Red Carpet Treatment

Red Carpet Treatment originally uploaded by o6scura.

As the new year rolls around, the red carpets get rolled out, leading the way to the biggest award shows of the year. Celebrities from the A-list, the B-list and every list in between show up dressed to the nines. Within a month, the pages of fashion magazines will fill with best and worst dressed photos, and somebody is bound to be scrutinized for her Gap t-shirt, her feathery swan dress, or her wardrobe malfunction (which didn't happen on the red carpet, but is a mildly amusing fashion incident worth mentioning).

The sight of all that red seems to stir everyone into a frenzy. But apparently, red carpet isn't such a new concept. The Red Carpet Foundation claims that the tradition of the red carpet began during the opening of the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. That night, October 18, 1922, introduced the film Robin Hood to massive crowds. Wikipedia, however, claims that red carpet was originally introduced in a play by the Greek playwright Aeschylus back in 485 B.C. The term "red carpet treatment" was then born when the New York Central Railroad welcomed passengers to the 20th Century Limited, a luxury train operating between New York and Chicago.

No matter how it originated, red carpet is synonymous with all things glamorous. Type "red carpet" into Google and you'll discover a plethora of celebrities bedecked in jewels and dresses walking down yards and yards of luxurious crimson carpets. The Academy Awards offers a lottery for bleacher seats to view its annual red carpet event - perhaps one of the only opportunities for many fans to catch a glimpse of Hollywood red carpet glamour and glitz. Blogs like the Red Carpet Fashion Awards are devoted almost entirely to the fashion statements found at red carpet events. And apparently, Essie and E! Entertainment Television have created a nail polish this year called Live from the Red Carpet, paying homage to fashion found at awards events.

Because of the writer's strike this year, NBC didn't broadcast the Golden Globes yesterday, and speculators believe that the strike might hinder the broadcast of the Oscars as well. But red carpet junkies can still get their fix online and in fashion magazines, and this little glitch in the program won't stop the gossip machine from working overtime. It is Hollywood after all, and as always, the show must go on.

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