Emerson College Students Win Grand Prize in Academy/mtvU Oscar® Correspondent Contest
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.
