December 13, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  Tarrah Lee Curtis - (310) 247-3090
                              tcurtis@oscars.org

Oscar Night® Extends
Across America

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 that enables charities to host glamorous Oscar® viewing parties, will kick off its 14th year in 2007.

On Sunday, February 25, 49 charities in as many cities will host official Oscar viewing parties during the 79th 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 of the Academy Awards festivities,” said Academy Executive Director Bruce Davis. “The fact that the viewing parties benefit local charities is an added bonus.”

For the first time, Oscar Night America will host a Latino ONA party in Los Angeles. Three other new locations have also been added to the ONA roster – Indianapolis, Indiana; Norfolk, Virginia; and Richmond, Virginia. The other ONA 2007 locations are Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, Greenville,

Hartford, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Omaha, Orlando, Palm Beach, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Providence, Raleigh, Sacramento, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Tucson and Washington, DC.

Most parties are black-tie affairs, though some are less formal. Event organizers 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.

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 market may participate in ONA. Events are entirely produced by local nonprofit organizations, with the active participation of the local ABC-TV affiliate station.

Last year 47 charities hosted viewing parties for the 78th Academy Awards, raising nearly $2.5 million, all of it remaining in local communities. With more than 16,300 guests attending nationwide, ONA 2006 benefited such charities as the American Diabetes Association, the American Red Cross, the Miami Beach Film Society, Ronald McDonald House, Special Olympics Texas, and the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation.

Since its inception in 1994, the program has generated nearly $17.5 million in funding for a wide spectrum of charitable organizations – every cent staying within the community where it was raised.

For the 14th consecutive year, Concept Marketing Development of Santa Barbara, California, will assist the Academy in coordinating the program.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2006 will be presented on Sunday, February 25, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network at 5 p.m. PST (8 p.m. EST), beginning with a half-hour arrivals segment, “The Road to the Oscars.”

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©A.M.P.A.S.®
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
8949 Wilshire Boulevard Beverly Hills, CA 90211-1972
(310) 247-3000
www.oscars.org
publicity@oscars.org