Toned-down Oscars to go on as scheduled
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A worker takes down drapes from the red carpet area along Hollywood Boulevard on Tuesday.
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The 75th Academy Awards will go on as scheduled Sunday despite the possibility of war with Iraq, organizers said Tuesday, though the show and glamorous red-carpet display will be toned down out of respect.
The Oscars have been postponed only three times in the show's 74-year history, and never because of war.
"We all understand that the country is on the brink of war and may be sending American men and women into harm's way almost as we speak," said Gil Cates, the producer of this year's show. "We must prepare for the show to be produced under these circumstances."
All celebrities and guests arriving by limousine will enter the Kodak Theatre on a short red carpet line and enter the theater directly, Cates said. The stars will not stop for interviews and photographs, a favorite part of the pre-show broadcast; pool coverage of the arrivals will be sought instead, he said.
The decision "has nothing to do with security," Cates said, noting that many celebrities had called the Academy in recent days to say they were uncomfortable with a "splashy" display. One celebrity, whom he did not name, asked if toned-down dress was OK.
"We hope that everyone involved will understand that this change is being made in response to the critical situation in the Middle East and will help us make these changes work," Cates said.
ABC, which is scheduled to broadcast the show Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET, will consult with the Academy in case it wants to air news coverage instead, he said.
Remarking that the Oscars has always reflected world trends, Cates said the show itself would likely be toned down. While he did not mention specifics, he said host Steve Martin is also likely to make changes to his humorous remarks should there be a war.
Organizers ask award presenters to read from prepared scripts, but winners are allowed to say whatever they wish in the 45 seconds of allotted time, he said.
The Academy Awards have been postponed three times since it was first held in 1929. It was pushed back one week in 1938 because of major flooding in Hollywood, and delayed after the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
"During World War II, as during the Korean War and other times of crisis," said Frank Pierson, president of the Academy, "the Academy Awards have gone on -- not as usual, but again, always reflecting the time in which they happened."
