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

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

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

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."

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.

SHOTLIST

1. All models on catwalk

2. Close-up of model wearing black Angel Sanchez dress

3. Male model wearing tuxedo

4. Female model wearing olive gown

5. Couple walking along red carpet

6. Camera cutaway

7. Tilt of model wearing pink/orange

8. Tilt of model in black gown

9. Model wearing orange dress walking

10. Close-up huge Oscar Statue

11. Cutaway Patty Fox talking to press

12. SOUNDBITE Patty Fox, Fashion Coordinator for Oscars 2003: "The thing about dressing the stars is that they are real people and they have real figure concerns like all us all, so it really important to keep that in mind. They're not supermodels on a runway, you can't just throw a designer dress on them and expect them to wear it like a clothes hanger. So it's really important to design, to bring out their best assets and also make them feel comfortable with that garment. I guess the intrigue is part of the story, because the stars put more thought into this gown than they do their wedding gowns I've been told...and gowns plural. But that's how important it is, because these pictures are seen by a lot more people and they live forever."

13. Cutaway models in front of Oscar statue

14. SOUNDBITE Frederic Fekkai, celebrity Hair stylist: "I love it, it's a great moment it the best time of the year for us to represent hairstyle and fashion and trend. It's a great celebration among these amazing women.It's about the whole look the big picture as to make sure it doesn't look overdone, that it looks great, that they look comfortable with it that you represent them and they look current sophisticated, glamorous, sexy because that's what it is."

15. Cutaway of Fekkai at work

16. Makeup artist at work

17. Makeup artist

18. Hairstylist working

19. Hairstylist

20. SOUNDBITE Kevan Hall, designer: "One of things you want to look out for is colour, you want to do colours that are interesting that will read really well on camera as well as in still photos. You want the actress to look sexy because this is the real time for that actress to show her sensibility in terms of sexiness and loveliness, so that's what I put into it."

21. Cutaway model wearing Kevan Hall

22. Diamond close up on model

23. Diamonds close up on model

24. Martina Katz diamonds on Kevan Hall model

25. SOUNDBITE Harry Winston, Director James Haag: "Sexy. People want to wear diamonds that hang, that dangle that move with them that feel really good. It isn't about looking perfect, it's about feeling great. Things like this beautiful pendant that I have in my hand here. This is a 50 carat diamond suspend from diamond chain and it would hang down right above your cleavage and it would move with you when you walk. We have beautiful chandelier earrings this year that are fun and young and move with you with with (indecipherable). The world is intense these days, people want to escape a bit that night and they want to feel good about themselves. They don't want to have to just stand still and look perfect they want to feel great! Last year at the Oscars we had Whoopi Goldberg wearing the most incredible 81 carat yellow diamond on a V necklace and she came out and presented talked and joked a bit, she came out the next time with just the V and I was looking at the screen going where is the 81 carat and my cell phone rang and it was my security director telling me it had fallen into her cleavage as she walked on stage and it wasn't going to slip, but it was there so not to worry about it."

26. Female model walking on runway

27. Male model walking on runway

28. Female model twirling and leaving the catwalk

OSCAR FASHION PREVIEW

It's the first sneak preview of what the stars may be wearing at this years Oscars.

The usual glitz and glamour will be on display at the 75th Academy Awards, with a bigger audience than any catwalk fashion show.

For most female celebrities what exactly they will be wearing on the night is always well-kept secret until they arrive at the ceremony.

Leaks to the press from designers are still highly frowned upon but today we could see some hints and suggestions as what will be on display on the Oscar red carpet.

Christian Dior, Hugo Boss, Bob Mackie, Zandra Rhodes and Valentino were just some of the designers showcasing their current collections. A mixture of daring designs, tantalizing tailoring and cutting couture.

A mixture of sexy ballgowns, skimpy Couture and traditional Hollywood

Hair and make up are also crucial to the full picture and French hair stylist Frederik Fekkai will also be there. He works with stars such as Salma Hayek, Julianne Moore, Renée Zellweger and Meryl Streep.

Diamonds will be making a special star appearance as it is the Diamond anniversary of Hollywood's favourite night. Harry Winston Jewelers for example say they have already started taking orders from some celebrities.

Last year Oscar winner Halle Berry and presenter Whoopi Goldberg wore Harry Winston's jewels. During one live presentation, Whoopi she lost the pendant down her cleavage.

This years 75th Academy Awards will be held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on March 23rd.

SYRIAN CINEMATOGRAPHER BARRED BUT NOT FORGOTTEN ON OSCARS RED CARPET

Politics pervaded the Academy Awards Sunday (27 FEB) as the 40-minute Netflix documentary "The White Helmets" took the best documentary short award. The category generally doesn't get much widespread attention at the annual awards show, but this year, the denial of entry into the U.S. for the film's 21-year-old Syrian cinematographer put "The White Helmets" in the broader spotlight.

Director Orlando von Einsiedel and producer Joanna Natasegara accepted the Oscar, but devoted most of their short time on stage to sharing a statement from the absent Khaled Khateeb.

"We're so grateful that this film has highlighted our work to the world," the statement, read by von Einsiedel, said.

He hoped to invite "anyone here who hears me to stop the bloodshed in Syria and around the world," that to "show that we all care that this war ends as quickly as possible.

Earlier on the red carpet, Natasegara talked about Khateeb being prevented from coming to the U.S. and from attending the awards ceremony.

"It's a really sad and confusing situation. It's been a tumultuous couple of weeks but (cinematographer) Khalid (Khatteb) had a valid visa to the U.S. and then was stopped from boarding his flight because someone reported his passport was invalid. So he ran out of time. It's a really difficult situation for White Helmets where they are targeted in various different ways. I mean, you see in the film bombs are dropped on them and now they're not able to travel here tonight. We feel really sad that he's not with us."

The film focuses on the rescue workers who risk their lives to save Syrians affected by civil war. Many of the group's members have been killed by Syrian President Bashar Assad's air forces. The group also was nominated for last year's Nobel Peace Prize.

According to internal Trump administration correspondence seen by The Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security decided at the last minute to block Khaled Khateeb from traveling to Los Angeles for the Oscars.

Khateeb was scheduled to arrive Saturday in Los Angeles on a Turkish Airlines flight departing from Istanbul. But his plans have been upended after U.S. officials reported finding "derogatory information" regarding Khateeb.

In Beirut Monday (27 FEB) Khateeb, who is also a volunteer in "The White Helmets," said he hoped the award will help stop "massacres" in his country and described the U.S. decision to block him from traveling to Los Angeles as "America's loss."

Los Angeles, 27 February 2017

1. Med shot of "The White Helmets" director Orlando von Einsiedel and producer Joanna Natasegara pose for photos on Oscars red carpet

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Orlando von Einsiedel, director "The White Helmets": "This is such an incredible opportunity. It's an amazing platform for us to be here to shout out loudly about the heroes of the White Helmets and we feel very proud to be here."

3. Med shot of "The White Helmets" director Orlando von Einsiedel and producer Joanna Natasegara pose for photos on Oscars red carpet

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Joanna Natasegara, producer "The White Helmets": "It's a really sad and confusing situation. It's been a tumultuous couple of weeks but (cinematographer) Khalid (Khatteb) had a valid visa to the U.S. and then was stopped from boarding his flight because someone reported his passport was invalid. So he ran out of time. It's a really difficult situation for White Helmets where they are targeted in various different ways. I mean, you see in the film bombs are dropped on them and now they're not able to travel here tonight. We feel really sad that he's not with us."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Orlando von Einsiedel, director "The White Helmets": "These guys, I think in this particular case, shining a spotlight on what they're doing is actually a way to protect them. When there are problems, when they are targeted now it becomes global news and I think that's a way to further protect them."

6. Med shot of "The White Helmets" director Orlando von Einsiedel and producer Joanna Natasegara pose for photos on Oscars red carpet

DIAMONDS AND PEARLS FOR NYONG'O AND OTHERS AT OSCARS

High collars replaced sexy cutouts, and Classic Hollywood in blacks and whites took hold of the Oscars red carpet Sunday (22 FEB. 2015) night with help from a smoking Saint Laurent worn by Margot Robbie and a heavily pearled look for fashion It girl Lupita Nyong'o.

There was a slight show of color. Anna Kendrick was in a coral silk-and-chiffon gown with a jeweled halter collar by Thakoon, and Sienna Miller was the first on a major carpet to wear Peter Copping for Oscar de la Renta, a brooding dark blue with thin straps.

Nominee Marion Cotillard walked in a white Dior Couture gown with an overlay of circle cutouts, high collar and a caped effect at the back. She was sleeveless but high-necked in a stunning pair of diamond earrings. It may be among the more divisive looks of the night.

"I chose it because I feel comfortable in it and I love it," Cotillard said during the AP's live carpet show.

Also high-necked in white: Nyong'o in a heavily embellished custom Calvin Klein, open at the back and said to be hand-sewn with 6,000 pearls of varying sizes.

Scarlett Johansson went for green, while there was a small contingent in strapless red, including Rosamund Pike in Givenchy Haute Couture. Nominee Felicity Jones was Team High Collar in icy blue-white by fellow Brit Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.

"It's all hand-sewn, even these little pockets of pearls," Jones said, pointing to chunky embellishment at the hip."It's all hand-sewn, even these little pockets of pearls," Jones said, pointing to chunky embellishment at the hip.

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 22 Feb. 2015

1. Felicity Jones in pearl grey full gown

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Felicity Jones/Actress: "I worked with Sarah Burton from Alexander McQueen and this is her design. It's all been handmade in London. And there's such a tremendous, tremendous team of designers - well, she's the designer, but there's a whole team of makers. I'm very lucky to be wearing it. And I have Van Cleef and Arpels jewelry. This bag actually came from their museum. They have a museum and they got it out specially."

3. Eddie Redmayne and wife Hannah Bagshawe

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eddie Redmayne/Actor: "It was that wonderful Sarah Burton who runs McQueen. Beautiful British brand. So sweetly they made this for me and then they made a beautiful dress for my wife so I feel very privileged."

5. Rosamund Pike fashion

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosamund Pike/Actress: "I'm wearing Givenchy. I really admire Riccardo Tisci. I think what he's doing is modern and forward-thinking and brave. That's what I wanted to embrace at the Oscars, those principles. He suggested red and I said let's go for it."

7. John Legend and Chrissy Teigen

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Chrissy Teigen/Model: "Zuhair Murad. It's actually the 2nd dress I tried. I don't like to try too� Once we find something I stop. It was pretty easy actually."

John Legend/Recording artist: "I love it. Hehe."

9. Marion Cotillard fashion

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Marion Cotillard/Actress: "It's a Christian Dior couture dress. I chose it because I feel comfortable in it and I love it."

11. Lupita Nyongo in pearl dress with strappy back

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Lupita Nyong'o/Actress: "This is custom Calvin Klein collection by Francisco Costa. Yeah, I'm just wearing my diamonds and pearls. My homage to Prince."

13. Sienna Miller in black dress

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Sienna Miller/Actress: "I'm wearing Oscar de la Renta. It was a very easy choice. It just felt like the right thing."

15. Julianne Moore in shimmering white sequins

16. Kerry Washington in cream with embroidery

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Kerry Washington/Actress: "This is Miu Miu. I just put it on and loved it!"

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Rita Ora/Recording Artist: "I'm having a heart attack because I just posed near Anna Wintour. I was just trying to keep my composure. I knew that if she saw one little pose out of the ordinary. I was like� Anna's right next to me! Hehe."

19. Rita Ora and Anna Wintour on red carpet

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Octavia Spencer/Actress: "Tadashi Shoji designed it for me. I have great stylists who were thinking color and all that. Then they just put it on me. So I have no say whatsoever."

22. Octavia Spencer fashion shot

23. Viola Davis fashion

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Viola Davis/Actress: "It's dramatic. I like the boldness of the color. I love the color. It's muted. I loved it against my dark skin. I loved wearing my natural hair with it so yeah! Zach Posen."

25. Jennifer Aniston fashion

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Lady Gaga/Recording Artist: "Azzedine Alaia, custom."

27. Crowd in bleachers snap photos and scream for celebrities

SHOTLIST

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 5 March 2006

1. Dolly Parton on red carpet

2. Jessica Alba on red carpet

3. Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez on red carpet

4. Meryl Streep approaches reporters on red carpet

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 22 February 2007

5. Medium of Kwiat diamonds in display case

6. Push in of flower shaped diamond ring

7. Close up of diamond earrings

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Greg Kwiat/ President of Kwiat Diamonds:

"I think we are going to see a lot of exciting jewelry looks on the carpet this year. I think we are going to see a lot of great earrings. It's all about geometric shapes and floral shapes. Something that's not too wide but that's till has some substance for the red carpet. You want it to have some substance for the red carpet. You want it to show up on the cameras. I think people are going to match the earrings with big cuff bracelets and powerful cocktail rings."

9. Medium of designer Gilles Mendel holding gown

10. Wide of gown on mannequin

11. Wide of Mendel holding gown

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Gilles Mendel/ Designer for J. Mendel:

"I think it will always be the classic always glamorous gown as always. But maybe for the Oscars this season you will see more metallic tones. More textures as you could see during the last fashion shows in Europe and in America."

SAG Pool Camera

Los Angeles, 28 January 2007

13. Jada Pinkett Smith on red carpet +MUTE+

14. Helen Mirren on red carpet +MUTE+

15. Jennifer Hudson on red carpet +MUTE+

AP Entertainment

Los Angeles, 22 February 2007

16. Wide of men's suits on mannequins

17. Medium of brown blazer

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Arnold Brant/Designer for Arnold Brant:

"Fashion is changing very quickly now in men's wear. So in addition to the new fabrics you are also seeing the new styles. A little closer to the body but you are able to still have comfort in stretch and Lycra and natural stretch. So styles are a little closer to the body, a little shorter. You are seeing three piece suits, you are seeing some colour. So things are happening in men's wear."

19. Medium of hair stylist Frederic Fekkai sprucing model

20. Wide of Fekkai fixing hair

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Frederic Fekkai/ Owner of Frederic Fekkai:

"It is important to say that the hair has to be shiny. It has to be healthy. It is important to say that the hair is a compliment to the silhouette. So it depends what dress you are having. It's no longer one trend and that's it. It's really much eclectic in a sense that it works for every type of women. So we will see some hair down with a lot of curls and the part to the side. A cascade of curls which is very sexy and very beautiful. You are going to see some hair up like that, you know the Marie Antoinette look or so big hair. We're going to see all of those things."

22. Medium of make-up artist Barbie Laurino applying make-up to model

23. Close-up of models eyes

24. Close-up of model's eye lashes

25. Medium of model on chair

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Barbie Laurino/ Make-up artist for Laura Mercier:

"This season is light and sort of flowy. If you think about the runway this season where for Spring it was light flowy chiffon looks on the runway, same thing with Oscar make-up this season. Light, pretty, dramatic, but very classic."

27. Wide exterior of Spa on location

28. Wide of diamonds being placed on someone's back

29. Close-up of diamonds on back

30. Wide of woman giving pedicure

31. Close-up of hands in bowl of water and diamonds

32. SOUNDBITE (English) Maria Aparis/ President of Spa on Location:

"We are indulging our celebs this evening with Spa on Location massages with diamonds. Ultra luxurious pampering and then we are also doing the diamond pedicure as well."

33. Wide of woman getting diamond massage

OSCAR FASHION AND BEAUTY SUITE

Getting ready for the Oscars requires a luxurious suit or gown, flawless make-up, sparkling diamonds, glossy hair and of course pampering.

Although trends may vary from year to year, the only words which stick are, "Hollywood Glam."

Stars on the carpet will have all eyes on them from head to toe from all around the world. The most popular gem seen on the carpet is the diamond. The question is, which shape, colour, cut or size?

"I think we are going to see a lot of exciting jewelry looks on the carpet this year," Greg Kwiat of Kwiat Diamonds told AP Entertainment. "I think we are going to see a lot of great earrings. It's all about geometric shapes and floral shapes.

Something that's not too wide but that's till has some substance for the red carpet. You want it to have some substance for the red carpet. You want it to show up on the cameras. I think people are going to match the earrings with big cuff bracelets and powerful cocktail rings."

Unlike last year's bronze, smoky eyed look, this season's Oscars has a fresh new look in make-up.

"This season is light and sort of flowy," noted International make-up artist Barbie Laurino. "If you think about the runway this season where for Spring it was light flowy chiffon looks on the runway, same thing with Oscar make-up this season. Light, pretty, dramatic, but very classic."

Although men also are a part of the catwalk known as the red carpet, their fashion is a bit more limited.

"Fashion is changing very quickly now in men's wear. So in addition to the new fabrics you are also seeing the new styles," noted male fashion designer Arnold Brant. "A little closer to the body but you are able to still have comfort in stretch and Lycra and natural stretch. So styles are a little closer to the body, a little shorter. You are seeing three piece suits, you are seeing some colour. So things are happening in men's wear."

One thing both men and woman can relate is the need for relaxation just days before the award show. Maria Aparis from Spa on Location turned her motor home into a mobile diamond oasis for all VIPs.

"We are indulging our celebs this evening with Spa on Location massages with diamonds," noted Aparis. "Ultra luxurious pampering and then we are also doing the diamond pedicure as well."

LEAD IN:

Actually taking home one of the coveted gold statuettes at the Oscars may be a coveted award for the lucky few, but no nominees go home empty handed.

Oscar nominees in the Best Actor/Actress, Best Supporting Actor/Actress and Best Director categories are sent a gift bag worth $150,000 dollars. But now some actors are shunning the Oscar freebies.

STORY-LINE:

Oscar hopefuls can bag a bunch of goodies worth up to $150,000 after the award ceremony.

But the Oscar gifting suite, which was once the place to bag some bling is no longer the place to be seen for many stars.

The reason? Celebrities don't want to be seen holding up just any product when they can be paid for endorsements.

Today the chances of getting a celebrity to show up at a hotel suite so close to Oscar Sunday to try and have them hold the product to get a photo is now almost impossible.

Actors and actresses are paid handsomely for endorsements, and being of nomination calibre - they just don't want to be hounded.

George Blodwell, veteran celebrity stylist says the "oscar suite" does not work in today's social media environment.

He says the smartphone has changed the way that celebrities behave because a photo of a star snapping up some freebies would be taken, posted, and immediately retweeted around the world.

It is unrealistic to imagine that a celebrity will pose with you and a product in today's tech savvy world, says Blodwell.

"You can't really expect a superstar, that everybody knows all over the world, to hold a product up that costs $100 to $200 and have their picture taken with it because these people will use it for publicity. If you're using a star for publicity, it can cost quite a bit of money because the attention the star gives to that product is priceless so they are not coming to these gifting suites as much, because they're expected to hold the product have a picture taken for the people supplying the little gift for them and to be honest it's very tiring and draining and they are not going to do it," says Blodwell.

The gifting suite works at the Grammy's because the stars can pass through while at the awards show, says Blodwell.

But during Oscar week, there are very few gifting suites remaining.

One gifting suite that still keeps going after 19 years is the Roger Neal Beauty and Couture Academy Award Suite, which is located on the penthouse of the Luxe Hotel on Rodeo Drive.

Each year it is put on by veteran talent manager and publicist Roger Neal. It has survived because it has another purpose - charity.

Years ago, Neal transformed his suite into a place for stylists to come to see some new fashion and beauty services.

Some celebrities still come to the suite because of their long standing relationship with the Hollywood veteran - and because of the charity factor.

Neal says his suite has survived because it's not about the gifting as much as it is about the charities.

"It's turned into something that raises money for charity and that's why I get the stars. The stars can afford anything I have to give them, they can afford it but when they come in an autograph something for our charity like Hollygrove this year and it's auctioned off and raises money for the charity - then I'm giving back to the stars as a thank you for coming to my suite so that's why I do it. I don't do it for any other reason but to give back. My suite as a mission to it, that's why I think I'm different and I think that's why we haven't burned out" says Neal.

One man who knows celebrities do not want to be photographed snapping up a freebie in a suite is Lash Fary.

He delivers his gift bags to the homes and offices of celebrities.

Lash Fary of Distinctive Assets has been putting together the "Everyone Wins at the Oscars Gift Bag" for the past 16 years.

This years bag - worth $150,000 US dollars - is a fusion of functional items, edible treats, toiletries, trips and mind enhancements.

It will be delivered on Monday morning to ease those Oscar blues.

This gift bag and swag offering is presented to all the losers in the acting and directing categories, and also the host of the show.

Gifts in the Everyone Wins bag this year include: a luxury Rocky Mountaineer train ride through the Canadian Rockies with 5-star food service ($14,500), French Mediterranean sea salts ($1,500), a three-night stay at resort Villa Armena in Tuscany ($1,500) a "Glamping" adventure trip with private chef and Frette sheets and bike ($12,500), Reset Yourself "lifestyle makeover package" ($14,200), a Wellness gift pack ($1,200) and a custom candy and dessert buffet gift certificate ($800).

Included in the swag is a one year car rental of an Audi A4 car in any city worth $20,000 US dollars.

Russell Lemmer from All-Audi A4 Car Rental Service explains why gift bags help promote his company.

"The Oscar nominees are getting Silvercar for an entire year which is the new airport car rental service. It's really great for them. They travel a lot and they don't want to deal with lines or hassles or irritating upsells so we have eliminated all that. Every car that we offer is a brand new silver Audi A4 so they always now they are going to get something of supreme quality," says Lemmer.

And after all the fine dining at the Oscar parties, one company is offering fat reduction gift certificates and anti-ageing treatments.

Dr. Eric Prestin D.C, Q.M.E Ventura Lipo-Light, Ventura California (Qualified Medical Evaluator) says it enables him to reach celebrities and teach them about his product.

"This is different from other technologies out there because unlike other technologies that will kill the fat cell by overheating it or freezing it. This does does not harm the fat cell, it just helps the fat cell open up and release all of the contents so we can use that fat for energy and reduce specific spots in our body."

If the stars are in need of rejuvenation after all the parties, then perhaps this quirky water bottle could work.

The Memobottle fits into your laptop case, and it squarely is the novelty gift of the season.

Jesse Leeworthy, Memobottle, creator and co-founder says being part of the swag bag is a hopeful way to get it into celebrities hands - literally.

"Each celebrity will receive one A-5 memo bottle. The Memobottle is a slimline premium designed water bottle in the shape of a piece of paper. It will slide into your favourite carry bag next to your laptop or your books. The bottle is also BPA free, meaning that it won't leach any chemicals into your water," says Leeworthy.

For many of the nominees, perhaps the thought of a freebie life makeover or holiday will help ease those Oscar losing woes.

The "Everyone Wins at the Oscars Gift Bag" is an independent production and has no affiliation with AMPAS� or the Academy Awards.�

AP TELEVISION

Beverly Hills, California - 18 February 2015

1. Mid of designer showing gown at Roger Neal Style Hollywood Beauty & Couture Suite at penthouse of Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel

2. Mid tilt up of woman wearing Oscars style gown

3. Wide of woman tasting wines at gifting table

4. Mid tilt up from chocolates to people looking at gifting tables

5. Mid of woman showing shaper lingerie on gifting table

6. Close tilt up of Oscars style cake

7. Mid of actor Kevin Sorbo tasting cake, UPSOUND: "You can't have any of this."

8. Mid pan of media taking photos in gifting suite

9. Close of handmade I Dream of Jeannie commemorative 50 year anniversary bottles

10. Mid of artist having his photo taken with his I Dream of Jeannie bottle

11. Set up up of George Blodwell, celebrity stylist

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Blodwell, celebrity stylist

"You can't really expect a superstar, that everybody knows all over the world, to hold a product up that costs $100 to $200 and have their picture taken with it because these people will use it for publicity. If you're using a star for publicity, it can cost quite a bit of money because the attention the star gives to that product is priceless so they are not coming to these gifting suites as much, because they're expected to hold the product have a picture taken for the people supplying the little gift for them and to be honest it's very tiring and draining and they are not going to do it."

13. Mid of woman showing a gown

14. Mid tilt down of purses

15. Pull out of pink and yellow diamond necklace, earrings and bracelet

16. Mid of woman getting a manicure

17. Mid of a man getting a spray tan

18. Pull out of a woman getting a massage

19. Mid of a woman getting eyelash extensions

20. Set up of Roger Neal, veteran talent manager and Hollywood publicist

21. Wide of gifting suite

22. SOUNDBITE: (English) Roger Neal, veteran talent manager and Hollywood publicist

"It's turned into something that raises money for charity and that's why I get the stars. The stars can afford anything I have to give them, they can afford it but when they come in an autograph something for our charity like Hollygrove this year and it's auctioned off and raises money for the charity - then I'm giving back to the stars as a thank you for coming to my suite so that's why I do it. I don't do it for any other reason but to give back. My suite as a mission to it, that's why I think I'm different and I think that's why we haven't burned out."

23. Pull out from Niagra's Honeymoon Sweets edible chocolate frames

24. Mid of chocolate edible frame with edible photo

25. Set up of Lash Fary, Distinctive Assets, "Everyone Wins at the Oscars Nominee Gift Bag"

26. Close up of gift bag

27. Mid of Lash Fary examining gold bow tie/necklace gift item

28. Wide of entire gifting display

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Lash Fary, Distinctive Assets, "Everyone Wins at the Oscars Nominee Gift Bag"

"What I find is happening out there with gift suites for the Oscars let's say, is all these companies are setting up at these various hotels and they are trying to get Oscar nominees to come and Oscar nominees are busy getting ready for the Oscars and it's just not who is coming to these gift suites so I think companies are realising that they are setting up and having lovely actors come, and I think Shannon Elizabeth is a lovely person, but you have actors who have nothing to do with the Oscars coming to your Oscar gift suite, so what companies are doing is looking at this Oscar nominee package and saying if I can get my product directly to Reese Witherspoon, directly to Julianne Moore and directly to the people I want, that is a more effective use of my marketing dollar, than setting up a suite and praying that some celebrity is going to show up and get my product."

30. Mid of Audi A4 car for one year rentals

31. Wide of Audi A4 car

32. Close of Silvercar logo

33. Set up of Russell Lemmer, All-Audi A4 Car Rental Service, co-founder

34. SOUNDBITE: (English) Russell Lemmer, All-Audi A4 Car Rental Service, co-founder:

"The Oscar nominees are getting Silvercar for an entire year which is the new airport car rental service. It's really great for them. They travel a lot and they don't want to deal with lines or hassles or irritating upsells so we have eliminated all that. Every car that we offer is a brand new silver Audi A-4 so they always now they are going to get something of supreme quality."

35. Wide of Lipo-Light machine and woman on table

36. Close of LED light facial device

37. Close of the Lipo-Light pads on body

38. Set up Dr. Eric Prestin D.C, Q.M.E Ventura Lipo-Light, Ventura California (Qualified Medical Evaluator)

39. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr. Eric Prestin D.C, Q.M.E Ventura Lipo-Light, Ventura California (Qualified Medical Evaluator)

"This is different from other technologies out there because unlike other technologies that will kill the fat cell by overheating it or freezing it. This does does not harm the fat cell, it just helps the fat cell open up and release all of the contents so we can use that fat for energy and reduce specific spots in our body."

40. Mid of Memobottle

41. Pull out of a man taking sip from memo bottle

42. Close of Memobottle

43. Set up of Jesse Leeworthy, Memobottle, creator and co-founder

44. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jesse Leeworthy, Memobottle, creator and co-founder:

"Each celebrity will receive one A-5 Memobottle. The Memobottle is a slimline premium designed water bottle in the shape of a piece of paper. It will slide into your favourite carry bag next to your laptop or your books. The bottle is also BPA free, meaning that it won't leach any chemicals into your water."

45. Wide of Lash Fary and assistant adjusting products on gift suite table

46. Close of gift bag items: maple syrup, chocolate covered pretzels and hair conditioner

47. Close of shoes and various other small gift items

48. Mid of gift items display

49. Close up of Rocky Mountaineer model train

50. Close up of Reset Yourself for Life poster

51. Mid of Martone mountain bike for glamping adventure trip