MEET THE OSCARS presented by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) held at Times Square Studios, New York, February 15 - 23, 2008 is an outstanding extraordinary historical free exhibition displaying 50 new Oscar statuettes, 14th Academy Award Oscar won by Gary Cooper (on loan from his daughter Maria Cooper Janis) for Lead Actor in SERGEANT YORK (1941), 79th Academy Award Oscar won by Thelma Schoonmaker for Best Film Editing in DEPARTED (2006), an oversized golden Oscar statue, and a hand held statuette for the public to hold and take photos.

The 80th Academy Awards ceremony for outstanding film achievements of 2007, hosted by Jon Stewart will be held at the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood, California, and televised live by ABC Television Network on Sunday, February 24, 8:00 PM EST. The Oscars will also be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.


MEET THE OSCARS Exhibit included the six Oscar statuette creation process;
In the Raw, Polished, Copper Plated, Nickel Plated, Silver Plated, and 24K Gold Plated statuette.
Oscar statuette creation process stage one In the Raw - hand cast steel from 960 degrees molten Britannia metal, and stage two Polished -
rough seams are sanded off and polished for a bright mirror finish.
Oscar statuette creation process stage three Copper Plated, and stage four
Nickel Plated.
Oscar statuette creation process stage five Silver Plated, (left), and final stage 24K Gold Plated.
Maria Esteves