Kodak Theater (www.rfma.com)

There’s one event that I look forward to every February and it’s not Valentine’s Day.

However, in line with the love month, I am passionate about it. Yes, you read it right. It’s not a he, it’s an it! It’s the yearly Academy Awards.

If the Awards night falls on a workday, expect me to be on a scheduled sick leave. If it falls on a weekend, expect me to be sitting in a couch with eyes fixated on the TV.

I try to watch every film nominated in the Best Picture category, some of which are shown only after they’ve won award/s at the Oscars, knowing that the mere nomination would lure moviegoers, particularly the more discerning ones.

To me, the Academy Awards is The Biggest Movie Event of the Year. It falls under many movie genres: comedy with funny hosts, musical with live performances, suspense (Imagine going through the length of the show before reaching the Best Picture, which is the final award presented. The suspense is killing me!), and drama - with the tears and emotions flowing upon receiving an award. Need I mention it’s an all star cast?

Coveted Oscar

When my relatives invited me to visit them in Los Angeles, naturally, I scheduled the trip to coincide with the Academy Awards. I made a checklist on what to bring for the Big Night:

What to Bring?

• a sequined top so I would glow like the stars in that star-studded evening,
• a camera charger to ensure the camera doesn’t stop clicking,
• a pen and a paper for autograph signing (and handwriting personality check – just kidding),
• a perfume - in case I get to hug the artists, I better be sweet-smelling,
• and sore throat pastilles to ease irritation after my high-pitched, defeaning shouts. 

With those items above, I was armed to face the battle, or so I thought. The worst I imagined was camping overnight in front of the Kodak Theater but really, how bad can it get? I’d roam around Hollywood and stay sleepless in the city.

My cousins had promised to take care of the Oscar event so I left it under their care. In the end, they didn’t turn out to be as excited as I was. I couldn’t blame them. A New York Times article says, “an international interest in the Oscars appears to remain strong while American ratings languished.” Simply put, they don’t make a big deal out of it.

A day before the Awards night, I eagerly woke up before my alarm clock sounded its siren and prepared breakfast for my cousins slash tour guides.  Short on time and running out of excuses, they had to break it to me gently. They told me that attendance to the Awards night is by invitation only. They added that the producers do hire seat fillers, who as the name implies, fill the seat of invited guests who leave the theater. The producers want the theater to always look full for the wide camera shots, thus they hire seat fillers. I told my cousins that my plan never included that of making it inside the Kodak Theater but simply hanging around close to the theater so I could take photos of the stars. They said they were clueless on how fans make it to the bleachers. I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. I personally wrote a letter to Lorrin Millette of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Marketing Department.

Who gets to attend and how?

Ms. Millette said tickets for the Academy Awards are not available for the general public.  She explained that the Academy Awards is a closed-invitation event only. However, each year they conduct an online drawing for seats on their Red Carpet Bleachers.  Anyone (local or foreigner) above the age of 8 is eligible to win a seat. The online drawing is conducted second week of September. She added that the information is no longer posted on their website since the drawing is officially over.

Where to go when uninvited?

The response to my email fell like a bombshell but I could either sulk or make do with the options I have. I couldn’t gate crash to the Academy Awards but I could tour around Hollywood.

• I had Kodak moments at the Hollywood mural, which is a wall-size Tinseltown mural immortalizing stars like Charlie Chaplin, Dracula and Superman. I posed beside the Seven Year Itch Blondie with an attitude—“Move over Marilyn Monroe!”

• As the streets were closed for the big event, we walked on high heel boots (had I known, I would have worn slippers even if it meant getting cold feet). We inevitably lost a couple of pounds as we walked past a long stretch of shops before reaching the Walk of Fame. Some names etched on that star-studded sidewalk along Vine Street and Hollywood Boulevard rang a bell while others did not. I chose to pose before names that do not just ring a bell but also demand a great deal of respect—Ingrid Bergman and Charlie Chaplin.

• Like many stars who walk the red carpet donning designer clothes, I also had my red carpet moment. It was a picture perfect moment as I had the carpet all to myself at the Universal Studios. 

Kodak Moment at Kodak Theater

The Kodak Theater is the annual site of the Academy Awards. The theatre is rented to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for weeks before the Oscar night. During the rest of the year, it hosts numerous live concerts, award shows and symphony performances.

The Theater was surrounded by ropes and roadblocks. We smiled at the guards who opened a portion of the barricade to allow me to pose with the giant Oscar trophy at a fairly good distance behind.

So who exactly is Oscar? How the name Oscar came about is unknown but some say that then Academy librarian Margaret Herrick commented that it resembled her Uncle Oscar.

For the first time, I missed my yearly February date. I failed to watch the live show of the Academy Awards and it was for a good reason. I traded my couch for the real thing. I was outside the Kodak Theater, posing beside Marilyn, walking beside Chaplin and standing on a red carpet. It still turned out to be a starry starry night, having seen the statue of a man who has brought pride, tears, and joy to many an artist who have won it.

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