You’d be hard-pressed NOT to know that the Oscars are this weekend – ta dum – Sunday Feb 26th, so we don’t need to go through the list of nominees or films up for Best Picture. But you may be interested in a few tidbits related to the big day in Hollywood:
Street closures in Hollywood around Hollywood/Highland grow to encompass more streets up till Sunday, when most of the east-west and north south streets in that two block area will be completely closed. See the map provided by organizers, below, Â for more details or check out the Oscar Awards website.
Thanks to Steven Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio and former Warner Brothers Chairman Terry Semel, the future Academy of Motion Pictures Museum will have Dorothy’s ruby slippers from two-Oscar winner the Wizard of Oz to exhibit when the new museum opens at LACMA West on Wilshire at Fairfax. Although no exact figure was released, it’s thought that the donors put up some $2-3 million  required to buy the pair of sparkling pumps that, with three clicks, had the power to take Dorothy back to Kansas. The pair of pumps is one set of four that were made for the 1939 film, and thought to be in the best condition as they were used primarily for close-ups in the “there’s no place like home” scene. We’re delighted the ruby slippers new home will be just down the road from us.
And finally, if you’re not earning your own Oscar, you might consider buying a statuette to put on the mantle. More than a dozen Oscars are being put at auction next Tuesday, Feb 28 by auction house Nate D. Saunders and the bidding has begun. Included is the 1942 Oscar to writer Herman Mankiewicz for Citizen Cane as well as the 1939 Oscar for B&W Cinematography for Wuthering Heights. Once you register, you can even watch the bidding of these unique lots online – and the prices are sure to soar.
Read LA Times Ruby Slippers Find a New Home
Read LAist And the Winner Could Be You.
