Mizzou Students Among 10 Semifinalists Named In Oscars Correspondent Contest

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, announced ten teams of college journalists as semifinalists in the 2011 Oscars Correspondent Contest. Vying for a coveted position on the red carpet at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, video entries from the semifinalist teams are posted online at http://oscars.mtvU.com, where students and other viewers can vote for their favorite college journalists from now until Friday, January 28, at 2 p.m. PT. Meet the two teams from the University of Missouri who are among the list of 10!

Erica Coghill and John Regan

Alex Holley and Ryan Brown

Here’s the complete list:

  • Hofstra University, Long Island, NY – Luz Pena (anchor) and Philip Robibero (videographer)
  • Madonna University, Livonia, MI – Idamarie Tedesco (anchor) and Walid Jaward (videographer)
  • Madonna University – Sara Simnitch (anchor) and Adam Woloszyk (videographer)
  • New Mexico State University  – Brandi Parrell (anchor) and Angela Hardenburg (videographer)
  • New York University – Nataliz Jimenez (anchor) and Carla Bernal (videographer)
  • University of Georgia, Athens – Blake Mitchell (anchor) and David Torcivia (videographer)
  • University of Miami, Florida – Scotty Braun (anchor) and Alexandra Cotoulas (videographer)
  • University of Missouri, Columbia – Alex Holley (anchor) and Ryan Brown (videographer)
  • University of Missouri, Columbia – Erica Coghill (anchor) and John Regan (videographer)
  • University of Southern California, Los Angeles – Sarah Erickson (anchor) and Joel Kutz (videographer)

On February 2, the three teams with the most online votes, and as agreed upon by the Academy and mtvU, will advance to the final round of the competition.  Fans can continue to cast their votes for their favorite team from February 7 to February 18, as they compete for the grand prize.  All three teams will be flown to Los Angeles to cover Academy Awards pre-events, including the Animated Feature Symposium, Foreign Language Film Award media op, the Makeup Artist and Hairstylist Symposium and the Governors Ball preview.

The grand prize-winning team will be revealed on Saturday, February 26, at an Academy press conference.  The anchor and videographer will be awarded a spot on the red carpet for the 83rd Academy Awards arrivals, as well as credentials for access to backstage press rooms.  The winning team’s coverage will be aired on MTV News and mtvU, while the two finalist teams will receive bleacher seats along the red carpet and admission to an Oscar viewing party.

The ten semifinalist teams were selected by the Academy and mtvU from videos submitted for the competition.  The judging criteria included originality, creativity and how compelling the video was overall.  The competition was open to college students who work in teams of two – one anchor and one videographer – and also reside in the United States.

For a complete list of rules and regulations for the Oscar Correspondent Contest, visit http://oscars.mtvu.com.

Voting Is Now Open. Congratulations and good luck to all the students.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

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Source: AMPAS & mtvU

MTV Gets In On The Oscars

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, today announced that Terry Stackhouse and Zach Cusson from Emerson College are the Grand Prize winners for the “Oscar Correspondent Contest.” As part of their prize, they will receive a spot on the red carpet for the 82nd Academy Awards® arrivals on Sunday, March 7, and will have access to the backstage press rooms and the Governors Ball. Oscar coverage from the winning team will be posted on mtvU.com and MTVNews.com the week of March 8.

AMPAS President Tom Sherak was present on Saturday morning to announce the winners right outside the Kodak Theatre. He joked with Stackhouse and Cusson that they had 45 seconds to deliver their acceptance speeches or the music would play them off.

The winning team was selected through a second mtvU online poll and evaluation by a panel composed of Academy staff and professional entertainment journalists. The journalists were Jess Cagle from Entertainment Weekly, Sandy Cohen from the Associated Press and Bonnie Tiegel from “Entertainment Tonight” and “The Insider.”

The runners-up will receive admission to the 2010 Bleacher Fan Oscar Viewing Party, sponsored by Kodak, at the historic El Capitan Theatre. Kodak provided each of the finalists with a Kodak Zi8 pocket video camera and a Kodak EasyShare M381 digital camera.

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 beginning at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Source: Oscars.org