No red carpet? Oscars make major change to pre-show event

The red carpet is no more. All the glitz and glamour of the celebrities walking into the Oscars this weekend will happen, but it will look different.

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The actual red carpet has been swapped out with one that is champagne-colored, The Associated Press reported.

It’s the first time that the red carpet wasn’t rolled out since 1961, when the 33rd Academy Awards were held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, in a ceremony that was the first broadcasted Oscars. But the full spectrum of the carpet wasn’t seen until 1966′s first color broadcast.

Jimmy Kimmel, the host of Sunday’s show, said during the roll-out, “I think the decision to go with a champagne carpet over a red carpet shows how confident we are that no blood will be shed,” a reference to last year’s Oscars’ slap between Will Smith and Chris Rock.

But he said that if another slap happens, he’s ready if he’s bigger than the person doing the slapping, KTLA reported. “And if it’s the Rock, I run,” the three-time host said.

Kimmel quipped “studying the martial arts since they asked me to host,” USA Today reported.

Despite the color change, the show-before-the-show will still be called the red carpet, KTLA reported. And part of the walkway will be covered to protect attendees from the weather and help set the stage for an “evening event” despite being held in the middle of the California afternoon.

“We turned a day event into night,” Lisa Love, one of the Oscars’ creative consultants, told the AP. “It’s evening, even though it’s still 3:00.”

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