MEET THE OSCARS, CHICAGO Allows You To Hold An Oscar

For the first time, Oscar® fans in Chicago will be able to hold an actual Oscar statuette and have their photo taken at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Meet the Oscars, Chicago." The one-of-a-kind exhibition will open Friday, February 13, at The Shops at North Bridge on Michigan Avenue, and run through Sunday, February 22, the night of the 81st Academy Awards® presentation. Hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free. Chicago is the only city to host a "Meet the Oscars" exhibition this year.

"Meet the Oscars, Chicago" features a display of Oscars in various stages of completion, as they undergo their intricate, weeks-long manufacturing process. Chicago's own R.S. Owens & Company has manufactured the statuettes each year since 1982. Six of the Oscars on display will be presented at next year's Academy Awards ceremony.

Also on display will be the historic statuette that actor Clark Gable won for his performance in "It Happened One Night" (1934). In 1996 an anonymous buyer purchased this Oscar at auction for $607,500. Later that year, the Oscar was returned to the Academy, and the buyer was revealed to be Steven Spielberg.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, 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.

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.