Emerson College Students Win Grand Prize in Academy/mtvU Oscar® Correspondent Contest
Terry Stackhouse and Zach Cusson Earn Spots on Red Carpet for Celebrity Arrivals on March 7
Beverly Hills, CA — 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.
“Terry and Zach made a strong impression among the online voters and with the Academy and mtvU selection panel. We are certain they will represent college journalists well,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “They are in for an experience like no other – the energy and excitement on Oscar's® red carpet is truly unique.”
Stackhouse and Cusson beat out teams of college journalists from across the nation to win this opportunity. The Academy and mtvU selected an initial group of ten semifinalists from the contest entries, then in an online competition and vote, the group was narrowed down to three.
“mtvU is committed to shining a spotlight on top student talent, and Terry and Zach truly demonstrated that they have what it takes to join the ranks of reporters from around the world who descend on L.A. each year to cover the Oscars,” said Carlo DiMarco, Vice President of University Relations, mtvU. ”The mtvU Oscar Correspondent Contest is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these young journalists, and we're thrilled to work with the Academy to make this happen.”
The three finalist teams were flown to Los Angeles, where they have been covering Academy Awards pre-events such as the Animated Feature Symposium, Foreign Language Film Award Nominees Photo Op, the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Symposium, and the Governors Ball preview.
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.”
Runners-up Rachel Berry and Christian Hartnett of Chapman University, and Brandon McCaskill and Kiarra Hart of Florida A&M University earned bleacher seats along the red carpet, where they will be able to watch guest arrivals. They also 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.
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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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ABOUT MTVU
Broadcast to more than 750 college campuses and via top cable distributors in 700 college communities nationwide, mtvU reaches upwards of 9 million U.S. college students – making it the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are: on-air, online and on campus. mtvU programs music videos from emerging artists that can't be seen anywhere else, news, student life features and initiatives that give college students the tools to advance positive social change. mtvU owns and operates the College Media Network, the largest interactive network of online college newspapers in the United States, and RateMyProfessors.com, the Internet's largest listing of collegiate professor ratings.
The College Media Network comprises nearly 600 campus publications, with a combined enrollment of over 5.5 million students, reaching an average of 5 million unique users each month. RateMyProfessors.com reaches approximately 2.9 million college students each month, via the site's more than 6.6 million student-generated ratings of over 1,000,000 college professors. For more information about mtvU, and a complete programming schedule, visit www.mtvU.com.