HOLLYWOOD - Hollywood's biggest stars were primping and preening on Friday, just two days ahead of the 2005 Oscars, as an army of workers feverishly prepared for cinema's biggest night of the year.
As Tinseltown's good and great streamed into the plush beauty salons, spas and jewellery stores of Beverly Hills, organisers were laying the famed Oscars red carpet and rehearsing for Sunday's 77th annual Academy Awards.
The host of this year's ceremony, the edgy comedian Chris Rock, was poised to go through his routine on stage at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre ahead of his highly-anticipated performance before up to a billion global viewers.
The show's producer, Gil Cates, played down fears that the irreverent Rock, already in hot water for disparaging the glittering show, could spark a scandal with his fondness for off-colour language.
"Chris has a sense of humor and everything he says is really said humourously," Cates told journalists on the huge red carpet lined with giant golden Oscar statuettes, as workers .
"He is really a funny guy. You need a movie star and someone who is a stand-up comic so that they can deal with the vicissitudes of the show," he said of Rock has garnered headlines ahead of the Oscars spectacle.
But the American ABC television network is taking no chances following the February 2004 football Super Bowl scandal when singer Janet Jackson's right breast made an unscheduled cameo appearance on live nationwide TV.
Like last year, the 2005 Oscars will be subject to a seven-second broadcast delay to give censors time to cut out any profanity or unrehearsed "wardrobe malfunctions" that may occur on stage.
"We have the bleep machine ready, but bleeps will be used as needed," Cates said, adding however that he strongly disapproved of the growing tendency to slap restrictions on live broadcasts.
"It is a terrible idea," he said adding that the risk of possible surprises was "one of the prices you pay for democracy and a free society.
"I am very happy I am not the person who has to push that button and decide the difference between something that may be out of the step in terms of what cultural thing is appropriate and something that is political," he said.
But although Oscar has taken steps against possible nudity or obscenity during the show, the awards are still faced with two potential threats that could disrupt the finely-laid plans: rain and the possible death of ailing John Paul II.
Cates refused to be drawn on whether the broadcast of the show, which will be attended by 3,300 guests including a galaxy of top stars, would be interrupted if the pop's condition changed for the worse.
"It is not appropriate to talk about it because we all hope it won't happen," he said. "I hope that the Pope is with us for very very long time. (If that happens) obviously we will discuss that we would do."
But if torrential rains that have battered Los Angeles in the past week return, organisers have placed a canopy over the red carpet to keep the dsigner gowns and million-dollar jewels dry which will removed if the clouds recede, he said.
Two days before the show, the world's media were preparing for the awards that will be seen from Australia to Iceland.
Colombian television journalist Claudia Bahamon, wearing an evening gown and full make-up was recording Oscars segments to be broadcast in her home country.
Meanwhile designers, stylists, make-up artists and even plastic surgeons were doing roaring business across Los Angeles as strived to puts on its best face.
02/26/2005 00:24 GMT - AFP