Oscar Night® America Parties in 52 Cities Nationwide

Beverly Hills, CA (RUSHPRNEWS) December 18, 2007-— 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 15th year in 2008.
On Sunday, February 24, 52 cities will host official Oscar viewing parties during the 80th Academy Awards ceremony. The events will feature the live broadcast of the Awards presentation, which will be televised by the ABC Television Network.

“The fact that the ONA program has grown from just two benefit parties – in Minneapolis and San Francisco – to 52 is fantastic,” said Academy Executive Director Bruce Davis. “Sharing the excitement of Oscar Night in a way that aids so many local communities makes the evening that much more special.”
For the first time, Oscar Night America parties will take place in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania; Palm Springs, California; and Springfield, Missouri. The other ONA 2008 locations are Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, Greenville, Hartford, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Omaha, Orange County (CA), Orlando, Palm Beach, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, 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. 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 79th Academy Awards, raising nearly $3 million, all of it remaining in local communities. (Two additional planned parties were ultimately cancelled due to severe weather.) With close to 16,200 guests attending nationwide, ONA 2007 benefited such charities as the American Diabetes Association, the American Red Cross, the Miami Beach Film Society, Ronald McDonald House, Special Olympics, and the Ellie Fund for Breast Cancer Research.
Since its inception in 1994, the program has generated over $20.4 million in funding for a wide spectrum of charitable organizations – every cent staying within the community where it was raised.
For the 15th consecutive year, Concept Marketing Development of Santa Barbara, California, will assist the Academy in coordinating the program.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2008, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
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