More Lockdown at the Kodak

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SIX DAYS BEFORE OSCAR (FEB. 22)
The biggest change is tents. Tents everywhere.

Also, the entire block of Hollywood Blvd. (from Highland to Orange) is now shut down. Traffic rerouted. Big trucks fill the streets with names like party favors on them. Unclear what they are unloading, but they keep coming all day.

Security at every station. Trying to get to work (through the alley) involves a burly security guy asking me for my laminate. Sorry, I just work here. What's the address? It's a temp job. You expect me to remember the address that I've never needed before (since the first day six months ago)? Luckily, another security guard in the alley who knows me vouches for me, and I'm allowed to pass. I give a silent thanks for the fact that I'm constantly friendly to the various security guards I pass.

There is a big sign on the corner of Hollywood & Highland, which loudly proclaims: "OSCAR!" right next to a huge picture of a gold Oscar. And by huge, I mean multiple stories tall. Both of these images will feature prominently in tracking shots on every station. You will see them constantly, trust me.

In an upcoming post, I'm going to try to include some of the pics I've been taking on the scene. Trust me, it's not easy. I just bury myself in gaggles of Japanese tourists. (They always have cameras.)

FIVE DAYS BEFORE OSCAR (FEB. 23)
Getting to work is even more of a nightmare.  One of the two alleys back is completely closed off. He does let me get through the other one. I see WHY this one is closed off, later, when I get to work.

Looking through our upstairs windows (pictures forthcoming), I see giant Oscars laying in the middle of this parking lot (probably being burnished with extra gold paint). Whereever they have giant Oscars along the red carpet, they are going to originally come from this staging area.

Another notable fixture of today is all the cameras and microphones being tested at various spots along the red carpet route. There are always cameras on Hollywood Blvd, but these are the expensive high-tech kind. TV cameras.

I'm going to try to get up to my favorite restaurant on the balcony to see how much of that is closed down, and what pictures I can get for lunch today. Back later.

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