

Each Oscar stands 13.5 inches (34.3 centimetres) tall and weighs almost nine pounds (four kilograms).

"I'd like to thank my mother and my father!" said Terry Labonte, a tourist from Ottawa, Canada, who stepped up to hold one of the statuettes as onlookers laughed.

Barbie Markey, visiting New York from London, said she couldn't believe it when she saw leaflets inviting people into the studio.

"It felt amazing!" she said. "We can't believe that you can just walk down the street in Times Square and you come across things like this! And you can actually hold Oscars! So it's great!"

Robert Osborne, film critic, author and self-confessed "Oscar junkie" said there were three different stories about how the statuette got the name "Oscar."

Osbourne recalled one version, referring to film star Bette Davis.

"She claimed that she named it "Oscar" because he looked - it's a statue of a nude warrior holding a sword standing on a reel of film - and she said that it looked just like her husband when he stepped out of the shower with no clothes on, and his name was Oscar."

Also on hand were the 1934 Oscar that went to Clark Gable for "It Happened One Night" and the 1938 Oscar that Bette Davis won for "Jezebel."

The Oscars on display in New York will not be awarded on February 25, 2007.

Those Oscars are on display in Los Angeles.

The ones visiting New York will be engraved and awarded in 2008 or at a later date.

SHOTLIST

1. Oscar statue carried to place

2. WS venue front

3. MS crane at venue front

4. MS H Stern diamond collection

5. CU necklace

6. CU necklace

7. H Stern 'Red Carpet Collection' necklace (500-thousand US dollars)

8. SOT: (English) Joan Parker, Director Diamond Information Center, on the Red Carpet Diamond Collection "For all the pieces in there - each one that is going to be worn by someone on the red carpet, ten thousand dollars will be donated by the jeweller to AMFAR and H Stern has a piece that has the largest diamond of all of them in the collection - it's a 23-carat radiant cut diamond, the piece is worth around 500-thousand dollars and if someone has that on on Sunday night - 10-thousand dollars will go to AMFAR."

9. Various: Stuart Weitzman and his million dollar shoes

10. SOT: (English) Stuart Weitzman 'This shoe is a bargain! Now I know - I can see you raised your eyebrows to me - but you know that you can take the diamonds off the shoe and you make a double-banded fabulous bracelet. The top part makes a necklace, these little drops here - depending upon how hip you are can either be a navel ring or earrings - and then you can still wear the platinum shoe!"

11. Push into gems at Mary Magdalena Gem Cosmetics

12 Pull from pots of cosmetics

13 cu costmetic pot

14 cu logo

15. SOT: (English) Mary Magdalena "Well, what I have here is the most precious cosmetic line in the world because it's made of precious gemstone and it's very precious for the skin so there's amethysts, diamonds, rubies, jade, all of those gemstones are in the colour powders and the powders you can use for your lips, your eyes, your nails and your cheeks and it's very good for the skin.

16. Wide shot Timmy Woods handbags (carved out of wood)

17. CU USA flag handbag

18. Push to panda handbag

19. SOT: (English) Timmy Woods, Designer "Well, I think that accessories are really important and the emphasis is usually put on the clothing it's not put on the accessories and this is the year of the accessory. So therefore, let's get ourselves out there - let's show that we make wonderful things and let's get the women wearing them."

20. WS woman being made up at MAC salon

21 CU make up artist brushing face

22 CU eye

23. Pan off counter to woman being made up

24. Pan off sign Vidal Sassoon to woman having hair styled

25. CU woman having hair styled

26.WS woman making Oscar Cocktail

27. Cocktail being poured

28. C/a bottles

29 Woman picking up drink

30 Set-up shot, Donald Wressell in Four Seasons pastry kitchen

31. CU Wressell

32. Cu Oscar treat

33 Wressell dressing Oscar treat

34 pan to CU dressing treat

35. SOT: (English) Donald Wressell "What's good about the Four Seasons here in LA is I'm able to do all kinds of things that just really tap into my inspiration and skills and I can do many, many, many things for our guests - our guests are quite special and quite demanding - so I'm able to be pushed a little bit by them to be able to create new things."

36. VS annual chocolate sculpture homage to best picture oscar nominees

HOLLYWOOD GRIPPED BY SPENDING FRENZY FOR OSCARS

The countdown is on and Tinseltown is spending millions of dollars sprucing itself up in every way imaginable.

With a global TV audience of around one billion it pays to dress to impress if you intend to grace the Academy Award's legendary red carpet.

Across town from the Oscars venue, in the shopping nirvana of Beverly Hills, designers of every ilk are renting out suites in the some of the swankiest hotels to hawk their wares.

You won't find the man on the street here, though - as these items are the necklaces, shoes, handbags, dresses and make-up that will be shimmer and shine on the red carpet on Oscar day.

This week is hectic for The Diamond Information Centre. They have been co-ordinating with designers around the world for the creation of a 'Red Carpet Collection.'

Among the designers who are hoping to have their goods seen are H Stern - who have created, necklaces that start at several thousand and quickly zoom into the millions - including one with a 23-carat diamond center piece, valued at 500 thousand dollars.

But it isn't all about glamour. If a celebrity wears it on the big day - H Stern will make a 10-thousand dollar donation to amFAR - the American Foundation for AIDS research.

Down the hall designer Stuart Weitzman is showing off his million dollar shoes. Weitzman dreamt up the idea after last year's Oscar ceremony and has made them a reality this year.

They are made of platinum and diamond - but aren't just for strutting around on the red carpet. The diamond decoration can be taken off and worn as jewellery as well.

Most celebrities borrow the glamorous jewels for the big day. But all the designers agree - if you'd like to buy your favourite piece afterwards, that's no problem.

It is unlikely any star will arrive for the Academy Awards without their most glamorous face on and designer Maria Magdalena is hoping celebs will try out her new line of couture gem cosmetics.

Magdalena, who is based in Holland, was a student of Chinese medicine when she discovered that Chinese Empresses used to crush pearls and diamonds into their make-up.

She went on to develop a full line of cosmetics which she says harmonises the ancient power of the earth with high tech skin care.

Among the gems she uses for her lip, eye and skin lotions and potions are rubies, diamonds, amethyst, jade and aquamarine.

No outfit would be complete without a handbag and designer Timmy Woods is hoping to fill that gap with her wooden and hand-painted hand bags, starting at 200 dollars.

Downstairs Mac make-up artists are busy at work dolling up everyone from reporters to celebrities. They then only need to cross the room to get a new coif from Vidal Sassoon's elite team of hair stylists. The average cost of a Oscar hairdo is a hair-raising 7 thousand dollars.

Once you're all dolled up - it's back upstairs for a cocktail at Bacardi's O room - in case you're wondering - that's O for Orange.

They've had a special cocktail designed for the big week, and hope it will make a big enough splash to tempt punters all year round.

A couple of blocks away The Beverly Hills Four Seasons has their pastry chef Donald Wressell working overtime in order to give each guest an Oscar-themed chocolate treat.

And to top off the whole experience, guests can get an eyeful on Wressell's annual chocolate homage to the five nominees for best picture.

T/I: 10:29:49

9811

Oscars Fashion / March 6th / Los Angeles / ENT 1

Fred Hayman dresses the stars on Oscars night

With Oscar night a mere two weeks away, the great and the good of Tinseltown are busying themselves for the most prestigious night of the year. To help them look a million dollars come March 24th, one of Hollywood's most trusted fashion experts, Fred Hayman, comes to the rescue of the nervy stars. The fashion veteran runs the exclusive Fred Hayman Beverly Hills store situated in a prime location on the corner of Rodeo Drive. The boutique has become an international magnet for celebrities throughout the year, but during February and March the place is a mad house. For the past ten years Hayman has been acting as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Specialist Fashion Co-Ordinator for the Oscar

Awards Ceremony. On Friday, a special preview Oscars fashion show took place at A.M.P.A.S. where Hayman was Emcee. On show, was a selection of exquisite haute couture clothes supplied on loan by some of the world's most gifted designers. American designers such as Bill Blass, Tommy Hilfiger and Donna Karan were on display along with European creations from John Galliano, GianFranco Ferre, Paco Rabanne and Giorgio Armani - all hoping to jump on the publicity bonanza surrounding the Oscars.

SHOWS:

EXT. OF ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURES, ARTS AND SCIENCES AND ZOOM INTO SIGN; GV OF OSCAR STATUE INSIDE BHILDING; PAN BACKSTAGE OF MODEL GETTING READY FOR FASHION SHOW; FRED HAYMAN EMCEE'S SHOW OPEING WITH JOHN GALLIANO DRESS; B ROLL AT RECEPTION WITH FRED HAYMAN; INTERVIEW FRED HAYMAN; MORE OSCAR DRESSES; INTERVIEW FRED HAYMAN; FINALE WITH ALL MODEL ON CATWALK.

SHOTLIST

Associated Press Television

Los Angeles 25 February 2007

1. Wide red carpet tilt down mini Oscar

2. Close-up gold Oscar tilt down

3. Medium Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard

4. Wide Jessica Biel

5. Medium Rachel Weisz tilt up

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rachel Weisz: "I thought it was very romantic. It is kind of a czarina dress. I think she is running away from the Bolsheviks and she had sown her jewels into her hand."

7. Medium Nicole Kidman

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mary Alice Stephenson/ Fashion Expert: "There was a lot of exciting trends on the red carpet tonight. A lot of strapless gowns. I thought Rachel Weisz looked stunning her Vera Wang strapless gown. A lot of light colors, for example tonight we are seeing Kate Winslet in Valentino in a sea foam green draped chiffon dress. She looked like a goddess, she got it right. Bravo to Kate Winslet. Metallics are another big trend on the red carpet, Cate Blanchett in her Armani Prive to die for. The girls are getting it right."

9. Medium Cate Blanchett tilt down

10. Medium Celine Dion

11. Medium Gwyneth Paltrow

12. Medium Helen Mirren

13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Helen Mirren: "I didn't so much choose it. In a way it chose me. It wasn't like I looked at a whole load of dresses I just decided to work with LaCroix who is so incredibly generous, gave up so much time and sent people to fit me. It was an extraordinary experience. Just getting the dress was one of the most amazing experiences of my life."

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Beyonce: "I love this dress because it was very classic and timeless. It is very classic and timeless. I love the color. It is young and sexy but still it is appropriate for the Oscars. It is timeless. It was very difficult. It is Armani. He designed a couple of dresses for me. It was had to choose but I am very happy."

15. Wide Beyonce

16. Close-up Kate Winslet

17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mary Alice Stephenson/ Fashion Expert: "On the other hand, Jennifer Hudson just didn't do it for me tonight. It was her big night, I am sorry to see the python Valera just didn't work for me. Oscar de la Renta is a star. He is a star on the red carpet. He is one of our most important designers in the world. Somehow this just didn't look good."

18. Medium Jennifer Hudson

19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mary Alice Stephenson/ Fashion Expert: "Cameron Diaz was wearing Valentino. Didn't quite like Cameron's dress but I loved the Cartier jewels and I love the clutch but the dress wasn't my favorite."

20. Medium Cameron Diaz

21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mary Alice Stephenson/ Fashion Expert: "The guys are classic, cool, clean cut, most of them are in simple tuxedos. Big news on the red carpet is the Armani coup. Mr. Armani had outfitted pretty much every star tonight. From George Clooney to Leonardo Di Caprio to Mark Wahlberg and on and on and on. It is a big night for Giorgio Armani on the red carpet and he is here as well."

22. Close up Giorgio Armani

23. SOUNDBITE (english) Giorgio Armani:

"..Yes it was the first time. It was even risky because I didn't want to take out any attention from the Oscars ..."

24. Medium Mark Wahlberg

OSCAR FASHION

Almost as important as who takes home those coveted gold statues at the Academy Awards, is what the celebrities are wearing.

The common complaint about Oscar fashion choices of the past few years is that stars played it too safe. Not so this year.

Fashion expert Mary Alice Stephenson says overall she is impressed with the star attire on this year's Oscars red carpet.

"There was a lot of exciting trends on the red carpet tonight," Stephenson told Associated Press Television. "A lot of strapless gowns. I thought Rachel Weisz looked stunning her Vera Wang strapless gown. A lot of light colors, for example tonight we are seeing Kate Winslet in Valentino in a sea foam green draped chiffon dress. She looked like a goddess, she got it right. Bravo to Kate Winslet. Metallics are another big trend on the red carpet, Cate Blanchett in her Armani Prive to die for. The girls are getting it right."

Helen Mirren shined in her metallic silver dress.

"I didn't so much choose it. In a way it chose me. It wasn't like I looked at a whole load of dresses I just decided to work with LaCroix who is so incredibly generous, gave up so much time and sent people to fit me. It was an extraordinary experience. Just getting the dress was one of the most amazing experiences of my life."

Silver may have been the color of the night as nominee Cate Blanchett also opted for a skin tight silver Armani sequined design.

Beyonce also wore Armani. "I love this dress because it was very classic and timeless," Beyonce said. "It is very classic and timeless. I love the color. It is young and sexy but still it is appropriate for the Oscars. It is timeless. It was very difficult. It is Armani. He designed a couple of dresses for me. It was had to choose but I am very happy."

While Beyonce got it right, her 'Dreamgirls' costar Jennifer Hudson got it wrong.

"On the other hand, Jennifer Hudson just didn't do it for me tonight," Stephenson says. "It was her big night, I am sorry to see the python Valera just didn't work for me. Oscar de la Renta is a star. He is a star on the red carpet. He is one of our most important designers in the world. Somehow this just didn't look good."

Of course attention went to the ladies, but one man stole the show: designer Giorgio Armani.

"The guys are classic, cool, clean cut, most of them are in simple tuxedos," Stephenson says. "Big news on the red carpet is the Armani coup. Mr. Armani had outfitted pretty much every star tonight. From George Clooney to Leonardo Di Caprio to Mark Wahlberg and on and on and on. It is a big night for Giorgio Armani on the red carpet and he is here as well."

DIFFERENT OSCAR CONTENDERS HAVE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO OSCAR DAY

All this year's Oscar contenders are basking in the glow of their nominations, but in the run-up to the big day, but they're taking different approaches.

Willem Dafoe, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for critically-acclaimed drama "The Florida Project," is keeping busy.

"I really enjoyed promoting the movie and I'm very thankful for the recognition but also, I realized that I've got to get back to work, so I've started working.  And I worked until Christmas and I'm starting something new, so, I'm happy to have that as a kind of balance," says Dafoe, who has been nominated twice before this year, for "Platoon" in 1986 and "Shadow of the Vampire" in 2000.  

He says he doesn't have any superstitions, but admits, "I'm bringing my wife to the ceremony - she's my good luck charm."

Raphael Saadiq has a nomination for Best Original Song for "Mighty River" from the film "Mudbound," which he shares with co-writers Mary J. Blige and Taura Stinson.

"You know, I'm just going to just keep eating, eating great food all the way up to March 4th, working out, running, working on my new album that I've been working on for six years," says the singer-songwriter and record producer.  "I was talking to Eddie Murphy, which is a really good friend of mine, and he was like, 'You've never seen showbiz yet, until you've seen it at the Oscars.'"

Writer-director Dee Rees is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for "Mudbound," which she co-wrote with Virgil Williams.

"I'm not doing anything, but just trying to really enjoy the moment, like, celebrating with (fellow "Mudbound" nominees) Mary J. Blige, celebrating with Rachel Morrison, with Virgil Williams, so just celebrating with, you know, we who, you know, slaved and got here and just really just kind of enjoy the moment, and just figure out how to use all this energy and invest it into the next work."

Justin Paul, who has an Oscar nod for Best Original Song for "This is Me" from "The Greatest Showman," is also celebrating the moment.

"There's something to be said for marking the moment and something to be said for really making sure there's a little bit of breathing room in a day like the Oscars day, or that week even, to sort of be with friends and family and really ,like, take it in for the huge celebration of our artistry that it is."

Rachel Morrison, who's nominated for Best Cinematography for "Mudbound," has a few basic decisions to make before the big day.

"I have no idea what I'm going to wear to the Oscars.  You know, this is where men have it so easy - they get to, like, you know, tuxes and nice shoes and they're ready to go.  If I could come in, like, pajamas I would, so I'm still working through that.  I have no idea."

Daniela Vega, the star of the Chilean entry for Best Foreign Language Film, "A Fantastic Woman," is also undecided about what to wear.

"OK, it's a surprise and I hope to not disappoint you.  But, well, we are working on it and trying to do the best, so wait," she smiles.

The 90th Academy Awards ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 4, 2018.

Beverly Hills, California, 5 February 2018

1. Wide shot; zoom director-screenwriter Dee Rees poses for photographers, with tilt town

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Dee Rees, Oscar Nominee, Best Adapted Screenplay, "Mudbound" - on handling the period between now and Oscar day:

"I'm not doing anything, but just trying to really enjoy the moment, like, celebrating with (fellow "Mudbound" nominees) Mary J. Blige, celebrating with Rachel Morrison, with Virgil Williams, so just celebrating with, you know, we who, you know, slaved and got here and just really just kind of enjoy the moment, and figure out how to use all this energy and invest it into the next work. Like, this is useful only to the extent that it helps make the next work easier to kind of bring together."

3. Wide shot zoom to medium, songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Peck pose for photographers

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Justin Paul, Oscar Nominee, Best Original Song, "This is Me" from "The Greatest Showman":

"There's something to be said for marking the moment and something to be said for really making sure there's a little bit of breathing room in a day like the Oscars day, or that week even, to sort of be with friends and family and really, like, take it in for the huge celebration of our artistry that it is."

5. Medium shot; pull-out to wide cinematographer Rachel Morrison poses for photographers

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rachel Morrison, Oscar Nominee, Best Cinematography, "Mudbound":

"I have no idea what I'm going to wear to the Oscars. You know, this is where men have it so easy - they get to, like, you know, tuxes and nice shoes and they're ready to go. If I could come in, like, pajamas I would, so I'm still working through that. I have no idea."

7. Wide shot zoom to medium, Sebastian Lelio and Daniela Vega, director and star of the Chilean entry for Best Foreign Language Film, "A Fantastic Woman"

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Daniela Vega, actress, "A Fantastic Woman," on what she'll be wearing at the Oscars:

"OK, it's a surprise and I hope to not disappoint you. But, well, we are working on it and trying to do the best, so wait. Wait for that moment."

9. Medium shot; pull-out to wide actor Willem Dafoe poses for photographers

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Willem Dafoe, Oscar Nominee, Supporting Actor, "The Florida Project":

"I'll tell you, I'm all in on this. I've really enjoyed promoting the movie and I'm very thankful for the recognition but, also, I realized that I've got to get back to work, so I've started working. And I worked until Christmas and I'm starting something new, so, I'm happy to have that as a kind of balance. As far as the actual events. Superstitions? I'm bringing my wife to the ceremony - she's my good luck charm."

11. Wide shot with zoom to medium songwriter/recording artist Raphael Saadiq and poet/athlete Kobe Bryant posing for photographers

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Raphael Saadiq, Oscar Nominee, Co-Writer, Best Original Song, "Mighty River" from "Mudbound":

"You know, I'm just going to just keep eating, eating great food all the way up to March 4th, working out, running, working on my new album that I've been working on for six years. I was talking to Eddie Murphy, which is a really good friend of mine, and he was like, 'You've never seen showbiz yet, until you've seen it at the Oscars.'"

13. Wide shot, zoom to medium director-producer Steven Spielberg ("The Post") poses for photographers

SHOTLIST (including transcript):-

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 18 Feb. 2016

1. Wide interior Ray Dolby Ballroom

2. Medium chef Wolfgang Puck speaking to reporter

3. Wide display of Governors Ball food offerings in front from site where chef Wolfgang Puck speaks to reporters

4. Display of chocolate Oscar-statuette shaped candy atop chocolate platform etched with gold Oscars logo

5. Oscar-statuette shaped candy next to chocolate box etched with gold Oscars logo and gold rendering of statuette silhouette

6. Wide Oscar statue behind display of Piper-Heidsieck wines

7. Medium Oscar statue in front of display of Piper-Heidsieck so-called "Rare" blend of wine

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Cheryl Cecchetto/Producer, 88th Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball:

"This is the official press preview for the 88th Annual (Academy Awards) Governors Ball. And the Governors Ball is the official Oscars after party hosted by the governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. So, we made this press event. We built this for you, so that you could get a taste of sights and sounds of what everybody's going to experience the night of."

9. Alcoholic beverages to be served at the 88th Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball

10. Tilt up bottle of Piper-Heidsieck so-called "Rare" blend of wine

11. Wide wall of filmmaker illustrations inspired by the pen-and-ink work of celebrity caricaturist Al Hirschfeld

12. Caricatures of actors Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby

13. Shot of banquette

14. Setup shot of Academy governor Jeffrey Kurland

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeffrey Kurland/Academy Governor:

"Well, the theme of it all -- because, we looked at many, many things: the Brown Derby was one of my many inspirations, when you look at that. But the idea the soft pink, which, I thought, was a great idea for the room itself. And keeping everything rather simple: white linen tablecloths, with just slashes of pink color on them, just kind of asymmetrically cutting the table. But keeping it all very simple: one tone, with a white center floor. And then the art then becomes the focal point of the room."

15. Poster of filmmaker caricatures

16. Wide wall of filmmaker caricature

17. Actress Bette Davis caricature

18. Illustrators hired to create caricatures to decorate the walls of the 88th Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball

19. Caricature of director Alfred Hitchcock

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Valenzuela/Illustrator:

"Well, Alfred Hitchcock was fairly simple. I mean, we had that iconic profile from his television show, which I was tempted to work just off of that. But I stayed close and was able to find some good reference of his very sly, dark personality and his sort of tongue-in-cheek look, and just worked off the fact that he looks like a bloody pear."

21. Wide display of food to be served up at the Governors Ball for the 88th Annual Academy Awards

22. Dumplings in pot-sticker machine

23. Smoked salmon

24. Oscar-statuette shaped smoked salmon atop matzo

25. Truffle macaroni and cheese

26. Chef Wolfgang Puck speaks to reporter

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Wolfgang Puck/Chef, Governors Ball, 88th Annual Academy Awards:

"What is new this year, for example, is we have Alaska king crab. We flew in 40 crabs, 40 whole big crabs. Each one cost like $450-500. And we're going cook it, like, Chinese style: open the shell a little bit so you can serve it very easily, and serve it with some beautiful jade rice, some emerald rice."

28. Medium shot of Alaskan king crab

29. Close-up shot of Alaskan king crab

30. Desserts in display case

31. Close-up shot gold-covered Oscar-statuette shaped chocolate candy

32. Sweet taco with market cherries

33. Chocolate passion layer cake

34. Tray of gold-covered Oscar-statuette shaped chocolate candies

35. Medium interior Ray Dolby Ballroom

36. SOUNDBITE (English) Cheryl Cecchetto/Producer, 88th Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball:

"You know, we really do have between 800-900 staff in here the night of. It's every type of staff you could think of: It's maître d's. It's waiters. It's entertainers, etc. It's managers. You name it, Because we really want to make sure -- that, you know, people have been preparing forever for this event. Ever. They're going to walk into those doors and everything should be at their fingertips."

39. Facsimiles of envelopes that will hold cards embossed with names of Oscar winners

40. Facsimile of cards embossed with names of Oscar winners

41. Tilt up on Oscar statuette

ART OF FILMMAKING TO BE CELEBRATED AT OFFICIAL OSCARS AFTER PARTY

After the last envelope is opened and Academy Award for Best Picture is revealed, select guests will make their ways up the escalators to the Ray Dolby Ballroom to the event's only official after party, the Governors Ball.

Hosted by the Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the party is usually the first stop for Oscar-ceremony attendees, before they head elsewhere -- to soirees hosted by Vanity Fair, Elton John and private bashes thrown by big celebs.

The Academy held its annual Governors Ball preview Thursday (18 FEB. 2016), revealing a celebration of art, inspired by the caricatures that plastered the walls of the late, legendary Hollywood Brown Derby eatery, as well as and New York's Sardi's restraurant, which is still operating.

It was more than those restaurants' caricatures that inspired Academy governor Jeffrey Kurland. "The idea the soft pink, which, I thought, was a great idea for the room itself," he explained. "And keeping everything rather simple: white linen tablecloths, with just slashes of pink color on them, just kind of asymmetrically cutting the table. But keeping it all very simple: one tone, with a white center floor. And then the art then becomes the focal point of the room."

The black-and-white art on the walls at the Governors Ball is inspired by celebrity caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, whose work appeared on movie posters, popular magazines and perhaps most notably in "The New York Times."

Kurland, an Oscar-nominated costume designer, called in a crew of artists to create nearly 200 original caricatures of everyone from current, well-known nominees to behind-the-scenes craftspeople -- filmmakers of every variety.

Among artist Brian Valenzuela's assignments was director Alfred Hitchcock ("Psycho").

"Well, Alfred Hitchcock was fairly simple," Valenzuela said. "I mean, we had that iconic profile from his television show, which I was tempted to work just off of that. But I stayed close and was able to find some good reference of his very sly, dark personality and his sort of tongue-in-cheek look, and just worked off the fact that he looks like a bloody pear."

Speaking of food, Wolfgang Puck returns to cater the ball, and give comfort to guests who have been sitting for hours in the Dolby with nothing to eat. Such hearty Puck favorites as chicken pot pie, truffle macaroni and cheese, aged-cheddar mini burgers will return. But there will be new additions.

"We have Alaska king crab," Puck said. "We flew in 40 crabs, 40 whole big crabs. Each one cost like $450-500. And we're going cook it, like, Chinese style: open the shell a little bit so you can serve it very easily, and serve it with some beautiful jade rice, some emerald rice."

The ball is produced by Cheryl Cecchetto, owner of Sequoia Productions, who has long headed up the event -- headset in place to command the troops the second those last Oscar winners hit the Dolby stage.

"You know, we really do have between 800-900 staff in here the night of," she noted. "It's every type of staff you could think of: It's maître d's. It's waiters. It's entertainers, etc. It's managers. You name it, Because we really want to make sure -- that, you know, people have been preparing forever for this event. Ever. They're going to walk into those doors and everything should be at their fingertips."

The 88th Annual Academy Awards is set for Sunday, Feb. 28 at the Dolby Theatre, which is located in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.