High Lights

Judging by the amount of air time received, the biggest star at the Oscars, Grammys or Emmy Awards is never Jack Nicholson, Ricky Martin or Camryn Manheim. No, the member of the glitterati that receives by far the most on-camera play during these seemingly endless ceremonies doesn’t even rank a seat, but perches instead high over the proceedings, literally beaming during almost every fade-out to commercial.

The luminary in question is, of course, the Shrine Auditorium’s 4-ton chandelier. Designed in 1926 by A.M. Edelman and G.A. Lansburg--noted artisans of their day whose credits include the interiors of the Hippodrome, Metropolitan Opera House and Wiltern Theatre--the crystal concoction is set in what appears to be swaths of maroon and gold cloth (but is actually poured concrete with plaster detail) and features more than 500 red, white, blue and amber lightbulbs, which, when fired up to their full 48,000 watts of power, use as much current as would be required to light a 12-story office building. A couple of times a year or so, maintenance men are lowered through a trapdoor camouflaged in the auditorium’s ceiling to clean the massive components and replace any burned-out bulbs.

Although this baby puts that dinky “Phantom of the Opera” killer chandelier to shame, the Shrine’s 20-foot- diameter illuminator is no prima donna. The photogenic fixture is a favorite with directors because, according to Louis J. Horvitz, who helmed this year’s Emmys telecast, “the chandelier at the Shrine Auditorium is one of the most recognized architectural icons in all of television. It says, ‘This is Hollywood. This is the glamour capital of the world.’ ”