— On Sunday, March 7, charities in 51 cities will host official Oscar® viewing parties during the 82nd Academy Awards® ceremony as part of Oscar Night America (ONA), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ grassroots outreach program.

The Academy sanctions charities across the country to host celebratory viewing parties on Oscar Night, with proceeds directly benefiting the charities. All parties will feature the live broadcast of the Awards presentation; many will integrate Hollywood-style party elements, including red carpet arrivals, local celebrities, “paparazzi” photographers, predict-the-winner contests and live entertainment.

The 2010 Oscar Night America charities and cities are (alphabetical by city):

• The Center for Family Resources, Atlanta, GA
• LifeWorks, Austin, TX
• AIDS Interfaith Residential Services, Baltimore, MD
• The Ellie Fund, Boston, MA
• Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, NY
• United Family Services, Charlotte, NC
• Virginia Film Festival, Charlottesville, VA
• Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
• People Working Cooperatively, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
• USA Film Festival and KidFilm Festival, Dallas, TX
• Denver Film Society, Denver, CO
• Southgate Community Players, Detroit, MI
• Waterfront Film Festival, Grand Rapids, MI
• Community Theatre of Greensboro, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, NC
• Junior League of Greenville, Greenville, SC
• Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition, Hartford, CT
• Hawaii International Film Festival, Honolulu, HI
• Houston’s Ronald McDonald House, Houston, TX
• United Way of Central Indiana, Indianapolis, IN
• Variety of Greater Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
• Variety – The Children’s Charity of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, NV
• Wolfe Street Foundation, Inc., Little Rock, AR
• Family & Children’s Place, Louisville, KY
• Ronald McDonald House of Memphis, Memphis, TN
• Miami Beach Film Society & Cinematheque, Miami, FL
• COA Youth & Family Centers, Milwaukee, WI
• Aegis Foundation, Minneapolis, MN
• The Belcourt Theatre, Nashville, TN
• American Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter, New Orleans, LA
• NYC & Company Foundation, New York, NY
• Ronald McDonald House of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, OK
• Alzheimer’s Association Midlands Chapter, Omaha, NE
• Variety – The Children’s Charity of Florida, Orlando, FL
• Palm Beach International Film Festival, Palm Beach, FL
• Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, Philadelphia, PA
• Arthritis Foundation Greater Southwest Chapter, Phoenix, AZ
• Film Action Oregon, Portland, OR
• Rhode Island International Film Festival, Providence, RI
• Theatre In The Park, Raleigh, NC
• Central Virginia Film Institute, Richmond, VA
• Capital City AIDS Fund, Sacramento, CA
• Cinema St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
• Utah AIDS Foundation, Salt Lake City, UT
• Special Olympics Texas, San Antonio, TX
• San Diego Film Foundation, San Diego, CA
• California Film Institute, San Francisco, CA
• Starlight Children’s Foundation – Washington, Seattle, WA
• Isabel’s House – Crisis Nursery of the Ozarks, Springfield, MO
• Tampa Theatre, Tampa, FL
• Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation, Tucson, AZ
• American Red Cross of the National Capital Region, Washington, D.C.

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 media 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 52 charities hosted viewing parties for the 81st Academy Awards with more than 16,000 guests in attendance nationwide. More than $3 million was raised, all of it remaining in local communities. Since its inception in 1994, the program has generated nearly $27 million in funding for a wide spectrum of charitable organizations – every cent staying within the community where it was raised.

For the 17th consecutive year, Concept Marketing Development of Santa Barbara, California, will assist the Academy in coordinating the program.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

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ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

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