Oscars diary: Countdown fever

Stephanie West and Robert Nisbet of the BBC's Liquid News report from LA to give us a taste of what to expect on the big night of the Academy Awards.

It is a comfortable 25 degrees Celsius out here in palm-fringed Hollywood, but things in Tinseltown are really hotting up as the Oscars countdown begins.

With just hours to go before the 73rd Academy Awards ceremony, the game of hide-and-seek between the film stars and the media scrum gets ever more intense.

There are thousands of journalists, hungry for any kind of tasty morsels about the A-list celebrities, most of whom are intent on keeping a low profile before their grand entrance down the red carpet.

Our base for the event is the very hip Standard Hotel, an exquisitely designed hangout owned by hotel entrepreneur Ian Shrager (Leonardo DiCaprio also has a stake).

The normally minimalist lobby is awash with staid-suited journalists trying not to trip over the silver beanbags in their haste to get to an exiting star.

There is much interest in the surprise split between Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

Robert Nisbet

The run-up to the Oscars becomes a game of spotting who and where, with whom and to what intent.

Brad Pitt has apparently been spied in a nearby Gucci shop buying a $2,000 surfboard.

It is doubtful he will get time to catch some Californian waves before the big event and that chic Gucci logo is unlikely to earn him much surf-cred with the local dudes down on Venice Beach.

Lost its shine?

But for all the media build-up for what is normally one of the glitziest nights of the year, there is widespread agreement that - dare we say it - the Oscars have lost a little of their lustre this year.

The event has been somewhat overshadowed by the threat of impending strikes over pay and conditions by two of the big film organisations - the Writers' Guild of America and the Screen Actors' Guild.

Entertainment bibles such as Daily Variety and the Hollywood Reporter have abandoned much of their showbiz gossip and can talk about little else.

Further gloom was cast over the event on Thursday, when the scaffolding erected around the Oscar venue collapsed, injuring six people, one of them critically.

Russell Crowe: man of the moment

The Oscars' home is also still in limbo this year.

The event should have been hosted in a brand new entertainment complex at Hollywood and Hylands.

But the multi-million dollar entertainment complex taking shape is still something of a building site so the ceremony is back at the nearby Shrine Auditorium.

When the new venue does open, hopefully by next year, it promises to make the event as well directed as an Oscar-winning film, with the entire auditorium kitted out with the best camera kits for those winning shots.

Host with the most

There is also a little uncertainty about this year's host.

Billy Crystal has been the cheeky, yet polished master of ceremonies in recent years but in 2001 his absence will be filled by another comedy heavyweight, Steve Martin.

He is a popular choice, but there is much that could go wrong in the gruelling four-hour ceremony full of high emotions and temperamental stars.

Chat show supremo David Letterman played host one year and his gags fell flat.

Billy Crystal steps down as host

No doubt Martin will be hoping for a few unscripted Oscar gems to liven up the proceedings.

Last year the exuberant Italian actor Roberto Benigni delighted all by dancing over the tables to pick up his award.

Ultimately, the Oscars revolve around film product, and most would have to admit, it has not been a great year for films.

The mighty Gladiator has picked up 12 nominations, but it has had few sparring partners to beat off.

British hopes are not riding as high as in previous years either, with chances slim for Dame Judi Dench or Julie Walters picking up the award for best supporting actress.

The big split

But all eyes will still be on the red carpet as stars battles it out with 1,000 journalists (all dressed uncomfortably in the mandatory dinner jackets) to make it into the auditorium.

Tom Cruise: Who will he bring?

There is much interest in the surprise split between Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

Will Cruise be making an entrance with his new "friend", beautiful actress Penelope Cruz?

Will Kidman be walking down the red aisle with her reported man of the moment, and indeed the Oscars' man of the moment, Russell Crow?

There is just a few hours before the larger-than-life world of Hollywood gets into full swing for the biggest night of the year - excuse me while I dust off my dinner jacket and stake my place out on my few alloted inches of well-trodden carpet.