You have a firm grip on this year\u2019s Oscar nominees, last year\u2019s winners and what host Jimmy Kimmel will undoubtedly joke about (and the best picture award goes to … oops).<\/p>\n
But there are aspects of Hollywood\u2019s stellar night that may be a surprise. Let\u2019s pull the curtain back a bit on a ceremony that strives for effortless glamour but, like any machine, is made up of nuts and bolts and simple human need.<\/p>\n
Besides stars, designer duds and lots of close-ups, here\u2019s what else the 8 p.m. EST Sunday, March 4, telecast on ABC will include:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
STAND-INS, AKA SIT-DOWNS<\/strong><\/p>\n Cameras never find an empty seat at the Academy Awards, with a troop of seat-fillers at the ready to occupy any chair vacated by a bathroom- or bar-bound guest. A parade of extras in tuxedoes and gowns arrive hours before the show begins and are ready to swoop in and sit once the cameras start rolling. Getting the gig, like so much in Hollywood, depends on who you know: Seat-fillers are family and friends of movie academy staff and accounting firm. Are there polite tussles to sub for Streep, Hanks or other A-listers, earning bragging rights? We can only hope.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n STOMACH PAINS<\/p>\n Oscar guests are often hungry. It may be self-imposed, either because of nominee nerves or a skin-tight gown with no room for error or eating. Attendees do have a chance to nibble during a pre-show cocktail hour that includes hors d\u2019oeuvres trays, but skip that and it\u2019s three hours or more until a post-ceremony dinner at the Governors Ball. Not all are invited, which means some famished guests end up asking their limo driver to head to fast food, fast. Advice from an insider: carry a clutch roomy enough for a ham sandwich and don\u2019t fret that you\u2019ll get busted by security.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n STAY IN YOUR LANE<\/strong><\/p>\n There are two paths on the Oscars red carpet: one for famous people, and one for everyone else. Stanchions and velvet ropes separate the recognizable from the not. Famous folks walk on the side of the carpet closest to the cameras and reporters, and stars often collide or share impromptu carpet greetings. The non-famous, meanwhile, walk along the carpet closest to the fan bleachers, with beefy-looking security guards ushering them along to reduce star-gazing across the aisle. There\u2019s everything to see, folks, but move along.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n WRITERS, STAT!<\/strong><\/p>\n Live shows inevitably hit speed bumps, such as last year\u2019s supersized-one in which Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway presented \u201cLa La Land\u201d with the top trophy that belonged to \u201cMoonlight.\u201d Such gaffes and other standout moments become fodder for the host, with a village of comedy writers backstage to help craft witticisms. The best, like Kimmel\u2019s teasing rebuke to Beatty (\u201dWarren, what did you do?!\u201d) feel spontaneous and are out quickly so the audience doesn\u2019t lose the thread. Hosts also need to be ready with \u201csavers\u201d to follow a joke that bombs, says longtime awards writer Bruce Vilanch, who offers up an example: \u201cThat was about as funny as a screen door on a submarine.\u201d<\/p>\n __<\/p>\n WINNERS, MEET MEDIA<\/strong><\/p>\n Oscar recipients are shepherded backstage for photos and video and to face a rapid-fire Q&A session with a packed room of journalists (yes, \u201chow does it feel to win\u201d and \u201cwhere will you keep your trophy\u201d are staple queries). While the winners clutch their award and, in some cases, a celebratory glass of booze, reporters hold up numbered cards to be called on by an academy representative. This has caused more than one star to exclaim they feel like they\u2019re at an auction and playfully call out numbers. Reporters giggle. With backstage monitors showing the ceremony, some winners ask to pause the questions to hear outcomes for nominated friends or colleagues. Reporters oblige.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You have a firm grip on this year\u2019s Oscar nominees, last year\u2019s winners and what host Jimmy Kimmel will undoubtedly joke about (and the best picture award goes to … oops). But there are aspects of Hollywood\u2019s stellar night that may be a surprise. Let\u2019s pull the curtain back a ...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":77474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4545],"tags":[4673],"class_list":["post-77471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-oscars-en"],"acf":false,"yoast_head":"\n