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Academy Awards

Go inside Oscar rehearsals with USA TODAY

Robert Hanashiro
USAToday

LOS ANGELES — Hollywood's Dolby Theatre was a hive of activity during Oscar rehearsals Saturday morning. Presenters were dressed up (and down), Kevin Hart brought down the lights and there was even an "upset winner" during run-throughs for the best supporting actor category. Veteran USA TODAY photographer Robert Hanashiro, who has shot 27 Oscar ceremonies, takes you behind the scenes of rehearsals for the 88th Academy Awards.

Oscar is almost ready for his closeup.

8:30 a.m. PT: A voice booms in the Dolby Theatre: “Welcome to a full day of rehearsals” and the stage is transformed from darkness to a forest of lights on thin rods and giant projections of Oscar.

8:35: A female announcer’s voice comes from the speakers, declaring, “The Oscar for this rehearsal only … check, check …” And rehearsals are on.

8:36: A ponytailed Emily Blunt, sporting a gray scarf over a black pantsuit, takes the stage and looks around the theater. Right now, she's the only celebrity, outnumbered by technicians and production crew staffers. Large photos fill seats that will be occupied by nominees and presenters Sunday night.

8:47: Whoopi Goldberg, also in a large gray scarf, walks onto the stage. Spotting familiar faces, she begins hugging members of the stage crew. As she's announced, enthusiastic applause erupts from the small audience on hand. She asks, “You guys sitting here all day? That’s kinda neat.” After a minor adjustment is made to her script on the large teleprompter, she announces, “I’m good!”

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8:55: Patricia Arquette arrives in a gray dress and heels. As last year's best supporting actress winner, it's her job to present supporting actor. As she runs through the nominees, she goes slightly off-script when she gets around to describing the role of The Revenant's Tom Hardy: “Playing a fur trader … who's very foxy … Just kidding.” She is rewarded with loud chuckles from the audience.

9:15: Kevin Hart gets through his introduction of The Weeknd's best original song nominee, Earned It. Then, a big scare when a large set piece falls over with a crash, drawing gasps from the audience. Don't worry: Hart is OK. But unlike the comedian, that set piece is not ready for prime time, so it's rolled off the stage.

9:29: Rehearsals resume with J.J. Abrams running through the nominees for best director.

9:40: As Star Wars' Daisy Ridley walks onstage with Dev Patel to prep the documentary feature presentation, she scans the seat cards scattered throughout the theater. Patel rips open the envelope and announces the winner — for this rehearsal, anyway: Amy, Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees' portrait of late singer Amy Winehouse.

9:59: The audience is amused when 9-year-old Jacob Tremblay (Room) climbs atop a wooden box so he can stand even with his co-presenter, 14-year-old Abraham Attah (Beasts of No Nation), who's nattily attired in a blue suit and bowtie.

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10:16: Clad in short shorts, Australian actress Margot Robbie steps onstage with her Suicide Squad co-star, Jared Leto, the 2013 supporting-actor winner. As the stand-ins for the announced winners walk to the microphone, Robbie drops the water bottle being used as an Oscar. Oops!

10:48: Chris Evans and Chadwick Boseman, who are presenting an award for sound, take their turn onstage. After a collage of sound effects from the nominated films booms through the theater, an impressed Boseman lets out a “wow."

11:00: As last year's best-actress winner, Julianne Moore gets to hand out the best-actor trophy Sunday night. Dressed in a sleeveless pantsuit, she is surrounded by 50-foot projections of the nominees, whom she accurately describes as "larger than life."

11:42: Dressed in a stylish navy-blue jumpsuit, accented by 7-inch silver high heels, presenter Cate Blanchett does a walk-and-talk, passing 1800-style dresses before taking the stage to introduce the costume design category. After doing it twice, Blanchett waves her warms at the crowd and declares, “See you later!”

1:42: Andy Serkis runs through his presentation of the visual-effects Oscar and turns around to see huge projections of his motion-capture characters, The Lord of the Rings' Gollum and Planet of the Apes' Caesar. Cracking a big smile, he proclaims, “Oh, wow! That is so cool. It’s amazing.”

2:23:  After a string of no-shows including Eddie Redmayne and Reese Witherspoon, it's on with the show. Sarah Silverman, dressed in heels, camouflage pants and a cap, riffs on James Bond’s sexual escapades as she rehearses her introduction of Sam Smith's original song nominee Writing's On the Wall from Spectre. Silverman was a surprise winner at January's Screen Actors Guild Awards for her lead role in I Smile Back.

Follow Robert Hanashiro at @SptShtr_Bert

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