Oscars 2009: Empty red carpet leaves photographers snappy

Academy Awards ceremonies cannot please everyone - think of all those losing nominees - yet celebrity photographers are not usually among the disappointed. This year, a fiendish bid by producers to boost ratings by asking certain stars not to enter via the red carpet left some snappers fuming.

Actors and presenters playing key roles in the ceremony were asked to enter via a back entrance so that frock watchers were forced to watch the whole show to get their fill of fashion.

"This is a disaster both for us and for the designers who want their dresses seen at the Oscars," one photographer told industry bible Variety. "Magazines want photos from the red carpet - the stars have spent hours getting ready and they're prepared to pose," said one. "We sell these photos all year."

Jennifer Aniston, Kristen Stewart, Katherine Heigl and Jessica Alba were among those who failed to arrive via the red carpet, although many others appear to have defied the directive.

"I didn't just walk into a store and just find this," said singer-actor Miley Cyrus, referring to a particularly ornate Zuhair Murad gown. "This is not a place to be toned down."

The directive from new Oscars screencast producers, Laurence Mark and Bill Condon, was one of a number of moves aimed at boosting flagging ratings, which fell to an all-time low last year. The pair also brought in Hugh Jackman, the first non standup to host the ceremony since 1987, and even had him performing a crowd pleasing song and dance routine with Beyoncé.
source :guardian.co.uk