This year, unlike the usual two-week break, street vendors and artists have decided to work, hoping for greater profits from the Oscar ceremony. Rafael Gil, a fruit vendor, told EFE that due to the situation, he had to forgo his rest. The owner of two snakes, who charges tourists around $10 for photos with the animals, also plans to work without taking any days off during the Oscars. He added that it is a good time because, although access is reduced, tourists keep coming. An artist from Argentina seeking his luck in Hollywood added that the streets are cleaner. Members of a Christian church are also present to hand out flyers to passersby heading to the Chinese Theatre and El Capitán, other symbolic Hollywood sites affected by construction. Adjacent streets will also be closed to make way for the limousines in which gala guests usually arrive. This year's ceremony will also feature a strong international presence thanks to films such as the Spanish 'Sirat', the Brazilian 'The Secret Agent', or the Norwegian 'Sentimental Value'. A tourist who visited the site noted that he did not expect so much work to be behind the awards. He took photos on the steps of the Dolby Theatre, which is already adorned with golden curtains. The theatre, originally named the Kodak Theatre, was built in 2001 specifically to host the annual Academy Awards, with an auditorium that has 3,400 seats and a huge stage with specialized acoustics for the awards. Last year, the total cost of the Oscar ceremony was calculated at $57.7 million, a figure that includes the construction of the stage that will host the red carpet. Heavy machinery was moved last Thursday, March 5, on Hollywood Boulevard, around the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The beautification session of Hollywood Boulevard to welcome the stars for the 98th Oscars has begun in Los Angeles with the construction of a stage that requires dozens of workers, large cranes, and long curtains, part of a production that last year cost nearly $60 million. The work for the Academy Awards next March 15 began last week with the closure of a section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame to make way for a movie scaffold that reminds both residents and tourists that the city is the capital of cinema. The movement of heavy machinery to lift the tent, which will host the 300-meter red carpet that runs along a section of the street and ends at the steps of the Dolby Theatre, has become another attraction for those approaching this place. The investment this year may exceed $60 million, in a ceremony surrounded by anticipation in which the films 'Sinners' and 'One Battle After Another' are the favorites with 16 and 13 nominations, respectively. They hope to win without being nominated. The grand setup forces every year the street vendors and artists who seek their livelihood in this small section to move to other areas or even take forced vacations.
