It’s the Scene to Be Seen : On the Night of Nights in Hollywood, the Stars--and the Fans--Give Award-Winning Performances

It would have been like an Oscar ceremony without the attractive man in gold or a stroll to Hollywood’s own pearly gates--the doors of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion--without that cushy red carpet. And indeed, this arrivals show did briefly threaten to go on without its aural essence--the fans’ de rigueur screams.

“For a while, there were no fans in the grandstand, and that would have been an Oscar first,” mused film critic Roger Ebert, as celebrities were just getting into the serious business of arriving at the 68th Academy Awards ceremony Monday. “Just imagine, an Oscar event without the screaming.”

There were screams to spare after long-waiting fans were shepherded back to a grandstand. It had been evacuated after a plank broke, sending one woman to a hospital with a minor leg injury. Officials repaired the damage to the grandstand and pronounced all well.

Among the first to arrive were from the sleeper nominee “Babe.” Towering James Cromwell, up for best supporting actor as Farmer Hoggett, was somewhat easier to pick out of the crowd than Christine Cavanaugh, star of the film. OK, the voice of the film’s star.

All was star-making business as usual on the red carpet, with few rainbow ribbons seen in support of Jesse Jackson’s call for a protest to promote racial diversity in Hollywood.

One ribbon did show up on the lapel of Oscar show producer Quincy Jones, although he professed mixed feelings. Jones said he wanted to demonstrate support of his friend Jackson because “we’ve been together a long time, but this wasn’t the place to do it.”

Many walking the walk seemed determined to be, for want of a better word, cool. For example, actor-turned-director Jeff Goldblum, up for best live action short film for “Little Surprises,” insisted that the best part was already over. “I think the idea is getting nominated,” he said. “Who takes home the favor is the game show part.”

Non-nominees were also cool, such as Tom Hanks, who practically sashayed down the red carpet after his back-to-back Oscar wins. “All I gotta do is come and take in the free food,” he said.

Oh, yes. That doesn’t count best actor contender Richard Dreyfuss, who came with two children in tow and “just enough hope to make myself miserable.”

Or the inscrutable Emma Thompson, the odds-on favorite for screenwriting, who was mum on her hope quotient. “I’ve no reason to divulge my hopes at this point,” she said, hoping her way toward the auditorium.

Mira Sorvino had no such scruples about revealing her dream of snagging the best supporting actress trophy: “All my cousins said, ‘You know how we celebrate our weddings? This is like that for you.’ Since I haven’t had one, this is my professional wedding.”

Of course, for total serenity in the face of Oscar madness, “Birdcage” star and Tony Awards show veteran Nathan Lane offered a tried-and-true remedy:

“Prescription drugs generally help, I think.”