Phoenix and Clooney go green for Oscars

Stars will arrive at the Academy Awards in hybrid vehicles

SUSAN GOLDMAN / AFP/Getty Images

Joaquin Phoenix, nominated for best actor for his portrayal of Johnny Cash in "Walk The Line," will arrive for the awards in a hybrid vehicle.

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updated 7:07 p.m. ET March 3, 2006

DETROIT - Oscar nominees George Clooney, Joaquin Phoenix and Jake Gyllenhaal are among those expected to step out of green vehicles and onto the red carpet at the Academy Awards ceremony this Sunday.

Jennifer Aniston and supporting-actress nominee Frances McDormand will also be among the 25 VIPs to participate in the fourth annual “Red Carpet, Green Cars” event sponsored by the environmental organization Global Green USA and Toyota Motor Corp. They will arrive in either Toyota or Lexus hybrids.

Event spokeswoman Kathy Kniss said the program began with just four participants in 2002, but interest in fuel-efficient vehicles has grown exponentially since then.

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“There’s a huge, huge following. People are flocking to the hybrids,” Kniss said.

Other automakers are also getting into the act. Ford Motor Co. said Cathy Schulman, the producer of best-picture nominee “Crash,” plans to arrive in a Mercury hybrid, while supporting-actor nominee Gyllenhaal is scheduled to show up in a Ford Excursion powered by clean-burning biodiesel.

The 78th annual Academy Awards air Sunday live on ABC (8 p.m. ET).