Buried in the annual “how the Oscars are going to be really different this time” story in the New York Times was a tidbit that sent a shudder through the fashion industry, not to mention E! Online:
“There has been a whisper as well that some celebrity arrivals on Oscar night might not walk the red carpet at all — a twist that would force the curious actually to watch the show itself to see all the celebrities and the gowns, rather than getting their fill from outside news media that cover the arrivals for a host of outlets.”
Wait. Can this be true? Is it possible that the sacred walkway of the stars, the reason that Joan Rivers bothers to get up and visit her doctor every day, and, yes, the focus of the rapt attention of millions of (mostly) female fans, is imperiled?
TheWrap investigated. We called Leslie Unger, the oracle of all things Oscar and media at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She said not to worry.
“There may be people who do not walk the red carpet this year,” she said, somewhat cryptically. We pressed for more. Who? How many? What’s our liability? Not that many, she assured us. “All the nominees will be on the red carpet,” she said. Most of the presenters will be on the red carpet, too, she added.
But “a very few presenters will not be on the red carpet, we are trying to keep some surprises for the telecast,” she said. And she would say no more.
Andre Leon Talley, you may exhale.
