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Experiencing Oscar Night® Across America


WEBWIRE

Beverly Hills, CA — Providing Academy Awards® viewers across the country the opportunity to take part in an American tradition, Oscar Night America (ONA), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ grassroots program which enables charities to host glamorous Oscar® viewing parties, will kick off its thirteenth year in 2006.

On Sunday, March 5, 46 charities in as many cities will throw official Oscar viewing parties during the 78th Academy Awards ceremony. The events will feature the live broadcast of the Awards Presentation, which will be televised by the ABC Television Network.

“We created Oscar Night America to let people across the country participate in the excitement that is generated by the Academy Awards,” said Academy Executive Director Bruce Davis. “The fact that the viewing parties benefit local charities is an added bonus.”

This year, two new cities have been added to the ONA roster – Charlotte, North Carolina and Hartford, Connecticut. The other ONA 2006 cities are Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, Greenville, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Omaha, Orlando, Palm Beach County, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Providence, Raleigh, Sacramento, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Tucson and Washington, D.C.

Most parties are black-tie affairs, though some are less formal. Events, for example, have been known to request partygoers to dress up as famous couples, and some feature limousine arrivals, red carpets, local celebrities, photographers or “paparazzi” and press interviews with arriving guests.

In order to set these parties apart from the thousands of other events taking place on Oscar Night, each ONA party receives from the Academy copies of the official commemorative poster and the official Oscar show program.

Only one charity party in a given city may participate in ONA. Events are entirely produced by local non-profit organizations, with the active participation of the local ABC-TV affiliate station.

Last year, 44 charities hosted viewing parties for the 77th Academy Awards®, raising nearly $2.2 million, all of it remaining in local communities. With over 15,400 guests attending, ONA 2005 benefited such charities as the American Diabetes Association, the American Red Cross, the Miami Beach Film Society, the Ronald McDonald House, Special Olympics Texas, and the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation.

Since its inception in 1994, the program has generated nearly $15 million in funding for a wide spectrum of charitable organizations – every cent staying within the community where it was raised, none going to the Academy.

For the thirteenth consecutive year, Concept Marketing Development of Santa Barbara, California, will assist the Academy in coordination of the program.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements for 2005 will be presented on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST.



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