OSCARS: Global media descends on Hollywood

The 84th Academy Awards are held at the Hollywood and Highland Center in the heart of Hollywood.Reporters James Li and Maggie Wang from the China Movie Channel.Officers from the Armed Forces Network, above, on the red carpet at Hollywood & Highland.It's three hours and counting until the red carpet outside the Hollywood and Highland Center is hit with ''the swarm,'' in the words of one cameraman busily preparing the busiest few hours of the year for showbiz journos.An international stew of languages can be heard by early-arriving reporters strolling on the red carpet. TV crews from time zones around the globe are sending live shots and hosts are prepping for chaos by studying notes with factoids about the various nominees -- and the names of their significant others.One outlet that boasts the one of the biggest auds for the Oscars is China Movie Channel, which reaches some 700 million households on the mainland. Reporters James Li and Maggie Wang say the Oscars is naturally one of their biggest events of the year. Wang notes that they keep the red carpet coverage focused on ''the films themselves'' rather than fashion and celeb gossip.Another group of reporters drawing attention is the uniformed trio from Armed Forces Network, who have been high-fiving the active servicemembers who are in the front row of the fan bleacher seats.