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What goes through your mind when you think about the Oscars? Probably stars, glitz, glamor and eventually the famous red carpet. But that’s exactly what was missing from this year’s Oscars. Instead, a champagne-colored carpet “shone”. A shock to many.

Jimmy Kimmel, host of the 2023 Oscars, also joked about it during the “Roll Out”: “I think the decision to go for a champagne colored carpet instead of a red carpet shows how confident we are that there will be no blood. flow.” A nod to the 2022 Oscars when Will Smith threw a tantrum and smacked Chris Rock?

The “Roll Out” is a tradition. Always on March 8, the “red” carpet is rolled out and admired in front of the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

Traditions are broken

It is the first time since 1961 that the famous red carpet at the Oscars is not red. The creative team was led by Lisa Love and Raúl Àvila. In an interview with the Associated Press shortly after the tapestry was rolled, Love said, “We chose this beautiful sienna and saffron color that is reminiscent of the sunset, because that’s the sunset before the golden hour.”

The change would have caused headaches for the organizers. Because before the stars could even walk over it, the shiny carpet was already dirty. According to Variety magazine, dirty spots on the carpet were quickly recut and replaced behind the scenes so no one would notice the stains.

The champagne dress wasn’t the only change. A new dress code for staff, press and publicists was introduced: dresses should be dark blue or black, as there are “certain design elements that should make our nominees and guests stand out,” according to an email from the Academy at the beginning of the year week.

But there’s one question that ultimately remains: Will the changes made to the 2023 Oscars also bring in new viewers? Because that was the goal. Is a new carpet a better move than deleting categories or instead of creating a new category? We’ll probably have to wait.

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