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CNN Live Saturday

Academy Awards Move Into Kodak Theater

Aired March 23, 2002 - 17:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KATE SNOW, CNN ANCHOR: The red carpet has been rolled out, the guest list finalized. Now all that's left is for the envelopes to be opened. The Academy Awards will be handed out tomorrow night, as you probably well know. Our own Leon Harris is just outside the Kodak Theater, the new home of the much-anticipated ceremony. He joins us now with a bit of a preview. Leon, how are you doing out there?

LEON HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, doing OK, Kate. As a mater of fact, your timing is perfect. I mean, right before you came and tossed it to me, the sun was all covered up by clouds. Just because you mentioned the Kodak Theater and the Academy Awards, what happens? God cues the clouds and they run away, and now we can see now, we got a great shot here.

You get a really good look at how things are shaping up outside the Kodak Theater. Take a look down here, you look in here, right behind me is perhaps 500 feet of the most glamorous space that you're ever going to see in your life, beginning in about 24 hours from now, when people start arriving here at the theater for the show. You should see the crowds on the sidewalks already. And they can't even see it from where they're at because of the barriers, but they are still piling up, about maybe 10, 15 people deep on the sidewalks here.

Lots of things going on outside, but quite a bit going on inside, because this is a very special year. Because for the first time -- this is the first time it's going to be held here in Hollywood in decades. So this is a very special moment here for a lot of folks here in the Academy.

And also a special moment for my guest who's joining me right now, the man who designed the Kodak Theater, David Rockwell. Now, your home, your new home here basically is going to be getting a lot of attention beginning tomorrow. Are you ready for this? Are you excited, nervous or what?

DAVID ROCKWELL, KODAK THEATER ARCHITECT: Well, there's no way, if you think about the amount of attention it's going to get, you just have to go totally numb. So I'm just out here having the time of my life, and the project's been really as close as I can imagine to a dream come true for an architect.

HARRIS: Now, listen, speaking as an architect, I know you said that we were talking off camera -- you told me you designed this place with the Academy's help, with the Academy in mind. Now, are they using it the way you thought it was going to be used now that you've seen them actually take control of the property inside? They're not dressing it up the way that you wanted to have them dress up?

ROCKWELL: Well, it's an interesting question. We designed it with the Academy each step of the way, trying to figure how you take a live theater, in which people are going to have a wonderful experience, and have that translate to the TV screen. What are the components? And when I go in there and see the shots today and see what they're doing, it's actually beyond our expectations, and it's really, really thrilling.

HARRIS: Well, listen, we can't get inside. They won't let us in. We have got credentials and everything. You've been inside. You tell us, what's going on right now?

ROCKWELL: Well, they're rehearsing right now. So when you walk in, actually, they're rehearsing a Cirque du Soleil number, which looks breathtaking. And it's one of the things that I think is going to be special about the broadcast is the audience and the performers will really relate intimately, because of the way the house is set up.

HARRIS: That's been talked about quite a bit as well, because now because of that intimacy, that means there's going to be -- what -- some 1,800 fewer seats than there had been in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion?

ROCKWELL: Well, first of all, I'm thrilled that people want to come see the theater. And the size has really been dictated by the Academy in order to create an experience that is intimate enough that it will be a different kind of experience. And not only is it intimate between performer and audience, but if there's ever been a building built that's about communal celebration and about celebrating this amazing creative community, it's this theater.

So the audience and the rest of the audience has an incredibly intimate relationship. And I think that will be transparent to people watching it on TV.

HARRIS: All right, well, we'll see how it looks tomorrow evening on television. Thank you very much, David Rockwell.

ROCKWELL: Thank you. Come see us.

HARRIS: Good luck. All right. At least we'll try to see it. I know I will. I'll be sitting right here on the outside. Daryn gets to go inside, but that's a different story.

But listen, we're going to stay here and we're going to keep you folks posted on exactly how things are shaping up here. But for now, let's go back to you in the studio, Kate.

SNOW: Hey, Leon, Daryn told me she's going to wear red tomorrow. So I have to ask you, what are you wearing?

HARRIS: I'm not wearing red, I can tell you that much. You will never see me in red! SNOW: Is it a black tux?

HARRIS: Yes, I have it -- it's a tux. I won't tell you what kind of tux it is, or what color tux it is. How's this for a tease? It's probably something you haven't seen before.

SNOW: All right. Well, we'll tune in for that tomorrow night. I know you're doing a special tomorrow night at 7:00 Eastern. Thanks so much, Leon.

HARRIS: That's right. Good to see you.

SNOW: Have fun.

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