Red carpet rolled out for the 80th Annual Acacemy Awards

The red carpet has been rolled out ready for the 80th Annual Academy Awards, despite drizzling rain in Los Angeles.

To protect the carpet, workers at the Kodak Theatre erected a plastic canopy to keep them and the carpet dry.

Also being set up were huge gold Oscar statues and draperies hanging in front of the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

As the weather was grey and overcast, preparations for the awards ceremony continued, with Hollywood Boulevard being closed to traffic.

The Oscars are being held this Sunday February 24  - and are going ahead after the writers' strike, who had threatened to cancel the show, was settled between the WGA and the movie studios and producers last week.

By Nicola Pittam, Feb 20 2008 © Copyright 2008 - Showbiz Spy