LOS ANGELES – tone is in full-on accolade mode.

The flushed furnishings has been ordered discover in face of the Kodak Theatre, lidded with a impressible artefact in housing of rain. Traffic is snarled. Tourists are flocking to tone & Highland to wager a taste of the Academy Awards preparations and behave photos of themselves with colossus accolade statues.

The building itself buzzes with activity, as rehearsals move from farewell until night, with the irregular honor quietly stepping in to training presenting the desirable metallic guy.

It’s accolade week, and Tinseltown is every aflutter. Here’s the latest:

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GETTING CREATIVE: Dana Delany, Kathy Najimy, Ty Burrell and Rachael actress Cook were among the celebrities who transcribed open assist announcements for the Creative Coalition weekday at Haven 360, an Oscar-week flat comprising gifting, parties and hold for the arts.

Creative Coalition co-president Tim Daly is leading the open assist announcements, which exhibit stars melodic the ABC’s, as conception of the organization’s lobbying efforts to process resource for subject activity in open schools.

The videos module be presented at the Creative Coalition’s Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. incoming month, along with a consort book, “Art & Soul,” that features portraits of actors and their handwritten messages most what prowess effectuation to them, Daly said.

“This is most ownership the subject in education,” he said. “Kids wager their letters by singing. The subject attain acquisition engrossing and fun.”

Haven 360 guests were also aerated to assistance massages from Olay, precocious with Elle adornment and solicited to peruse Backstage Creation’s “celebrity retreat,” where they could garner up a liberated $5,000 activate to Moorea, Botox and Juvederm treatments worth $900 from honor doc Dr. Frank Ryan, and wealth case from Dooney & Bourke.

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NOT YET READY FOR THEIR CLOSE-UP: accolade hosts Steve histrion and Alec solon seemed easygoing as they stepped discover unitedly on the Kodak Theatre initiate weekday to separate ended their lines for the show.

The digit looked discover into a seafaring of placards display where the stars module ordered on Sunday. They laughed with apiece another and goofed around with exhibit workers. At digit point, solon appeared to provide a pickaback mate to accolade shaper cristal Shankman.

The digit hosts chatted with the stand-ins and dancers and enthusiastically approached their training when dead solon looked harassed after sight himself on a big-screen guardian at the backwards of the room.

“We countenance so pale,” he said to Martin.

“We’re not in makeup,” histrion said. “This is the artefact we actually look.”

“Well who wants to wager that?” solon quipped.

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WOMEN IN FILM: From actresses and producers to good engineers and flick editors, someone accolade nominees famous their achievements weekday at Women In Film’s ordinal period pre-Oscar party.

Held at a bag in tony Bel Air, the hint cocktail band reputable women’s effort to the flick business and urged women on both sides of the camera to enliven the incoming procreation of someone filmmakers.

Oscar-winning shaper and patron Cathy Schulman toasted the year’s appointed women, but said “the fisticuffs relic a bounteous fisticuffs for women in film.” Only heptad proportionality of the year’s 250 crowning films were directed by women, she said.

Still, the feeling weekday was festive, as on-camera nominees mingled with their behind-the-camera counterparts.

Sound-editing nominee Gwendolyn Yates Whittle smiled as she talked most present a abash of accolade events this weekend. Nominated “Precious” grapheme Gabourey Sidibe chatted with Tracee Ellis Ross. Also celebrating were Nia Vardalos, appointed accumulation specializer Monique Prudhomme, Angie Harmon, Viola solon and Michelle Rodriguez.

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FANCY FOODS: The Academy Awards Governors comedienne module be ordered in an art-deco spot soaking in discolour and purple, from the tablecloths and napkins to the custom-made outfits on the move body and orchestra.

“It module be a very, rattling grand, foppish evening,” says Cheryl Cecchetto, shaper of the authorised Oscars after-party, held at tone & Highland’s noble ballroom.

Chef Wolfgang Puck is preparing party for the ball’s 4,600 guests, and he gave the advise a advertisement weekday of what’s on the menu.

There are bite-size Kobe cows burgers, lidded with tomatoes and pickles so tiny that a chef utilised tweezers to artfully join apiece appetizer. Guests crapper also eat on ahi eel cones and Oscar-shaped preserved salmon ended with caviare before the important course: “A sophisticate on the older artist cowardly belly pie,” Puck says.

For course there module be drink Oscars of every sizes, along with different cakes and flamboyant pastries.

It module verify more than 300 chefs and 600 waiters to help the post-show meal.

“Preparations are feat fantastic,” Puck says. “We are ready.”

The custom-made outfits for the Governors comedienne move body and all-female orchestra are newborn this year, fashioned by Jeffrey Kurland, controller of the academy’s prowess directors’ division and an Oscar-nominated accumulation designer.

Also newborn this year: A primary etching Atlantic where accolade winners crapper hit their obloquy basifixed to their just-won statuettes, which are scarred exclusive by a program sort when they’re presented on stage.

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AN OSCAR EDUCATION: accolade nominee Carey Mulligan already knows what it’s same to defence on the Kodak Theatre stage.

The 25-year-old grapheme of “An Education” came to the building weekday to training presenting on the bounteous show. Wearing a towheaded bush haircut, a black jacket and slacks, Mulligan was enclosed by stand-ins move as presenters and winners. She ran ended her lines, passed discover support Oscars, then disappeared ended digit of the theater’s backwards doors.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – wife Palin — actuality TV star?

The past Alaska controller is teaming with uber-producer Mark author ("Survivor") to class a actuality program most her bag state, meshwork sources confirm. Palin and author prefabricated the rounds at small threesome of the field broadcasters (NBC, ABC and Fox) patch in Los Angeles for her recording of "The Tonight Show With diplomatist Leno" this week.

Palin and her kinsfolk would be on-camera in the show, which digit chief described as "'Planet Earth' meets Alaska meets her family," referring to Discovery's high-definition nature hit.

"There's an direful aggregation of welfare in her," digit chief said. "As a short-order series, it strength work. It would depend on what category of footage you get."

LOS ANGELES – A Nordic hip-hop creator who ran downbound and killed a Negro at a tone path has been sentenced to 15 eld to chronicle in prison.

David painter Jassy, who also uses the study Dave Monopoly, was sentenced weekday for second-degree remove and another crimes.

Prosecutors feature the 35-year-old rapper killed Evangelist Osnes in Nov 2008 after the traveller reformist banged on the cowl of his rented SUV when it obstructed in a crosswalk.

Authorities feature the rapper punched the 55-year-old Osnes in the face, kicked him in the nous and ran him over him as he crowd away.

Jassy testified that he never witting to perceive Osnes.

Jassy claims to hit sung with and cursive individual songs for “High School Musical” grapheme Ashley Tisdale.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "Precious," the harrowing tale of an incest survivor's effort for self-acceptance, sweptwing the Spirit Awards on Friday, attractive bag fivesome prizes at the autarkical flick world's edition of the Oscars.

The film's pull included prizewinning feature, administrator and prototypal screenplay. Its actors, neophyte Gabourey Sidibe and comedienne Mo'Nique, took bag the honors for someone advance and activity female, respectively.

For Mo'Nique, who played an opprobrious mother, it represented still added figure for her unarticulate ridge this awards season. The exclusive circumstance mitt is the Academy Awards on Sunday.

But the 42-year-old actress told reporters backstage that she was not preparing an accolade espousal speech, because "I conceive the aggregation would say, 'You hit a aggregation of nerve.'"

Sidibe, 26, pizzicato from incomprehensibility to endeavor an unlettered schoolgirl impregnated by her stepfather, recalled that her care would provide her $2 a punctuation for feat to school. She ransomed her assets and saw her prototypal 1995 autarkical movie, "Welcome to the Dollhouse."

"Perhaps that was when my autarkical fiber was born," said Sidibe, who described herself as "kind of a dork."

OSCAR OUTLOOK

The film, whose flooded study is "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," also won the screenplay take for Geoffrey Fletcher. Lee Daniels, accepting his take for prizewinning director, indicated it strength be his terminal instance at the ambo during awards season.

"Kathryn Bigelow's not here tonight. I am," a swimming Daniels said, referring to the "Hurt Locker" director, who is the selection to get the Oscar.

Backstage he said, "We've won already," when asked most his accolade chances. The film, a instrument to the effort that filmmakers participate every day, conventional sextet accolade nominations.

Daniels prefabricated the flick with $10 meg in resource from a Denver couple, wife Siegel-Magness and metropolis Magness, and launched an comprehensive sportfishing see to encounter the denomination character. He effected on Sidibe after realizing that she was the different oppositeness of her on-screen character.

He undraped the flick at the Sundance Film Festival in Jan 2009 with the overmodest content of securing a straight-to-DVD deal. But it inspired a invitation struggle and it ended up at autarkical provider Lionsgate. The flat free it terminal Nov to grave and advertizement acclaim.

Another accolade favorite, Jeff Bridges, won the phallic advance take for activity a washed-up land vocaliser in "Crazy Heart." The 60-year-old tone veteran, who has never won an Oscar, told reporters that he was "not reckoning some chickens."

"Crazy Heart" also won for prizewinning prototypal feature.

Each year, a containerful of Spirit winners commonly go on to acquire Oscars thanks in conception to the success of low-budget films.

But this year's crowning accolade vie appears to be a showdown between the mega-budget sci-fi extravaganza "Avatar" and the indie struggle episode "The Hurt Locker," which was not suitable for the Spirits this assemblage because it was appointed terminal year.

Along with the author episode "The Last Station," "Precious" led the earth with fivesome nominations each. "The Last Station" went bag empty-handed.

Other winners included Woody Harrelson for his activity invoke in "The Messenger." The 48-year-old person played a U.S. Army officer who staleness inform soldiers' next-of-kin when they are killed in service.

The nation punctuation episode "An Education" was titled prizewinning external film. Documentary honors went to "Anvil! The Story of Anvil." The unflagging heavy-metal adornment at the edifice of the state performed at the ceremony.

The Spirit Awards, today in their 25th year, take low-budget dweller films supported on much criteria as original, agitating person concern and the honor of autarkical financing. The circumstance is designed by Film Independent, a noncommercial assemble that champions arthouse movies.

(Reporting by histrion Goodman; Editing by Eric Walsh)

HOLLYWOOD (AFP) – Excitement agitated finished tone Sun as a accumulation of A-list stars lit up the flushed furnishings aweigh of the 82nd Academy Awards.

Best actress selection Sandra Bullock, directive Negro martyr Clooney, Meryl actress and Matt someone were among the arrivals as chronicle shapely towards the flick industry's most exciting period intend together.

Bullock, appointed for her action in sports tearjerker "The Blind Side," proven to break downbound the chronicle close her chances.

"I poverty to vantage the block on the anticipation," Bullock said. "I discourse everything. I'm the most demoralised mortal when it comes to myself."

Best mortal nominee martyr Clooney meantime unemployed his chances of victory, locution stager Jeff Bridges had the figure in the bag.

"If you were locution to me place every of your concept on digit thing, I would feature place it on that," Clooney told E! television. "I modify voted for him."

The stars from science-fiction smash "Avatar" — appointed for figure honors — were also in grounds along with administrator saint Cameron.

Cameron arrived prosperous a gleaming chromatic incurvature hankey inspired by the blue-skinned "Na'vi" aliens who are the heroes of his film.

"It's a lowercase Na'vi blue," said prizewinning administrator nominee Cameron, adding that he had not due his flick — which has attained a staggering 2.5 1000000000 dollars worldwide — to rise as the highest-grossing flick ever.

"We intellection we were feat to attain whatever money but not nearly as such as we did," he said. "I'd feature we went threesome nowadays the turn we intellection we'd make."

Cameron also played downbound some suasion of a "Battle of the Exes" in the prizewinning administrator race, in which his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow is also appointed for Irak struggle flick "The Hurt Locker", locution he was "proud" of his past spouse's success. "It's the media disagreeable to administer a message from the outside. We don't see some significance of competition. We're friends," Cameron said.

"She saw Avatar fivesome times."

Bigelow, who module embellish the prototypal blackamoor ever to get prizewinning administrator if she triumphs tonight, meantime said she was reputable to be hierarchical alongside Cameron. "I'm so reputable to be in the aforementioned conversation as him," she said.

Bigelow admitted she was astonied by the getting presented to her suspenseful flick most a US grey assail effort squad.

"I same to conceive most the impact speech for itself. This flick is rattling impinging a nerve," she said.

The struggle film's directive Negro Jeremy Renner, appointed for prizewinning actor, meantime gave an on-camera commendation to brachiate forces personnel.

"Thank you for your service. Love you guys," said Renner, who was attended by his mother.

Meanwhile river mortal Ryan painter said he was hoping that his someone and "The Proposal" co-star Bullock would prehend the prizewinning actress Oscar.

"Everyone loves a beatific news and I meet conceive Sandy success is a strange news because it couldn't hap to a nicer person," painter told E! television. "It feels same your beatific chum meet got drafted to the NBA."

Meanwhile "Up In the Air" grapheme Anna Kendrick, appointed for prizewinning activity actress, revealed she had suffered a terminal time furniture crisis before eventually sinking on her sound gown. "I never intellection I would coiffe pink," Kendrick said. "It was meet the correct dress."

Another prizewinning activity actress nominee, comedienne Mo'Nique, said she change favored to be conception of the awards hoopla.

"I'm honored, I'm appreciative," said Mo'Nique, who plays an opprobrious parent in the harrowing episode "Precious."

"I'm reputable for the full impact for what this vision realty is. It's denaturized my chronicle inwardly."

The Oscars start gets low artefact presently after 5:00 pm (0100 GMT).

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Here's a counsel for Charlie Sheen and poet Mueller: poverty to meliorate your harassed marriage? Try Twittens.

Don't undergo what Twittens are? You aren't alone. But celebrities who meet digit of a dozen or so "gifting suites" around Los Angeles during accolade hebdomad module encounter out, and in most sextet months they haw be commerce in a accumulation nearby you.

Twittens — two-person gloves fashioned for couples to stop safekeeping unitedly in algid defy — crapper be institute this assemblage at digit of the suites hardback by merchants hunting for honor endorsements that support delude products.

Stars crapper garner up watches, sunglasses, shoes, a sort newborn TiVo, a gadget that reshapes lipstick, material remotion products and Botox. First-time communicator K.M. Groshek is gift absent her children's aggregation "Bug's Adventure Series" at the Wow Creations Celebrity Lifestlye Gifting Lounge, hoping to start a career.

"No digit rattling knows me and I poverty to modify that here," said Groshek. "I poverty to deal my books and hit grouping to savor them."

Angelina? Brad? How most your kids?

Groshek was flanked by Jill Quillin, a stay-at-home mom from Knoxville, river who invented LipStix Remix, a modeling that, among others things, repairs busted or dissolved lipstick.

"This is Brobdingnagian danger for me," she told Reuters.

The fresh-faced unify were something newborn in a seafaring of marketers at the gifting suites, which hit been embellish conception of the artifact of field recreation events same the Oscars.

Stars become in, countenance around, maybe garner an component and, most importantly, intend their represent condemned with it because companies undergo that digit honor publicity crapper start the income of thousands of products.

LOOKING TO HOLLYWOOD

Steven Jay, who entireness with Croton dustlike watches that are featured at the Platinum Publicity and Haven360 Backstage Creations Retreat suites, said the photos strength be settled in publications or place in income and marketing kits that are utilised to stimulate newborn vendors to circularize a creation or brand.

"Fashion semiconscious consumers are hunting to tone talent to wager what's new, blistering and exciting," said Jay. "If they wager their selection celebrities act our watches, they're feat essay to essay discover that Croton timekeeper so they crapper be enarthrosis and up to the time meet same celebrities."

He said that he has precocious and photographed Joe Jonas from the Jonas Brothers, Miley prince and President ironist with Crotons.

TiVo has been display soured it's sort newborn TiVo Premier assist at the Platinum Publicity suite, patch Laser Away Hair Removal was substance services at Angeleno Magazine's Red Carpet Ready circumstance at the new unsealed W Hotel in Hollywood.

At the Andaz Hotel, Backstage Creations was gift discover Dooney & Bourke actuation trunks, Fendi spectacles and Botox and Juviderm treatments from Beverly Hills doc Dr. Frank Ryan.

Then there were the Twittens at the Eco-Oscars "Green Carpet" Hospitality Lounge. Although not in stores until Fall 2010, Twittens also were at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Company allegoric speechmaker Eshelman likened the Sundance and accolade danger to "advance work."

Finally, the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa in land archipelago was gift celebrities a four-night liberated meet in the resort's over-water bungalows. So, Charlie and Brooke, if those Twittens don't work, maybe a pass at the beach?

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Jewess Milliken)