In a first since 1961, the Oscars carpet will not be red
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Many things about the Academy Awards have changed over the years, but there has been at least one constant for the past six decades: the red carpet. The colors have varied over the years, but it has always been a shade of red. Till this year.
On Wednesday, outside the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, workers rolled out a champagne-colored carpet as Jimmy Kimmel, who is hosting the 95th Oscars on Sunday, presided over the occasion.
“I think the decision to go with a champagne carpet on the red carpet shows how confident we are that no blood will be shed,” Kimmel said.
The decision to change the color came from creative consultant Lisa Love, a longtime Vogue contributor, and Raul Avila, creative director of the glamorous Met Gala in New York.
The carpet will be covered this year, partly to protect the stars and cameras from the weather, but also to help turn Advent into an evening event. For Love, there’s always been a disconnect between the elegant black tie dress code and the fact that it’s mid-afternoon when people come to be photographed in broad daylight. With a covered carpet, they could replace that.
“We turned a one-day event into a night,” Love told The Associated Press. “It’s evening, even though it’s still 3:00.”
The Oscars red carpet dates back to 1961, the 33rd Academy Awards held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, when Billy Wilder’s “The Apartment” won Best Picture, Burt Lancaster and Elizabeth Taylor won lead acting awards, and there was still a “Juvenile” award , which went to Hayley Mills for “Pollyanna”. It was the first televised ceremony broadcast on ABC and hosted by Bob Hope. The general public would not see the red carpet in its full glory on television until 1966, when the Oscars Color was broadcast for the first time.
There was no debate over the change, Love said. All he knew was that he had the freedom to break with convention. He also tried some other colors but they looked too dark with the tentacles covered. “We chose this beautiful sienna, saffron color that evokes the sunset, because it’s the sunset before golden hour,” Love said.
Instead they got lightened and approved by Academy CEO Bill Kramer.
They weren’t particularly concerned about upsetting Oscar traditionalists.
Love said, “Someone always has a way of finding something wrong.” “It’s just a lightness and hopefully people will like it. It doesn’t mean it’s going to always be a champagne-coloured carpet.
What should we call it? Love said that “champagne” and “sand” are appropriate descriptions, but there’s no reason not to default to “red carpet.” It’s more a nickname for the glamorous arrival than a literal description of what everyone is walking into.
The 95th Oscars “Red Carpet” opens at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. The ceremony will begin at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ABC.
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