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General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: JBA on March 21, 2003, 09:28:10 AM

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: JBA on March 21, 2003, 09:28:10 AM

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Armoured limos for Oscars

Friday 21 March 2003, 4:05 PM


Oscar will don his tightest security cloak ever this year to thwart potential terror strikes, with war prompting worried stars to opt for armoured limousines and private jets on Hollywood's biggest night.

Police sources said security for Sunday's planned Oscars ceremony will be the tightest and most far-reaching in the Academy Awards' 75-year history, as the United States pushes ahead with its invasion of Iraq.

Flashy evening dresses and ostentatious jewels will give way to sharpshooters, undercover cops and bomb sniffer dogs, if indeed cinema's highest awards are handed out as organisers hope, in albeit in war-muted style.

"We will have plain clothes officers in among the crowd, we'll have aerial surveillance, and a lot of other measures," Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton said. "We are pulling out all the stops for this show."

While officials are not aware of any specific threat against the Oscars, they are taking no chances.


Among the security measures will be a no-fly zone over Hollywood during the show, the welding shut of manhole covers and the deployment of a National Guard unit trained to detect signs of biological and chemical attacks.

In addition, specially trained police and staff from the Centres for Disease control will be out in force taking air samples to ensure that no toxins have been released into the air.

An unprecedented -- and secret -- number of police will be backed up by some 1,000 private security guards, highway patrol officers, national guardsmen and sheriffs' deputies.

"This is aimed at addressing concerns arising from unfolding world events and to make sure that celebrities and other guests will be in the safest place in the world on Sunday," said Sergeant John Pasquariello of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Oscar organisers have vowed that Sunday's show will go on, noting that the Academy Awards have never been cancelled and have only been delayed three times in their history, never because of war.

But the show's fate hung in the balance Thursday as the ground war got underway in Iraq and organisers stood poised to make a final decision as to whether the event would go ahead as planned.

Earlier they rolled up the traditional red carpet where arriving celebrities traditionally meet the press amid stars' concerns that it would be unseemly or frivolous to sashay up the red carpet while America is at war.

Yet as officials promised unprecedented security to the Oscars' 3,500 guests, some celebrities are still worried about their safety.

"We have been flooded by requests for armoured limousines to take some very famous people to the Oscars," said Rich Cooley, vice president of global operations for SecureCar Worldwide which specialises in celebrity transport.

Cooley, a former Hollywood bodyguard, offers Mercedes and BMW limousines with 450 kilograms (1,000 pounds) of extra armour plating and bullet proof glass to ward off a close-range machine-gun assault or a grenade blast.

©2003 AFP

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This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/03/21/1047749930478.html

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: hawk220 on March 21, 2003, 09:35:55 AM

oh PULEEZE

these 'stars' are so full of themselves.

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: ra on March 21, 2003, 09:38:09 AM

Dunno, they could have received word that they may be targeted by terrorist groups for retaliation for the Iraq war.  Terrorists like to make the news.

ra

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: Toad on March 21, 2003, 09:41:24 AM

Cod ferbid we should lose an actor! It'd be all over.

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: Eagler on March 21, 2003, 09:44:42 AM

hollywood & its stars be the last place they'd want to hit ... they have a common enemy - the guy in the whitehouse

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: Saintaw on March 21, 2003, 09:45:54 AM

Well, apparently, only Liz Tailor (and her dog) are showing up, all the others are protesting (home , with a 'coupe de champagne')

Gotta love it :D

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: lazs2 on March 21, 2003, 09:49:12 AM

why would the terrorists take out their biggest supporters?
lazs

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: SOB on March 21, 2003, 09:51:08 AM

Hmmm...the Oscars are bombed and all of America stops dead in its tracks.  Yeah, that sounds about as feasable as the plot of The Core...Coming to theaters SOON!!!


SOB

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: aztec on March 21, 2003, 09:51:57 AM

Think Steely Dan said it best with the following refrain from Show Biz Kids, " Show business kids making movies of themselves you know they don't give a diddly about anybody else".

Just sayin

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: Batz on March 21, 2003, 10:15:11 AM

Quote

why would the terrorists take out their biggest supporters?

Dunno, but they found traces of ricin in a french train station.

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: Charon on March 21, 2003, 10:18:12 AM

Quote

Cod ferbid we should lose an actor! It'd be all over.

Losing them wouldn't be the big problem. The big problem would be enduring all of the memorial ceremonies, the monuments, the endless TV specials on how Jack Nicolson's favorite key grip is managing to get along after the great loss. The J-Lo press conference. The Larry King special with the heroic survivors... "Yes Larry, there was a huge bang, and I tell ya, there was no stunt double around this time..." The Spielberg movie.

It would instantly and totally eclipse the news from Iraq. Unfortunately, I don’t think a lot of Americans would object given the extent to which these gods on earth are worshipped. They probably wouldn’t even mind the coverage cutting into their afternoon soap operas like they do with the war coverage.

Charon

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: Sandman on March 21, 2003, 11:33:01 AM

I guess there are some that feel that going would be unsafe.

From what I've read, many that aren't attending are staying away out of conscience, not fear. They don't believe it's appropriate.

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: Shuckins on March 21, 2003, 11:46:05 AM

If terrorists were to attack the Academy Awards celebration and took all the Hollywood elite captive and threatened to hold them hostage until the U.S. stopped its invasion of Iraq, would any one really care?

What types of rescue operations would be contemplated?  Would any agency be willing to carry them out? Would the average American consider this to be a tragedy?

You thoughts would be appreciated.

Regards, Shuckins

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: MrBill on March 21, 2003, 12:54:15 PM

If I could make the decision. I would make the terrorists pay us to take them back.

Title: Do these people realy think this much of themselves
Post by: hawk220 on March 21, 2003, 01:27:00 PM

What types of rescue operations would be contemplated?


well, we could call in the Moscow police who 'rescued' the hostages in that theater a few months ago...