Suddenly Joan and Melissa Rivers seem so irrelevant.
Thankfully, celebrities and Academy Award producers agree that a glitzy, circus-like red carpet atmosphere at the 75th Academy Awards is out of step with the United States being at war.
The Academy Awards are expected to go on this Sunday but the red carpet will basically be eliminated.
Instead of a long press arrivals line, celebrities will exit their limos and go directly into the Kodak Theater.
"The Academy is mindful that many of its celebrity guests would feel uncomfortable arriving at this year's Awards at the beginning of a major war to face a business-as-usual phalanx of interviewers and photographers," according to Gil Cates, Producer of the 75th Academy Awards, in a press release. "Therefore arriving guests will not stop for interviews or photographs."
Cates went on to say that there will be television pool coverage -- where media outlets combine resources to cover major events -- of the arriving celebrities.
Prior to the Academy's announcement, the New York Times reported that celebrities had already begun to tone down their selections, with some picking somber backup outfits.
Some of the biggest European names in fashion (and designers who traditionally have been popular with Hollywood) are skipping this year's Academy Awards, according to Women's Wear Daily. Giorgo Armani and Donatella Versace are two designers who will not be attending the event.
Fashion will feel the loss of a red carpet show: stars wearing borrowed gowns, jewels and shoes garner a tremendous amount of publicity for high-end designers.
Also, dress manufacturers who traditionally knockoff popular Oscar gowns for the special occasion market (especially prom) will also be affected by a lack of press coverage.
This won't be the first time in recent history that a major celebrity event has been trasformed to reflect the current world mood.
The 2001 Emmys following September 11 was designated a subdued occasion requiring "dressy business attire" in place of revealing gowns and diamonds.
