Showbiz is big business as Oscars hits town

HOLLYWOOD: The Oscars are big business for stars and filmmakers - but they also spell big bucks for limo firms, caterers, designers and thousands of others as Hollywood rolls out the red carpet.

In fact, the Academy Awards on Sunday are the climax of the annual awards season which generates fortunes for those behind the scenes in Tinseltown, who keep the champagne flowing, parties buzzing and posh frocks just right.

From the Golden Globes to the Grammys, the Screen Actors Guild ceremony to the Razzies, the awards shows -- and all those pre- and after-parties, keep everyone busy from November to February every year.

You don't have to go far to stumble on a red carpet in Hollywood - even outside awards season, film premieres regularly attract scrums of cameramen, photographers and fans spilling across sidewalks outside key movie theaters.

So a visit to the cinema can sometimes turn into a scramble through a melee created by an arriving celebrity, lensmen's flashlights and shouts of "Angelina, over here!" ricocheting around the cinema lobby.

But Angelinos are used to it, and many depend on it for their livelihoods, as - like the annual harvest elsewhere - the first two months of the year bring huge crops of orders for everything that surrounds the shows.

Tony Adzar, founder & CEO of Red Carpet Systems, is one of those reaping the benefits: in February, he sells twice as much carpet as he does in August, and his is only one of dozens of similar firms.

To get to the parties, people of course need limousines.

The larger companies, which have a fleet of maybe 25 luxury vehicles, are booked to capacity and are able to give their affiliates and subcontractors a lot of business.

ITS works closely with Sequoia Productions, which has organized Hollywood events for 23 years and produces the traditional post-Oscars soiree known as the Governors Ball.

The ball brings together the governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the Oscars. On Sunday night, 1,500 people will attend.

For Sunday's ball alone, Sequoia employs 150 technicians, 400 catering staff and a management team of 30. The company unveiled its menu last week, chosen by Austrian celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, also an Oscars veteran.

Red Carpet provider Adzar said awards season is exhausting, but essential for his and many other businesses in Hollywood. (AFP)

Taiwan epic leads ‘Chinese Oscars’ nominations

TAIPEI: Widely acclaimed two-part epic “Seediq Bale” leads the nominations at Taiwan’s annual Golden Horse Awards, also known as the “Chinese Oscars”.

The latest offering from Taiwanese director Wei Te-sheng was nominated in 11 categories including best feature film, according to a statement from the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards committee.

“Seediq Bale” was also nominated in the best director, best supporting actor and best new performer categories at the awards, which celebrate cinema from Taiwan, mainland China and Hong Kong.

The film cost Tw$700 million ($23 million) to make, a record in Taiwan’s cinema history.

Experts expect “Seediq Bale”, based on the true story of Taiwan’s indigenous headhunters fighting against Japanese colonial forces in the 1930s, to break the box office record of Tw$530 million set by “Cape No. 7”, the romance movie that shot Wei to fame in 2008.

The first instalment of “Seediq Bale”, “The Sun Flag”, has raked in Tw$370 million in box office earnings since it was released on September 9. The second part, “The Rainbow Bridge”, was released on September 30.

Chinese blockbuster “Let the Bullets Fly” has nine nominations and another China-produced film, “The Piano in a Factory”, has seven.

A total 161 films compete in the 48th annual awards and winners will be announced on November 26. Source