It's no understatement to say the 93rd Academy Awards will be an entirely different affair.
Held amid the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, there will be a smaller red carpet, missing international stars and a socially distanced ceremony.
However, the 2021 Oscars aren't letting travel and safety restrictions completely dampen Hollywood's glitziest night.
This year's ceremony will be predominantly broadcast from Los Angeles's historic Union Station, which first opened in 1939, with a sleek and slick set recently unveiled for the Sunday awards.
According to designs from the Rockwell Group, helmed by architect David Rockwell, guests and viewers alike can expect a mindfully spacious interior that doesn't compromise on star power.
Banquettes will line the interior while the front lawn will be transformed into an outdoor lounge, with a raised stage area, colourful foliage and dramatic lighting.
"We're transforming Los Angeles Union Station into an intimate amphitheatre that draws inspiration from some of the Academy's very first ceremonies," the design and architecture company added on Instagram.
Rockwell Group has previously designed sets for the 81st and 82nd Oscars, held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the ceremony's usual venue. This year, the theatre will only host live performances, while satellite hubs have been set up in London and Paris for international nominees.
A number of stars have already been confirmed to appear in person at the Los Angeles ceremony, including presenters Brad Pitt, Halle Berry and Bong Joon-ho.
“The producers were clear that they were committed to doing this in a different way and looking at alternative venues,” Rockwell told AP. “We thought about ways to create the elegance of the earliest Oscars."
The first ever Oscars featured an intimate banquet with only 270 guests, held at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in 1929.
Union Station, meanwhile, will accommodate up to 170 guests in the main room at any one time for the 2021 ceremony, as per Covid-19 protocols.
"It's not about spectacle, it's about storytelling," Rockwell said.
Union Station, which recently underwent a $4.1 million restoration project, is no stranger to the stars, having provided a backdrop to a number of productions, including Blade Runner, The Dark Knight Rises and Pearl Harbour.
Show producers Steven Soderbergh, Jesse Collins and Stacey Sher have promised that this year's Oscars, which were delayed by two months owing to the pandemic, will be unlike "anything that's been done before".
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Pakistan World Cup squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain
Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more about the coronavirus
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
Four out of five stars
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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