Oscars 2023: Final preparations under way in Hollywood for ceremony

By Mike Bedigan, PA Los Angeles Correspondent

Final preparations for the Oscars are underway ahead of the 95th annual ceremony on Sunday.

Under the large tent set up on Hollywood Boulevard, production crews put the final touches on staging and lights – while sheltering from the Los Angeles rain.

Protective plastic coverings were carefully peeled off decorations and final coats of paint were applied in anticipation of the big event.

Large replicas of the world famous golden statue stood tall along the carpet which, in a departure from previous ceremonies, will be champagne coloured instead of red.

At the carpet’s official rollout this year’s show host Jimmy Kimmel joked that the decision “shows how confident we are that no blood will be shed” – in reference to Will Smith’s now-infamous slap.

Work on the event – the largest in the show business calendar – has been going on for weeks and will culminate in the show on Sunday, which will be watched by millions around the world.

Two days out, global media had already begun to descend on the Dolby Theatre, with crews from all over the world performing camera and sound checks.

Friday and Saturday saw a flurry of activity, with journalists rushing to pick up credentials and confirm negative Covid test results before finding their spaces along the carpet.

Speaking at the rollout ceremony on Wednesday, Kimmel promised that organisers had “a lot of great plans” for the show.

“We promise that this is going to be a fun show. People have been asking us, can we make the show longer and yes, it is going to be longer,” he said.

“Hopefully it won’t feel long because we have a lot of great stuff in store, we have a lot of great plans.”

The 95th Academy Awards will take place on March 12th.