Stars to catch 'green' rides to the red carpet

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There will be plenty of glitter and gold, but this year the Oscars will be green.

Hollywood A-listers such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Nicole Kidman will be shuttled to the Academy Awards today in electric sports cars and plug-in hybrids, and the line of limousines waiting their turn to drop stars off at the event will idle on cleaner fuels than ever before.

Staffers who know details of the ceremony were tight-lipped all week, but some Tinseltown insiders have hinted there may be an announcement during the show about just how environmentally friendly the awards are.

"An Inconvenient Truth," former Vice President Al Gore's film about global warming, is favored to win the Best Documentary Feature category. It is also in the running for Best Original Song, with Melissa Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up" nabbing the nomination.

Mr. Gore's name would not be on the Oscar statuette should he win. The honor would officially go to producers Lawrence Bender and Laurie David, and director Davis Guggenheim. Should they win, Mr. Gore would join them on stage for a short thank you, according to press reports.

But sources said the Democrat plans to make news today during the first half of the awards program regardless of whether his film is recognized.

An official Oscar spokeswoman would not comment about whether Mr. Gore will be part of the program, and she wouldn't budge on the secrecy surrounding the eco-friendly Oscar rumors. She would only say environmental awareness was "taken into consideration."

Global Green USA is campaigning to escort the Hollywood elite to the event, with stars arriving in hybrids and electric cars to turn the entrance into a symbolic green carpet.

"By arriving in fuel-efficient green vehicles instead of gas-guzzling limousines, celebrities are helping showcase smart solutions to global warming -- what we drive, as well as how we live," said Matt Peterson, president of the environmental group.

Among the celebrities planning to ride in eco-style is Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio, who said, "It's urgent that we all take steps in our lives to reduce our impact on the environment."