Penelope Cruz and her actress sister Monica were among the green-minded stars getting in the Oscar mood on Wednesday as they attended a pre-ceremony party at top Hollywood nightclub Avalon. The fundraising bash was hosted by environmental group Global Green USA, which will also be providing fuel-efficient cars for VIPs such as Leonardo DiCaprio at Sunday's big event.
Single men-about-town Orlando Bloom and Kylie's former boyfriend Olivier Martinez upped the hunky bachelor quotient while James Blunt's model girlfriend Petra Nemcova put in a beautiful appearance, too.
Meanwhile, preparations outside the famous Kodak Theatre where the Academy Awards ceremony is held, are well underway. The red carpet has been rolled out and giant Oscar statues put in place. More than 6,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have also sealed the fate of the nominees in the 24 categories - they had to cast their votes by 5pm LA time on Tuesday.
Best actress nominee Penelope will be handing out a gong as will former beau Tom Cruise, Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Cate Blanchett.
Crime caper The Departed is favourite for best picture while Martin Scorsese is tipped to take his first director Oscar after five previous nominations. The Queen's Helen Mirren and The Last King Of Scotland's Forest Whitaker are expected to land the best acting titles.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
