by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

Oscar Goes Public?: As If! 

As everyone with a pulse knows, the Academy Awards annual Oscar ceremony is fairly exclusive. They even provide journalists with a list of ways the image of the show can be used and how the material must be presented. But this year, something unusual is happening in Hollywood. Behind the scenes, the Oscar marketing machinery is either missing a cog or has thrown together a whole new internal mechanism for the digital age.

This year, for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards presentation, you are invited to download their iconography. You and a billion other people worldwide.

You have to skim the facts on this one torn from a page of the official voice of the Oscars, just to believe it is true:

Beverly Hills, CA – The iconic symbols that evoke Oscar Night® – including the red carpet, the searchlights, the envelope and Oscar® himself – are center stage in "You’re Invited," the 83rd Academy Awards® marketing campaign unveiled today by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. For the first time, the public is invited to download the artwork to use as wallpaper and profile icons, and to share with friends. The images are available on the Academy’s website, www.oscars.org.

"We are excited by the bold use of these iconic images in the campaign, which people around the world associate with their love for the Oscars," said Oscar telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer.

"You’re Invited" features three distinctly Hollywood images with the fourth being the official 83rd Academy Awards poster which highlights a dramatically stylized Oscar, in keeping with the other images.

Created for the Academy by the creative marketing firm Omelet, the multiplatform, interactive campaign will culminate with the ultimate online watch party on Oscar Sunday, February 27.

Fans may now purchase a limited edition set of four 20x27-inch posters featuring the artwork for $35. The 27x40-inch official poster is also available for purchase for $20. All posters are printed on premium quality, Forest Stewardship Certified paper. These are the only 83rd Academy Awards commemorative items available for sale to the public. Purchases may be made only on the Academy’s website at http://www.oscars.org/posters.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

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 by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

PS, Now we can all rest knowing the Golden Guy will be on our desktops, laptops and cell phones as the winners unfold.

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