JEFF MARGOLIS TO EXECUTIVE-PRODUCE "COUNTDOWN TO THE OSCARS(R) 2010"

Jeff Margolis will executive-produce the red carpet arrivals show "Countdown to the Oscars 2010" for the 82nd Academy Awards(R), producers Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic announced today. The show will air on the ABC Television Network Sunday, March 7 at 5:00 p.m., PT, immediately preceding the Oscar(R) telecast.

"We're proud to claim one of the legends of the industry is taking charge of the Oscar pre-show," said Mechanic. "We expect it to be brilliant," added Shankman.

Margolis is an award-winning producer-director with three decades of experience in crafting more than 100 television events. For 12 years he has executive-produced the "Screen Actors Guild Awards," directing the show for the past four. He has been nominated for eight Emmy(R) Awards, six for directing Academy Awards telecasts; he took the Emmy home in 1995 for his work on the 67th Academy Awards telecast. Margolis also won Directors Guild Awards for helming the 62nd and 65th Academy Awards. His other credits include more than 20 "American Music Awards," "Academy of Country Music Awards," "Motown 45," "CBS� 50 Years from Television City," "Michael Jackson One Night Only," "Sammy Davis, Jr.'s 60th Anniversary Celebration" -- for which he won an Emmy as a co-producer -- and "Richard Pryor Live in Concert."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center(R), and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5:00 p.m., PT / 8:00 p.m., ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

About the Academy

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.

For additional information please go the official Oscar website at www.Oscar.com