Heavy Rain Mars Start of Oscars 2020 Red Carpet

Heavy rain marred the start of the Oscars on Sunday, sending workers scurrying to hold off leaks on the red carpet as Hollywood’s biggest night got underway.

Chilly weather and dark clouds over Hollywood brought rain pouring down just before A-list stars began arriving at the Dolby Theatre, and workers used long sticks to push rain pooling off the plastic covering the red carpet.

“Pose” star Billy Porter — sporting another show-stopping look with a gold feathered sleeveless top, flowing orange skirt and platform shoes — was among the early arrivals, along with George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, the two British stars of war movie and best picture frontrunner “1917.”

Sunday’s ceremony could see a number of historic firsts and an all-white actor winner podium that has revived the #OscarsSoWhite debate.

Brad Pitt, Elton John, Charlize Theron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Scarlett Johansson and Martin Scorsese are among the A-List nominees, alongside the little-known cast of Korean-language drama “Parasite,” which threatens to steal the thunder from Hollywood’s biggest names.

All eyes are on the coveted best picture prize, which award watchers believe is a three-way race between independent social satire “Parasite,” British director Sam Mendes’ immersive World War One movie “1917” from Universal Pictures CMSCA.O, and Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to show business, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” from Sony Pictures (6758.T).

“The smart bet is definitely ‘1917,’ but I do not rule out the possibility of something else winning, whether that be ‘Parasite’ or ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ or ‘Jojo Rabbit’,” Scott Feinberg, awards columnist for The Hollywood Reporter, said ahead of the show.

“Parasite,” from best director nominee Bong Joon Ho, looks certain to win the newly named best international feature film category and is seeking to enter the history books as the first film in a foreign language to win a best picture Oscar.

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