For Star-Struck Fans, a Waiting Game to Catch a Peek : Oscars: Movie buffs from across the country cram the bleachers at the Music Center to give arriving celebrities the red-carpet treatment.

Hundreds of fans--from 20-year veterans to school-age novices--crammed into bleachers outside the Music Center on Monday, some waiting patiently for days to steal a quick glimpse of the stars who will sweep past them into the 62nd annual Academy Awards presentation.

Since Saturday, movie fans have been arriving at the downtown auditorium to park themselves on one of the three outdoor bleachers--all with hopes of seeing their favorite celebrities glide by on the requisite red carpet and into the elegant hall to celebrate Hollywood’s biggest night of the year.

The annual ritual was routine for some fans, including Babe Churchill of Chino, and her sister, Sandi Stratton of Escondido, who posted a sign in front of their seats, announcing their 21st year of Oscar-watching.

“I’d love to see Paul Newman--he came only one year,” Churchill said.

“And Elizabeth Taylor,” she added. “One year she was the most gorgeous, so elegant. The old stars are always the ones dressed so elegantly.”

But the hot ticket of celebrity-sighting this year was catching a glimpse of Tom Cruise, the best actor nominee for his role in “Born on the Fourth of July” who seemed to be the No. 1 favorite of fans from grade-school to middle age.

Elizabeth and Mike Franco and their daughter Hannah arrived at 9:30 a.m. Monday from their home in East Los Angeles, fighting the crowds to find a place within eye contact of the 27-year-old actor.

“I hope we can at least see something,” Elizabeth Franco said. “My daughter wanted to see Tom Cruise. I told her if she was good in school, I promised to being her down.”

More than 300 fans crammed into the bleachers, while at least the same number spilled onto the sidewalk outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, lining a dozen deep on either side of the red-carpeted walkway.

One of the few male fans, letter carrier Randy Martinez, 40, of Fullerton, said he wanted to see Jessica Tandy, who starred in “Driving Miss Daisy.”

On one side the walkway, nine women in baseball uniforms with the title of the best-picture nominee “Field of Dreams” printed on their shirts cheered and egged on their neighbors across the way.

“It seems the more things crazy that you do, the more fun you have,” said team member Jeanine Lee, explaining why she and her friends wore color-coordinated baseball uniforms, complete with caps and gloves.

Her friend, Kris Crane of Laguna Niguel, said she has been dressing up in movie costumes with friends for the Oscars for seven years.

Another fan, Ruby Harris, originally from Norwich, England, said she has been on hand for Oscar night for the last five years.

“There’s nothing like it,” she said. “Where else can you go and see all of the stars at one time?”

But Harris and other fans criticized the limited outdoor seating space, a 75% cut from last year, when the Academy Awards show was held across town at the bigger Shrine Auditorium.

“They’ve almost forgotten about the fans,” Harris said. “Without fans, cinemas would be empty, and there would be no salaries the likes of Sylvester Stallone’s.”

Mary Larson, a fan who traveled from New York for the big event, was a relative latecomer, arriving about 1 a.m. Monday when the bleachers had already begun to fill up. She was surprised by the lack of amenities for fans.

“To me, it’s the law--you have to provide facilities if you’re going to provide bleachers,” Larson said.

Some of the earliest arrivals were a group of women from Phoenix, who showed up about 11 a.m. Saturday equipped with a beach umbrella, sleeping bags, food coolers, portable televisions and radios--all to ensure a front-row seat for Oscar night.

As receptionist Sue Addison explained, to stay comfortable and clean, the Phoenix group has taken sponge baths and tried reclining in their sleeping bags across the bleacher seats.

“When we got here there was nothing,” said eight-year veteran Addison. “We watched them put it all together. It’s not like those people who came today and just got a seat, with everything all together.”

Late Monday morning, fourth-grader Elizabeth Taylor was wandering with her librarian mother, looking for a place to set down a blanket.

Elizabeth, wearing a denim jacket with “New Kids on the Block” on the back, said she wanted to see Chevy Chase, and most of all, “Paula Abdul--she’s my idol.”

As the 9-year-old was looking for a seat, guards were already clearing the aisles, readying the area for the expected stream of limousines carrying the nominees and other guests.

“It’s a rat race,” Martinez said, referring to the scramble for seats. So why does he do it?

“Because it’s fun, and everybody else does,” he said.