Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 11, 1991 TAG: 9102090260
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: YARDENA ARAR/ LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Short
The 63rd annual Academy Awards will be conducted amid unprecedented security, and the content of the March 25 ceremony doubtless will be affected by the state of world events, producer Gil Cates said last week.
However, unlike the Golden Globe awards show, which was televised three days after the conflict started and which dispensed with an opening production number as a result, the Oscar telecast will feature a fairly traditional entertainment lineup, including song and dance.
"The point is not to be frivolous and not to be trivial, to present the awards in an appropriate manner, to present the production numbers in an appropriate manner," Cates said.
"No one knows exactly what's going to be going on March 25 or, more appropriately, the 23rd or the 24th, the couple of days before, so we're all very concerned about it."
Questioned about the possibility of the Oscars being targeted for a war-related terrorist attack, Cates said, "I can promise you . . . that security will be absolutely complete. It will be a tough act to get into."
Academy executive director Bruce Davis said that in addition to the private companies and the Los Angeles Police Department officials who have worked on security in the past, the FBI has been consulted for the first time.
All those entering the Shrine Auditorium will have to pass through metal detectors, and electronic equipment such as cameras and lap-top computers used by reporters will be carefully examined.
by CNB