Academy rolls up the red carpet

Oscars producers have said the traditional pre-ceremony parade, when celebrities tarry in a red-carpeted paddock for photographs and interviews, will be cut back on account of the war.

Gil Cates, the man in charge of the ceremony, said that "keeping in mind the world situation, the Academy has elected to prepare a more sober pre-show and a scaled-back arrivals sequence. The traditional splashy red carpet arrivals line will be truncated."

Cates said celebrities arriving by car would enter the theatre directly, rather than stopping to talk to press or show off their frocks. However, he did say that some provision would be made for the taking of photographs, but that arrangements had not yet been finalised.

The announcement is the clearest indication yet that the ceremony will still go ahead on Sunday night, albeit in a more muted incarnation.