USA: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveils "Meet the Oscars," an interactive exhibition of fifty of the coveted film awards

Who said working hard for years in the film industry is the only way to get your hands on an Oscar? Fifty of the golden statuettes go on display in New York and Los Angeles, giving the public a chance to accept an Academy Award -- for a little while at least. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveils "Meet the Oscars," an interactive exhibition of fifty of the coveted film awards, allowing members of the public to see and even hold the famous statuettes. Opening in Los Angeles on Friday (February 10), "Meet the Oscars" puts on display the awards that will be handed out at the February 25 ceremony, and also gives viewers the chance to show off their movie trivia skills. "This year, because our campaign deals with famous movie quotes, we kind of stuck with that and had a lot of fun with the quotes from film history, and also brought in some electronic kiosks so people can kind of play some trivia games and have a little bit more fun with it, so it's got a little bit more lively feel I think, and also, a nice sleek look just like the poster," says Randy Haberkamp, Director of Special Projects for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Also on display at the exhibition are Katherine Hepburn's four Oscars, a gift to the Academy from her estate. Hepburn, who won her first Best Actress Oscar in 1933 for "Morning Glory," never attended a ceremony during the years she was nominated due to a dislike of public outings. As a result of her stage fright, Hepburn never got the chance to make an Oscar acceptance speech -- something Los Angeles tourist Carolyn Watson wouldn't let happen to her. "I was like, well who would I thank if I had the opportunity to really thank someone, so naturally, everyone always thanks their mom or dad or the producers, and then someone that was significant in your life, and so, it was my third grade teacher, and I would thank my third grade teacher, so that was why I had my speech made out the way it was," says Watson. Every year, millions of tourists from around the world travel to Los Angeles to see their favorite stars' handprints in cement, stroll down the Hollywood walk of fame, or tour movie studio lots to get a background peek into the film industry. Now they can take pictures to prove to friends back home they got preferential treatment in the capitol of the entertainment world. "It was just absolutely unbelievable, it's just been a couple of days in LA, on a trip around the world, we couldn't believe when we arrived here that we'd have the opportunity to actually hold an Oscar, it's just a dream come true really. Just made our year and our holiday around the world. Brilliant, absolutely amazing," says Los Angeles tourist Bob Green, on holiday in the states from the United Kingdom. Adds his wife, Janet, "It's amazing -- it's something that you never think you are going to do -- an ordinary person sort of coming along and being able to do that sort of thing, it's great. It's brilliant" Each Oscar weighs in at just over eight pounds and stands about thirteen inches tall. Handmade annually by R.S. Owens & Company in Chicago, the statuettes are made of britannia, a metal alloy, and are plated in copper, nickel, silver and 24-karat gold. "Meet the Oscars" is on display in Los Angeles until the day before the 79th Annual Academy Awards ceremony on February 25. A sister exhibition in New York, featuring the fifty awards that will be handed out at next year's ceremony opened on Saturday (February 10).

ITN Source | February 15, 2007

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