Mention Hollywood Boulevard and anyone who hasn't been here will think of the glitz of film premières and the sparkling Walk of Fame. The reality, however, is a lot less glamorous.

The Boulevard is lined with tacky souvenir shops, cheap clothing outlets, greasy-spoon-type cafés, and offices of the Church of Scientology. Several of the Walk of Fame stars are damaged, there are number of empty building plots and drunks sleeping in doorways. So what's being done to turn things around?

One of two major building developments sees the Oscars returning to Hollywood for the first time since 1960. For the past 30 years, the ceremony has been held at venues several miles away. Until now, the Oscars haven't had their own home, but the Academy has helped to design its own theatre, right across the street from the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where the first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929.

The developers (TrizecHahn) said they were hoping to revitalise the area with a shopping, hotel and entertainment complex at the junction of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Boulevard.

The 3,300-seater Kodak Theatre has been designed for both live and televised events. In the past, TV cameras often blocked the view of the audience.

Seven floors above the grand red-carpet entrance is a plush ballroom where the Academy will stage its post-Oscars Governors' Ball. The rest of the year, the theatre will be used to stage Broadway-type musicals.