Three Finalists Named in Academy/mtvU Oscar® Correspondent Contest

Student Teams from Chapman University, Emerson College and Florida A&M University head to Los Angeles for Oscar Week

Beverly Hills, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, today announced that three teams of college journalists have advanced as finalists in the 2010 Oscar Correspondent Contest. All three teams will head to Los Angeles for Oscar Week as they compete for a coveted spot on the red carpet at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards®. The finalists are (listed in alphabetical order by university):

* Chapman University, Orange, CA – Rachel Berry (anchor) and Christian Hartnett (videographer)
* Emerson College, Boston, MA – Terry Stackhouse (anchor) and Zach Cusson (videographer)
* Florida A&M University, Tallahassee – Brandon McCaskill (anchor) and Kiarra Hart (videographer)

New videos from each finalist team, along with the original entry videos, are now posted online at http://oscars.mtvu.com for a final round of online polling through Tuesday, March 2 at 2 p.m. PT.

All three teams will cover Academy Awards pre-events in Los Angeles, including the Animated Feature Symposium, Foreign Language Film Award photo op, the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Symposium and the Governors Ball preview. Teams will post their video coverage of these events online at http://oscars.mtvu.com for the public to view.

The Grand Prize team will be revealed on Saturday, March 6, at an Academy press conference. The anchor and videographer will be awarded a spot on the red carpet for the 82nd Academy Awards arrivals as well as access to the backstage press rooms. The two runner-up teams will receive bleacher seats along the red carpet and admission to an Oscar viewing party.

The three finalist teams beat out seven other teams of college journalists as selected by the Academy, mtvU, and by votes. The Oscar Correspondent Contest was open to teams of two college students, one anchor and one videographer, residing in the United States. For a complete list of rules and regulations, please visit http://oscars.mtvu.com.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.