Fans Line Up In Hollywood to “Meet the Oscars”

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By Diana Quezada
As the 79th annual Academy Awards ceremony approaches, fans from all over the world are lining up in Hollywood for the chance to feel like a star and pose with Oscar.
With security swarming the exhibit, hundreds of enthusiasts waited their turn on a red carpet at Hollywood and Highland to have their picture taken holding one of the 57 Oscars on display at “Meet the Oscars, Los Angeles.”
“I wanted to touch an Oscar,” said Lori Luttig of Rancho Cucamonga when asked why it was important for her to be here. Luttig, along with daughter Rachel and her two friends Brittany Liles and Alyxe Barnes, had just left their first-time visit to the exhibit where they continued taking photos of each other outside.
“They’re all into theatre and acting,” Luttig said about the eighth-grade trio that wanted to come see what a celebrity’s life is like. When asked who they thought would take home the 8.5-pound prize for best performance by an actor in a leading role, the three shouted in unison and without hesitation, “Will Smith!”
This talk-of-the-town opportunity to hold an actual Oscar will continue through Saturday Feb. 24 on the third level of the Hollywood and Highland Center. Interactive trivia kiosks are also featured throughout the center where fans can put their Oscar knowledge to the test.
Of the 57 Oscars on display, 56 are in 12 different cases and only one, which is attached to a cord, is available for holding. 50 of the statuettes shown will be presented at the awards show on Sunday and others are actual Oscars awarded to such stars as Katharine Hepburn.
Featuring a room with stunning and colorful displays of Academy Awards memorabilia, the event attracted aficionados from all over the world.

Visitors came from as far as Japan to as close as Los Angeles. Delia Perez was one of the many locals participating in the event for the first time. Perez, who said her favorite host thus far is Billy Crystal, is a true devotee of the Oscars. When the student was asked what she would be doing Sunday at 5 she proudly announced with a smile, “Watching the Oscars.”
Aside from short delays caused by random security checks being conducted at the parking structure’s entrance, the average wait time wasn’t an issue to most fans.
The exhibit is open now through Thursday from 12 to 8 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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