Hollywood's big night

A last-minute round-up of showbiz news as today's big awards bash nears.

Angelina Jolie ... dress-less - Angelina Jolie became the first fashion victim of this year's Oscars when her $8400 body-hugging red corset dress was stolen from the back of her British designer's car.

The dress was taken with eight other outfits, jewellery and accessories worth up to $113,000, which were bound for the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

Designer Scott Henshall left the outfits in his soft-top BMW parked in Knightsbridge when he and his passenger, Lady Victoria Hervey, went into a shop for 10 minutes.

While they were away, a thief slashed through the hood and grabbed the bags containing the dresses.

"There is no way I can remake Angelina's or any other dresses in time," said Henshall. "There were 20 outfits in the collection and now the nine most glamorous have gone."

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Will Smith ... no show - Will Smith has pulled out of this year's wartime Oscars, saying he would feel uneasy appearing at the celebratory event. The actor, who was to have presented one of the cinema industry's top honours, decided not to go to the event after United States forces launched attacks on Iraq.

"He has respectfully asked not to be a part of the programme," the star's publicist said. "He is not boycotting or anything, he just does not feel comfortable being there."

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Nicole Kidman ... daddy's girl - Nicole Kidman isn't taking a date to the Oscars - she'll take her parents instead.

"I'm pathetic," the actress joked to reporters about taking her Sydney-based mum and dad, Anthony and Janelle Kidman.

Their daughter, who is nominated for her second best-actress Oscar in as many years, was picked for her role as author Virginia Woolf in the drama, The Hours.

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Giving and receiving - Giving out the little gold guys today will be Susan Sarandon, Richard Gere, Cate Blanchett, Cameron Diaz, Dustin Hoffman, Salma Hayek, Julia Roberts, John Travolta, Ben Affleck, Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, Jim Carrey, Jennifer Garner, Renee Zellweger, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Connelly, Julianne Moore, Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, and Meg Ryan, among others.

If they have strong feelings about the war on Iraq, however, awards producer Gil Cates said they should keep them to themselves.

"People who present an award on a show come to present ... and it would be incorrect in my view and inappropriate for them to make any changes to what they have agreed to say.

"The nominee, on the other hand, has earned their 45 seconds in the sun and while I personally might prefer them to stick to the reason that they're there ... it's their 45 seconds and within the bounds of good taste they can say what they want."

Cates has warned that the long-standing 45-second time limit for speeches would be enforced.

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Catherine Zeta-Jones ... expectant - An eight-months pregnant Catherine Zeta-Jones and co-star Queen Latifah will perform a song from their hit musical Chicago at the ceremony.

The two best-supporting actress nominees will do a rendition of I Move On, which is nominated for best original song.

Zeta-Jones will perform despite the fact that she is due to give birth in just two weeks to her second child with Michael Douglas. An ambulance was on standby outside another awards show this month in case she went into labour.

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Performers - Also scheduled to perform is singer-songwriter Paul Simon, who will make his first appearance at the awards.

However, Eminem will not perform his Oscar-nominated song Lose Yourself. The rapper is taking time off and opted out of performing the hit from 8 Mile, in which he made his screen acting debut.

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Liz's final bow - Elizabeth Taylor says today's Oscar ceremony will mark her swansong on stage and screen. She will instead focus on Aids activism.

Taylor, 71, is expected to take part in a walk-past featuring past winners in the 75-year history of the Oscars.

"I've retired from acting," she said. "It doesn't really interest me that much any more. Now my life is Aids, not acting."

Taylor won two Oscars - for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1967 and Butterfield 8 in 1961 - but has made few movies since the late 1980s.

She became an Aids activist after her friend, actor Rock Hudson, died in 1985.

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The Two Towers - Just a reminder for when the names are read out, the New Zealand-connected nominees for The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers are ...

The films' producers Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh (who aren't attending), Barrie Osborne (who is) - best picture.

Michael Horton - best film editing.

Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek - best sound.

Ethan Van der Ryn and Michael Hopkins - sound editing.

Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook and Alex Funke - visual effects.

Grant Major, Dan Hennah and Alan Lee - art direction.

INDEPENDENT, REUTERS, STAFF REPORTERS

Where and When

Television: A delayed broadcast of the 75th Academy Awards is on TV3 from 7.30pm. The show is live on Sky Movie Max from 11am and on the E! entertainment channel from early today - though with red-carpet arrivals curtailed there may not be much for regular hosts Joan and Melissa Rivers to work with.