Secrecy Cloaks Oscar Set, but Here’s a Sneak Peek Anyhow

The elaborate security and code of silence surrounding the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Thursday suggested the Manhattan Project might be inside.

But, a guard insisted, it was just rehearsal for the 71st Academy Awards show.

“They’re not making a bomb in there,” the gray-haired Pinkerton guard said with a wink. “At least they hope not.”

The first day of closed rehearsals for Hollywood’s biggest night had the controlled chaos of a major military operation and more stern-faced gatekeepers than the backstage scene at a Rolling Stones concert.

Six-foot Oscar statues outside were wrapped in black plastic and tape, and the doings inside the venue were treated similarly. The gathered press was admitted to the downtown hall only for a 15-minute, late afternoon glimpse of the gala that will be beamed across the globe on Sunday.

“It’s a closed set this year,” said publicist Eva Demirjian, who added that the security was tighter than in years past to preserve the show’s surprises. “No exceptions.”

But let’s say someone did get in to the all-day rehearsals. What would they have seen on Thursday? If you hate when people ruin surprises, stop reading. Otherwise, here’s a taste of this year’s edition of the Oscars:

* Val Kilmer will hit the stage on horseback to introduce a tribute to Hollywood Western heroes--and it’s not just any horse. “His name is Triggerson, he’s grandson of Trigger,” the actor said, referring to Roy Rogers’ famed steed. Kilmer, whose credits include the western “Tombstone,” explains in his presentation that his San Fernando Valley childhood home was once owned by Rogers.

* In a tribute, a famous director will describe the late Stanley Kubrick’s “vision of hope and wonder, of grace and mystery.” Who makes that speech? Hint: He, like Kubrick, has explored war and alien contact in his work.

* Host Whoopi Goldberg is scripted to joke about Marilyn Quayle, the Village People, Oprah Winfrey and, of course, the President Clinton scandal. (A sample: “‘A Bug’s Life’--isn’t that the Linda Tripp story?”)

* The striking set for the show has a cosmic tone. A half-dome fills the stage and, against a starry night backdrop, resembles a futuristic observatory.

* Some glitches still must be worked out. The sound went out as Anjelica Huston rehearsed her presentation of the Oscar for, ironically, one of the sound categories. Country singer Allison Moorer, nominated for a ballad from “The Horse Whisperer,” was later plagued by “a squeak” as she rehearsed her song a half dozen times.

* Much of the rehearsal was devoted to five young dancers from around the world who will perform. If the group was preoccupied with their looming global audience, it didn’t show Thursday. “Child, be a gentleman, don’t paw her,” choreographer Debbie Allen told one flirtatious dancer before reminding the entire group “not to fidget.”