COMING HOME A NEW VENUE FOR THE OSCARS, GLITTERING KODAK THEATRE IS THE CROWN JEWEL IN HOLLYWOOD'S REBIRTH.Byline: Fred Shuster Staff Writer Almost directly across the street from the new Kodak Theatre The Kodak Theatre is a live theatre in the Hollywood and Highland retail, dining, and entertainment complex on Hollywood Boulevard and North Highland Avenue in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. is the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
He gestures at the landmark hotel Hotels called the Landmark Hotel, or something similar, include:
What he means is that, in May 1929, the very first Oscars took place during a $10-a-seat banquet at the Roosevelt, and on March 24, 2002, the awards show will premiere at its new permanent home - the spanking spanking Pediatrics Corporal punishment, usually of children, in which the buttocks, are pummeled, swatted, or otherwise struck. See Corporal punishment Sexology Slapping, usually of the buttocks as a part of sexuoerotic activity. Cf Sadomasochism. new, custom-built Kodak Theatre at Hollywood Boulevard For uses other than the original street, see Hollywood Boulevard (disambiguation). Hollywood Boulevard is a boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States, beginning at Sunset Boulevard in the east and running northwest to Vermont Avenue, where it straightens out and Highland Avenue. Yes, the Academy Awards - the entertainment industry's biggest, most glamorous night out - is coming home. The glittery $94 million venue, designed specifically for the little golden guy, opens for business Friday. And it's the new jewel in the mighty little town's rejuvenation Rejuvenation Aeson in extreme old age, restored to youth by Medea. [Rom. Myth.: LLEI, I: 322] apples of perpetual youth by tasting the golden apples kept by Idhunn, the gods preserved their youth. [Scand. Myth. , which former Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. calls ``the Hollywood Renaissance.'' Until recently, there hasn't been much for visitors to Hollywood to write home about. It was easy to see the look of confusion and disappointment on the faces of tourists bused to this once-sacred ground. OK, while nobody expected movie stars to be wandering the streets, there just weren't many remnants of the area's glitzy glitz Informal n. Ostentatious showiness; flashiness: "a garish barrage of show-biz glitz" Peter G. Davis. tr.v. past. Sure, there was Musso & Frank, the bar-restaurant that was a former Old Hollywood haunt of Hollywood stars and writers like Raymond Chandler Noun 1. Raymond Chandler - United States writer of detective thrillers featuring the character of Philip Marlowe (1888-1959) Chandler, Raymond Thornton Chandler and has been in operation since 1919. And the famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre  The of this article or section may be compromised by "peacock terms".You can help Wikipedia by removing peacock terms. (now owned and operated by the Mann chain) is still a marvelous example of the street's legacy. But most everything else looked like it needed a Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. facelift. If the town had a subtitle, it would be ``Neglect.'' Well, today, Tinseltown has a sequel, thanks chiefly to the $615 million Hollywood & Highland complex, which boasts 640,000 square feet of 70 shops and restaurants, a four-screen expansion of the Chinese Theatre Chinese theatre has a long and complex history. Today it is often called Chinese opera although this normally refers specifically to the popular form known as Beijing Opera; there have been many other forms of theatre in China. , nightclubs, a 640-room hotel and ballroom, and the new home to the Academy Awards - the Kodak Theatre. Barry Milofsky of Milofsky and Michali Architects, which refurbished the Equitable Building The Equitable Building can refer to one of several notable buildings:
``Hollywood has this wonderful history, and it won't be only tourists coming here,'' he said. ``Hollywood is no longer what it had become.'' Along with the grand new complex, which sits atop a new Metro Red Line subway station with the name Hollywood & Highland, Hollywood has seen such additions as the popular Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a New York City and Hollywood music club, originally specializing in jazz and experimental music. It was opened in 1987 by Michael Dorf and Bob Appel, both from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Hollywood club, the spruced-up Egyptian and El Capitan El Cap·i·tan A peak, 2,308.5 m (7,569 ft) high, in the Sierra Nevada of central California. Its dramatic exposed monolith rises some 1,098 m (3,600 ft) above the floor of the Yosemite Valley. theaters, the newly brightened Pantages, and the opening of several classy restaurants and bars along the boulevard. Friday, visitors will also get a first look at the Kodak, an impressive 3,500-seat venue with three balconies, 20 boxes, a top-notch digital sound system and - perhaps most importantly Adv. 1. most importantly - above and beyond all other consideration; "above all, you must be independent" above all, most especially - comfortable chairs with adequate leg room and 3,000 parking spaces. The venue, designed by architect David Rockwell of the New York-based Rockwell Group, has the look and feel of a European opera house, complete with a grand spiral staircase, one of the largest stages in the country and curtains of iridescent ir·i·des·cent adj. 1. Producing a display of lustrous, rainbowlike colors: an iridescent oil slick; iridescent plumage. 2. fabric topped by a fine bronze mesh which gives the space a soft, shimmering shim·mer intr.v. shim·mered, shim·mer·ing, shim·mers 1. To shine with a subdued flickering light. See Synonyms at flash. 2. glow. The main interior design element is a ``tiara'' of light, a striking chandelier that's an oval intertwined with smaller ovals, coated in silver leaf. Opening night brings singer Russell Watson, accompanied by the 75-member Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and a 60-member choir. Future bookings include Theatre L.A.'s Ovation Awards, Melissa Etheridge, American Ballet Theatre's ``The Nutcracker,'' Barry Manilow and, next April, a run of Broadway's ``The Full Monty.'' Managing director Murphy said that, considering the highly competitive Los Angeles entertainment market, the Kodak couldn't be specialized. ``We have to present the best of everything - all genres,'' he said. The main event, however, is the Oscar show. And designing a theater for it was like creating a ``delicate Swiss watch,'' said Rockwell, who also took the lead in the renovation of New York's Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall New York City’s famous cinema; home of the Rockettes. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 2338] See : Theater . He added that the challenge in Hollywood was finding a balance between ``design, technology and entertainment.'' To facilitate the widely watched Oscars telecast, held each March, Rockwell designed a ``media cockpit'' on a hydraulic lift in the center of the orchestra seating. During the broadcast, that will be the technical heart of the production and will contain TV cameras and other equipment. Working closely with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the architect also created a press area for 1,500 journalists; staging for a gala arrivals sequence that allows stars to be photographed, interviewed and welcomed by fans; and a 30,000-square-foot ballroom for the Governors Ball, which follows the awards ceremony and is catered by Wolfgang Puck. ``It's the first time we've done the show in a venue specifically designed of our ceremonies, all the way out to the curb,'' said Bruce Davis, executive director of the academy. ``We've always made do with the conditions outside of the theater. Now, we have an arrivals area for maximum drama.'' Oscar extras also include an orchestra pit built to the specifications of longtime awards show conductor Bill Conti, underground cable tunnels to connect satellite trucks to indoor cameras, and special seating so nominees have quick access to the stage. ``Lighting, sound, camera angles - everything from the pit to the roof is the ideal conception for the show,'' Davis said. Eastman Kodak, incidentally, shelled out a reported $75 million to put its name on the $94 million theater. The movie academy has signed a 20-year lease with developers TrizecHahn to host the show there. Until its return to Hollywood in March, the Academy Awards has existed like a vagabond VAGABOND. One who wanders about idly, who has no certain dwelling. The ordinances of the French define a vagabond almost in the same terms. Dalloz, Dict. Vagabondage. See Vattel, liv. 1, Sec. 219, n. , traveling all over the city - most recently stopping at downtown's 5,800-seat Shrine Auditorium. On the surface, it seems like the Kodak boasts 2,300 fewer seats than the Shrine for the hottest ticket in the entertainment industry - but Davis insists several thousand of the Shrine's seats were unusable for the telecast. ``We hardly ever used the balcony,'' he explained. ``And the central camera positions rendered seats behind in a 'V' shape essentially useless, So, there's really not that big a difference between the two in terms of numbers of seats.'' During a recent media tour of the shining new theater, singer-pianist Manilow dropped by to test the sound system. The entertainer sang his hits ``Daybreak'' and parts of ``Copacabana'' and ``I Made It Through the Rain'' while a group of construction workers in jeans and work boots sat in the first balcony, hard hats lined up on the floor. Manilow, hitting a ringing piano chord and smiling, said he was especially pleased to be ``the first human entertainer'' to play at ``one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. And I've seen 'em all. This has a real classy feeling.'' Then, as he launched into another tune, the construction crew began doing the wave, a fixture at sporting events. It was probably the first and last time the wave will be seen at the Kodak Theatre. RUSSELL WATSON Where: Kodak Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. When: 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets: $40 to $200. Information: (213) 480-3232 or www.ticketmaster.com. Opening nights The state-of-the-art Kodak Theatre is expected to offer a slate of around 100 events in its first year of operation. Here's the schedule so far. Friday (opening night): Russell Watson with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Nov. 12: Theatre L.A.'s Ovation Awards. Nov. 15 to 18: ``Bear in the Big Blue House Bear in the Big Blue House is a television program for young children produced for the Disney Channel by The Jim Henson Company. The program taught simple life lessons by following the title character and his puppet friends as they went through their day. .'' Dec. 7 and 8: Melissa Etheridge. Dec. 14 through 23: American Ballet Theatre's ``The Nutcracker.'' Dec. 28 to 31: Barry Manilow. March 24, 2002: 74th annual Academy Awards. April 6, 2002: ``The Full Monty.'' For more information call (213) 480-3232 or log on to www.ticketmaster.com -Fred Shuster FORMER ACADEMY AWARD VENUES The venues of the previous 74 Academy Awards ceremonies (dates are years of presentations): 1929 -- Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. 1930-1943 -- Alternated between the Ambassador Hotel and Biltmore Hotel, both in Los Angeles. 1944-1946 -- Grauman's Chinese Theater Grauman’s Chinese Theater famous for the imprints of movie stars’ footprints in its forecourt. [Am. Cinema: Payton, 284.] See : Fame , Hollywood. 1947-1948 -- Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. 1949 -- Academy Theater, West Hollywood. 1950-1960 -- Pantages Theater, Hollywood. 1961-1967 -- Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a multipurpose convention center in Santa Monica, California. It was built in 1958. For trade shows, the Civic Auditorium features 11,775 square feet (1,094 m²) of space, while the stage adds 4,485 square feet (417 m²) more space, . 1968-1987 -- Los Angeles Music Center The Music Center (officially named the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County) is one of the three largest performing arts centers in the nation. Located in downtown Los Angeles, the Music Center is home to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theater, Mark Taper , Los Angeles. 1988-2001 -- Alternated between Music Center and Shrine Auditorium. 2002 -- Kodak Theatre, Hollywood. KODAK THEATRE FACTS The Kodak Theatre is a state-of-the-art venue for live entertainment: concerts, plays, musicals and awards shows. The complex is extensively cabled for live and tap-delayed broadcast. A ``media cockpit'' (containing television cameras) can rise from the midst of the orchestra seating. Architect: David Rockwell. Operator: Anschutz Entertainment Group The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) is a sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. The company owns or operates several major entertainment/sporting venues, including Staples Center and The Home Depot Center and beginning in . Size: 180,000 square feet. Number of spaces in the underground parking structure: 3,000. Number of restrooms: four for men (11 urinals and stalls); four for women (22 stalls). CAPTION(S): 13 photos, 3 boxes, 2 maps Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) THE KODAK'S MOMENT On Hollywood Boulevard, Oscars newest star is ready for its close-up (2) no caption (Kodak Theatre stage) Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press (3) Barry Manilow runs through a sound check Tuesday morning. His appearance makes him the first performer to take the Kodak stage. (4 -- color) OSCAR'S NEW HOME (5) Shrine Auditorium (6) The Music Center (7 -- color) Pantages Theatre (8 -- color) Hollywood Entertainment Museum (9 -- color) El Capitan Theatre (10 -- color) Pig 'n Whistle Bar (11 -- color) Grauman's Egyptian Theatre (12) The motif in the central court of the Kodak is modeled after, among other things, sets from D.W. Griffith's classic silent film ``Intolerance,'' including the white elephants. (13) The Hollywood sign is visible through a corridor between the Hollywood & Highland shopping and entertainment complex and the Kodak Theatre. Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer Box: (1) Opening nights (see text) (2) Former Academy Award Venues (see text) (3) Kodak Theatre Facts (see text) Map: (1 -- 2) Hollywood & Highland Complex Jon Gerung/Staff Artist |
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