8 p.m.: Iraq (Not "Chicago") on Oscar's Mind

Under hazy Hollywood skies, the 75th annual Academy Awards are ready to roll -- under a cloud that is the American attack on Iraq.

Since early afternoon, as the show was being set up, protesters were out in force on the outskirts of Hollywood Boulevard, though reinforced security kept them at a distance from the Kodak Theatre, where the ceremony is due to kick off at 5:30 p.m. PT.

Still, there have been reports that the stars will be protesting the war on their own, with Dustin Hoffman and Julianne Moore supposedly planning to wear duct tape as a jab at President Bush's plea for Americans to seal their windows from biological attack.

"I spoke to a lot of nominees here today," documentary filmmaker Michael Moore ("Bowling for Columbine") said Saturday at the IFP Independent Spirit Awards, "and they plan to speak their minds (at the Oscars) about what's gone on this week."

The traditional red carpet, where fans scream and TV cameras allow viewers to gawk in awe at star gowns, was scrapped this year as a concession to the war.

Global events, however, did not stop Joan and Melissa Rivers from hosting their annual E! Oscar pre-show. This year, though, the pair is keeping a distance, holding court in a media room while a TV screen showed stars arriving on the truncated, more somber red carpet.

Joan, meanwhile, tried to keep the mood light. "There's Mickey Rooney!" she proclaimed. "I dated him once."

As it was, parties this week in celebration of the nominees were greatly subdued, and the press had speculated to the last moment whether the show would be canceled altogether. (However, ABC, which is broadcasting the Hollywood event, is still featuring live coverage from Iraq.)

As for the Oscars, "Chicago" -- going in with a leading 13 nominations -- is considered a veritable shoo-in for Best Picture, and the conventional wisdom is that by the end of the night, after the political speeches, nostalgic film clips and host Steve Martin's usual glib remarks, Daniel Day-Lewis ("Gangs of New York") and Nicole Kidman ("The Hours") could be in the winners' circle.

With them, in all likelihood: "Chicago" director Rob Marshall and supporting performers Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Chicago") and one of the Christophers ... that is, either Walken ("Catch Me If You Can") or Cooper ("Adaptation").