7:37: I'm back up in the press room after some major security checkpoints. But I'd be remiss if I didn't pass along one last Red Carpet note, as Steppenwolf veteran Michael Shannon, supporting actor nominee for "Revolutionary Road," stopped by to give a shout-out to the folks back home.
“All my friends are back at Red Orchid Theater on Wells Street having an Oscar party," he said."I just want to say hi to all them."
As he glanced around the mobs on the red carpet, he added: "This is pretty far away from Chicago."
7:12: Adding to the press blow-off list: James Franco, Gus Van Sant, Melissa Leo and DeKalb native Richard Jenkins.
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick just blew by as well.
At this point the publicists are rushing the nominees into the theater, though Viola Davis made time to chat even though she was an early arriver. How long had she been on the red carpet?
"Hours," she said, then exhaled.
Daniel Craig didn't take questions but stopped to visit and sign autographs for two of the "Slumdog" kids, Tanay Chheda, 12, and Ashutosh Lobo-G, 15. The boys were thrilled.
Whose autographs had they collected?
"I got James Bond. I got Anne Hathaway," Tanay enthused.
"We got Anne Hathaway! Woh!" Ashutosh gushed.
When Meryl Streep saw the "Slumdog" boys, she exclaimed, "You're so wonderful! Oh my God!"
They got her autograph.
Before they left, I asked Tanay, "Who's the best James Bond?"
"Actually, all of them are really good, but Sean Connery is the best."
6:39: Sean Penn just walked pass literally two feet in front of us and didn't turn his head a millimeter as the press folks called out, "Sean! Sean!" Poor guy, getting pestered by reporters on a red carpet. What a nuisance.
Others who have blown by us: Seth Rogen, Zak Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Judd Apatow, though his wife Leslie Mann turned back to give us a friendly wave.
6:22: John Legend revealed to Osbourne that he'll be singing the "WALL-E" nominated song "Down to Earth," although he hasn't actually seen the movie. Osbourne informed him that it's worth seeing.
The song's original singer, Peter Gabriel, pulled out in protest of the song being shortened for a medley.
The veterans' club: Louis Gossett Jr. made the rounds, as did the ever-incredible Mickey Rooney, who was moving gingerly, but, hey, he's 88.
6:13: It took her almost an hour, but Virginia Madsen finally made it to us, looking fab as always, in red.
This was her first time back since her supporting actress nomination for "Sideways."
"That night was so amazing I didn't want to come back until more time had passed," she said.
Her next movie is "The Haunting in Connecticut," and she's also moved into producing; her first project is an adaptation of Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar" starring Julia Stiles.
And, no, she hasn't been back to Chicago recently but said to her native city: "I miss you. I miss Chicago."
5:55: I just asked Robin Swicord, nominated screenwriter of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, whether she'd prefer for the Oscar show to run in reverse order.
"I think everybody would like to see it go in reverse order," she laughed, "although there's something nice about building up. I think we'd be very sleepy by the time we got to the red carpet."
5:49 Things have definitely grown more chaotic. While Robert Osbourne has been talking to the likes of Glover (who came back), Anthony Hopkins, and Zak Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, many of the major nominees have been doing some TV show's interviews on a platform almost directly in front of us.
First came director Danny Boyle and what looked like the entire "Slumdog Millionaire" cast, followed by acting nominees Viola Davis, Melissa Leo and Taraji P. Henson.
Miley Cyrus stopped right in front of us but didn't take questions; she just wanted to show us her flowy dress that looks like it was assembled from large glittery moth wings.
The Soweto Gospel Choir also didn't take questions but did stop to serenade us with beautiful song. We'll take that over canned answers any day.
5:12: At 3:10 California time we have our first press bleachers blow-off: "Milk" star Emile Hirsch, who chatted with Robert Osbourne after Virginia Madsen, speed-racered right by us but posed for the photographers' bleachers.
Miley Cyrus returned to Osbourne to plug her Hannah Montana movie coming out in April. She's an optimist, as evidenced by this quote; "Let's hope we're here next year getting something for that."
5:00: "Hey, everybody, Danny Glover!"
So announced Robert Osbourne at 3 p.m. in Hollywood, thus derailing my efforts to get a who's-showing-up-first pool going in the press bleachers.
Osbourne asked if Glover wanted to talk to him. Silence followed.
"Everybody, Miley Cyrus has entered the arena!" Osbourne announced a few minutes later.
She didn't talk either.
Ah, finally, our first talker...Chicago's own Virginia Madsen, reflecting happily on her Oscar-nominated "Sideways" experience. Can't see her yet, but I'm counting on her to visit us print folks.
4:50: Red carpet host/interviewer Robert Osbourne just introduced himself and took a straw poll on fans' favorite best picture nominee.
"Slumdog Millionaire," cheers.
"Benjamin Button," cheers.
"Milk," cheers.
"The Reader, cheers.
"Frost/Nixon," a smattering of claps.
"You should see it," Osbourne told the crowd. "It's a great movie."
4:44: Screams are coming from the bleachers. Has our first carpet walker arrived?
Here they come, and it's a young couple being tracked by a video crew gesturing for the fans to cheer. They have no idea who these two are either.
Still waiting for the first actual star...
4:30: Here's the scene: The red carpet is an "L" shape, and the stars, when they arrive, walk down the long part of the "L," then turn right and head into the Kodak Theatre complex.
TV crews and fan bleachers flank the long part. I just saw Mario Lopez disappear into the corner. The print press bleachers is just past the right angle on the far side, followed by a phlanx of still photographers and the grand mall entrance.
I'm in the front row of the press print bleachers, which was a lucky draw, though by the time many of the nominees have survived the TV folks, they opt to bypass the pen-and-paper folks.
Star presenters have been asked to skip the carpet this year so their appearances will remain a surprise. Will that reduce the wattage out here? We'll see.
Three hours and 15 minutes before the show begins, I'm wondering who will be the first celeb to stroll this maroon-side-of-red carpet.
If I were in a pool for such a thing, I'd have Sally Kirkland.
source: chicagotribune.com
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