YES, IT IS GOING TO BE A VERY DIFFERENT ACADEMY AWARDS...

FAR from the glamour of Hollywood, the ceremony is being held in a downtown Los Angeles railway station. Seriously. Union station is main stage for the proceedings, which will be convenient if the show is a train-wreck of a flop. After an awards season of awkward Zoom video acceptance speeches by stars in hoodies and sweatshirts, celebrities have been pressured to attend in person and dress to kill, though at least a dozen are joining by satellite link. Stages have also been prepared in London and Paris for nominees unwilling to fly to Hollywood mid-pandemic.

Stars will walk “a teeny-tiny red carpet”, says Stacey Sher, co-producing the Oscars show with filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. But gone will be the fans and legion of TV crews, reporters and paparazzi. Also missing will be all five nominated songs – usually providing rare moments of relief in an often tedious telecast – now relegated to the Oscar pre-show.

For the third year there will be no Oscars host. Producers hope to dazzle with presenters, including last year’s winners: Brad Pitt, Renée Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix and Laura Dern, along with Halle Berry, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Reese Witherspoon and Zendaya. “There’s so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required,” they boast. But don’t look for A-List faces in the audience: there won’t be one. “It’s going to feel like a movie,” says Soderbergh, who directed Ocean’s 11. “There’s an overarching theme that’s articulated in different ways throughout the show.”