Oscar Statuettes Invade Grand Central Terminal with 'Meet the Oscars' 2/23-2/27

Oscar fans in New York can be first in line to see the actual Oscar statuettes that will be presented to the Best Actor and Best Actress winners at the 83rd Academy Awards® on Sunday, February 27. The statuettes will be part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Meet the Oscars, Grand Central" at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal. The exhibition will open on Wednesday, February 23, with an opening ceremony hosted by Oscar-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg. Public viewing hours are 1-7 p.m. on February 23, and 7-7 p.m. through Sunday, February 27. Admission is free.

"Meet the Oscars, Grand Central" will give movie fans the opportunity to have their picture taken holding an actual Oscar statuette. In addition, the exhibition will feature a display of Oscars in various stages of completion, as manufactured by R.S. Owens & Company in Chicago. The Best Picture Oscar awarded to Billy Wilder for "The Apartment" (1960) will also be on view.

On Friday, February 25, the statuettes designated for this year's Best Actor and Best Actress will make their way back to Hollywood where they will be reunited with the rest of the Oscars to be presented on Oscar Night®.

Visitors who "check-in" at "Meet the Oscars, Grand Central" via the Foursquare app on their cell phone and show the screen to a "Meet the Oscars" staffer will receive an official 83rd Academy Awards poster. Guests who tweet their "Meet the Oscars" photo along with the hashtag #Oscars to @TheAcademy will be entered to win a limited edition 83rd Academy Awards Poster Collection.

Oscar fans in New York can also visit the "Oscars Red Carpet Experience" at 1333 Broadway to take pictures with a virtual Oscar. For more information, visit http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/83/red-carpet-experience.html.

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

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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.