By Annie Demyan

I couldn’t begin to explain how excited I was when I was asked to help coordinate the red carpet of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.  Because of the gold award statue affectionately called Oscar, this awards ceremony is often simply referred to as the Oscars.  I have helped coordinate various high profile events in the past, but definitely none as big as the Oscars. The Oscars of course trumps all other awards shows and is often referred to as the prom of tinsel town. For me, seeing celebrities was something I had become somewhat accustomed to, living in L.A. for almost three years now, but let’s get serious -- this was going to be the mecca of glamourous movie stars and their entourages and I couldn’t contain myself.

The day of the event was extremely hectic. Streets were blocked off and traffic was worse than it’s usual pain in the ass self. You’d be surprised to see how many people it takes to pull off an event of this magnitude. There was an extensive security team and countless other staff, including caterers, journalists, photographers, etc. But despite all the people, it was a tightly run ship and anyone who didn’t belong wasn’t getting in.  In fact, I had to go to Hollywood 3 days before the event to get my credentials.  And, as you guessed, preparation was already underway. 

When the big day did arrive, I was prompt for my 11am call-time. Seeing the set up of everything got me even more excited. Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue were both closed down and blocked off to the public. The Kodak Theatre, where the event was held is huge and can hold 3,400 people. Surprisingly, only about 30% of the attendees are the usual glitz & glamour celebrities we’re accustomed to seeing. The remainder are a mixture of producers, editors, directors, costume designers, agents, and their families. You’d be shocked to learn that there are extras who are actually paid to walk the red carpet.  They later served as seat fillers.

And, the only stars to actually attend the big event were those who were either nominated or presenting an award. I was a little bummed that didn’t get to see Johnny Depp, Julia Roberts, or Brad and Angelina.  I did however get to see many of my other favorite stars like Sarah Jessica Parker, Mariah Carey, Penelope Cruz, Sandra Bullock, The Dude (Jeff Bridges), Matt Damon, Jennifer Lopez, Quentin Tarantino, Miley Cyrus and Zak Efron, just to name a few! I’d swear they look even more beautiful close up, and in-person.

The red carpet lasted for about two hours and most of the very popular movie stars came towards the very beginning or towards the very end. The staff was all in good spirits and the general vibe was one of fun and excitement throughout the entire day.  Overall, it was an awesome and memorable experience and I am very grateful that I could be a part of it. I also got to attend Jimmy Kimmel’s after Oscar show, but it was a shame I couldn’t attend any of the glamorous after parties, the most popular being the Governor’s Ball. I guess there is always next year!!!