Itinerary: All About Oscar

Los Angeles is overtaken by the Academy Awards each March, much like Washington, D.C., is consumed by elections every other November. Wherever you turn, there’s that bald, naked little man. The Oscars--reportedly dubbed by the academy’s librarian, Margaret Herrick, who said the figurine reminded her of her Uncle Oscar--are more than just an awards show. They’re a party to celebrate the thing--besides earthquakes--for which L.A. is famous.

Friday

Well, if you aren’t in the academy, at least you can say you’ve been to the academy. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that makes all this hoopla happen, is headquartered at 8949 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills, (310) 247-3000. You’ll have to excuse the people there if they’re a little busy this weekend . . . but take a look around in the Academy Gallery. On display through April 25 are 70 original film posters from Germany’s UFA, created between 1918 and 1943.

Nearby is the academy’s Center for Motion Picture Studies (333 S. La Cienega Blvd., [310] 247-3035), in the distinctive Waterworks building that dates to 1927. Inside is the Margaret Herrick Library--the same woman who named Oscar--and the Cecil B. DeMille Reading Room, where visitors can peruse the collection of books about filmmaking.

Cap the day with--what else?--a movie. Peter Bogdanovich’s “The Last Picture Show” (1971) at the Warner Grand Theatre (478 W. 6th St., San Pedro. 6 and 8:30 p.m. [310] 548-7672). It got eight Oscar nominations, and Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman won for their supporting roles.

Saturday

Face it: No one in your party Oscar pool is going to know who the front-runner is in the documentary category. But spend 14 hours at DocuDay, and you’ll have an edge in both the long- and short-form categories. The movie marathon starts at 10 a.m. at the Directors Guild of America (7920 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. $5 to $7. [213] 480-3232). See Best Bets, page 4, for full program information.

Don’t have a whole day to spend? At the academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater at 10 a.m., producer Mark Johnson will lead a symposium with the directors of the best foreign-language film nominees. The event is free; doors open at 9 a.m. Tickets may be picked up during business hours or Saturday morning at the academy. (310) 247-3600.

Sunday

If you have to do it, do it early: swing by the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. Celebrity arrivals will be along Hope Street). Take a look at the three-story gold statues of uncle Oscar and the hard-core fans who probably spent the night on the sidewalk hoping to get in the red-carpet area bleachers at 7 a.m.

Then head over to the Hollywood Entertainment Museum (7021 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Open Thursday through Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. $7.50; $4.50 for students and seniors; free for children 5 and younger. [323] 465-7900). In addition to the permanent exhibits--the Max Factor makeup collection, a miniature of Hollywood circa 1945--the museum has on display paintings by Zinovy Shersher, including “Oscar-29,” and “Pacific Title Archives’ Salute to the Oscars.”

For 80 years, Pacific Title created distinctive title plates that opened hundreds of films. The 22 on display--including “Casablanca,” “Gone With the Wind,” “Spartacus” and “Oklahoma!”--were hand-painted on glass and placed over original art backgrounds.

Finally, if your TV just isn’t big enough, you can go to the El Rey Theatre (5515 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles [323] 936-4532), which will have a 20-foot screen for a free Academy Awards Screening Party. Reservations required.