Oscars 2.0: Film academy revamps Web site

By Sandy Cohen ASSOCIATED PRESS | Tuesday, January 6, 2009

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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Want to hear Cameron Crowe's thoughts on winning an Oscar or see how king-sized movie posters are assembled? How about a sneak peek at some of the exclusive exhibitions held at the film academy's Beverly Hills headquarters?

It's all at Oscars.org, the newly revamped Web site of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, officially launching Tuesday. Film fans of all kinds are welcome, said AMPAS Executive Administrator Ric Robertson.

"It's for almost anyone with an interest in movies," he said. "Depending on the level of interest, there's something there for just about everybody."

The site is more than an extensive homage to the Academy Awards. Visitors can learn about the academy's vast film and script archives (both open to the public), discover educational programs for young filmmakers, glimpse artwork from upcoming academy exhibitions (Fellini's sketches are on view now) and meet the people who vote on the Oscars via video.

There's also a link to Oscars' YouTube page and a chance to receive automated Oscar trivia questions each day from now until the Academy Awards are presented Feb. 22.

"The Academy Awards is this wonderful, huge phenomenon, and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't know what that is," Robertson said. "In a way, that makes it difficult for us to let the world know all the other stuff the academy does."

That's one of the reasons the organization embarked on an eight-month effort to overhaul its site. The group aims to spread the word about its year-round events that encourage appreciation of movies and the folks who make them in a way that appeals to film fans and filmmakers alike.

"We really serve very distinct constituencies: the research community, journalists and the industry," Robertson said. "But the academy is also an incredibly dynamic organization dedicated to movies, and it has an incredible amount to offer to those who just love movies."

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