Awards

The second screen: your backstage pass to this year’s Oscars

By Natan Edelsburg 

By now, most people know that Seth McFarlane will host the 85th Academy Awards this Sunday night. But as Joan Rivers proved, the pre-show and all happenings behind-the-scenes are just as important to viewers. This year, actress Kristin Chenoweth, Entertainment Weekly Managing Editor Jess Cagle, and Good Morning America’s Lara Spencer will host the official pre-show, and each made the announcement via Twitter. Also, in a big surprise announcement, Robin Roberts also tweeted that she would be making her return to TV to help co-host.

Complementing the telecast is Backstage Pass, a second screen Oscar experience accessible via Oscar.com and the official Oscar app. For red carpet fashion lovers, second screen use is a must. The Backstage Pass, sponsored by Samsung, will feature 20 live cameras places around the red carpet, and will be hosted by  Mashable’s Brian Hernandez, The View’s Sherri Shepherd, television personality Cameron Mathison, Modern Family’s Rico Rodriquez, [Manny Delgado], Entertainment Weekly’s Jess Cagle, and PEOPLE’s Peter Castro. PEOPLE will sponsor the Oscars Fan Experience, with Castro and Rodriquez co-hosting.  They will provide social feedback as celebs walk the red carpet.

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The second screen experience will give fans access to host Seth MacFarlane and the producers as they prepare for the show, along with information about nominees. Fans can also fill out a ballot with their picks, which they can then share to Facebook. The ballot will update in real-time, allowing for comparison among Facebook friends.

Here’s how the hosts made the announcement:

 

 

 

While the actual Oscar decisions aren’t yet open to social media, this is sure to be the most social telecast of the event yet.

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