LOS ANGELES – The Academy Awards' red carpet is a traffic jam of celebrities, publicists, media and screaming bleacher fans. There are lots of moments — funny, strange and otherwise — during its two-hour parade of designer duds, shouted names and goofy questions.
Sunday's red carpet ran its course under sunny skies, but temperatures dipped into the 50s and a chilly wind blew at times, making goosebumps de rigeur on Hollywood's most famous flesh.
"A bit chilly, but very fun," said Nicole Kidman, holding hands with hubby Keith Urban.
"Aren't you glad it's not snowing?" former nominee Virginia Madsen asked. "I thought it was going to snow today. Even though I'm from Chicago, I have no tolerance for it."
The carpet underwent some changes this year, with the movie academy doing away with the famous hedges that separated the media from the talent. In their place were black metal barriers decorated with Academy Awards labels.
View gallery: Oscars 2011 Red Carpet Photos
Also gone were the bountiful floral arrangements, with more gold Oscar statues than ever keeping watch over the mayhem.
Another new touch was a roped-off black carpet running up the middle of the carpet, an express lane if you will for those celebs who wanted to blow off reporters. Halle Berry strode briskly down the middle, as did Reese Witherspoon, who smiled and waved at fans shouting her name.
Some celebs compromised, doing a couple of interviews, then scooting to the middle of the carpet. Among them were Robert Downey Jr. and Matthew McConaughey.
Some of the most interesting moments:
— Supporting actress nominee Helena Bonham Carter of "The King's Speech" hiking up her black gown to show off a Union Jack tied to her right leg with a red ribbon, akin to a garter. And yes, she wore matching black heels, unlike her two different colored shoes at the Golden Globes.
— Comedian Russell Brand accompanied by his mother on the carpet, with pop star-wife Katy Perry off on a world tour.
"Mom, you told me I could swear," he said of her advice on presenting an Oscar. "She's given me good advice my whole life. Not just tonight but on all occasions."
Brand proceeded to remove a clothespin attaching a mic to a TV reporter's dress and wave it around.
— Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck showing off his appetizers for the post-Oscar Governors Ball. He whipped up something special for best-actress nominee Natalie Portman, who is vegan. The pregnant "Black Swan" star had vegetable risotto paella waiting for her after the ceremony.
— Hailee Steinfeld, the 14-year-old supporting-actress nominee for "True Grit," appearing poised beyond her years while dealing with the hoopla.
"I'm freezing," she said. "There's so much when it comes to picking what you want to wear. You got to make sure you can breathe, you can sit and you're comfortable in every way.
"This is my first time and I'm surrounded by such incredible people. I'm so happy to be here."
— Every Hollywood red carpet has its random celebrity and this year's prize went to Donald Trump. The man associated with real estate and TV's "The Apprentice" waved to the fans with glam wife Melania at his side.
"This is really a date night," he said. "We're here to have a good time, and I think we will."
— The oldest celeb on the carpet had to be Eli Wallach, who recently cameoed in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," but is best known for his 1966 role in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."
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