December 20, 2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  John Pavlik - 310-247-3000

Beverly Hills, CA - Academy Treasurer Alan Bergman, who represents the Music Branch on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will chair the 2002 Governors Ball.

The dinner for winners, nominees, presenters and participants of the 74th Academy Awards^® Presentation will immediately follow the annual Awards telecast on Sunday, March 24, 2002, this year from a new location atop the Hollywood & Highland^® complex.

Bergman served as chair of the Ball from 1992 through 1995, and for the past six years has been vice-chair.

"In past years we've had to create an elegant, glamorous and exciting party inside an exposition hall or a tent," Bergman said. "This year we have a brand new ballroom designed specifically for our party. It is going to make a big difference and I know the party will be wonderful."

"The ballroom sits on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland complex, with outdoor balconies overlooking Hollywood Boulevard with a view of Los Angeles," Bergman added. "We'll be using all of that extra outdoor space this year, including the space around the pool of the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, where we'll have a salsa band playing in addition to two bands inside the ballroom. Once again this will be the party of the year."

Bergman and his co-writer wife, Marilyn, have been nominated for the Academy Award 16 times. They are the winners of three Oscars, two for Original Song for "The Windmills of Your Mind" from "The Thomas Crown Affair" in 1968 and "The Way We Were" from the film of the same name in 1973, as well as for Original Song Score or Adaptation Score for "Yentl" in 1983.

The Governors Ball will be held at the Grand Ballroom on the top level of Hollywood & Highland immediately adjacent to the Kodak Theatre, where the 74th Academy Awards telecast will originate on the ABC Television Network, beginning with a half-hour arrivals segment at 5 p.m. (PST), on Sunday, March 24, 2002.

Editors Note: A downloadable photo of Alan Bergman is available online at www.oscars.org/press/photos