Seth MacFarlane will host the 85th Academy Awards, telecast producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced ealier this week. This will be MacFarlane’s first appearance on Oscar’s stage. The 85th Academy Awards will be broadcast live on Oscar Sunday, February 24, on the ABC Television Network.

“We are thrilled to have Seth MacFarlane host the Oscars. His performing skills blend perfectly with our ideas for making the show entertaining and fresh,” said Zadan and Meron. “He will be the consummate host, and we are so happy to be working with him.”

“It’s truly an overwhelming privilege to be asked to host the Oscars,” said MacFarlane. “My thoughts upon hearing the news were, one, I will do my utmost to live up to the high standards set forth by my predecessors; and two, I hope they don’t find out I hosted the Charlie Sheen Roast.”

“Seth is unbelievably talented,” said Academy President Hawk Koch. “We couldn’t be happier with the creative team we’ve assembled. With Craig, Neil, and now Seth, we’re off to a great start.”

MacFarlane made his feature directorial debut this summer with the box office success “Ted.” He also co-wrote and produced the film, and voiced the title character. “Ted” has brought in over $420 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films of the year.

MacFarlane is the creative force behind the television series “Family Guy” and co-creator of “American Dad!” and “The Cleveland Show. “In September he hosted “Saturday Night Live” for the first time, for the show’s 38th season premiere. An accomplished live performer, MacFarlane has played to sold-out audiences at London’s Royal Albert Hall and New York’s Carnegie Hall.In 2011 he released his debut album, “Music Is Better Than Words,” which earned two Grammy nominations. He also has earned 13 Emmy nominations and won two for his work on “Family Guy.”

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. Don Mischer will direct the telecast for the third consecutive time. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Image Courtesy of  Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

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Movie fans can soon vie for seats at the most glamorous spot on Hollywood Boulevard, Oscar’s Red Carpet.

Beginning on Monday, September 24, at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT fans from around the world may enter online for a random drawing for bleacher seats along the 85th Academy Awards red carpet.

There are only 700 seats available on the 500-foot-long walkway that leads into the DolbyTM Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. Those who are selected will watch and cheer Oscar nominees, presenters and other ceremony guests as they arrive at the 85th Academy Awards on Sunday, February 24, 2013. In addition to seats, winners of the Oscar Fan Experience will be invited to watch the Academy AwardsJ at a nearby theatre and will receive a fan gift bag.

The entry form will be available at http://meteor.sparklist.com/t/2645263/4493749/3393/24/. The application process will close on Friday, November 16, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. In previous years, as many as 20,000 fans have entered the drawing for the limited number of red carpet seats.

To be eligible for the drawing, an individual must complete the entry form in its entirety. Entries must be submitted online; they may not be returned via any other method. Duplicate entries will not be accepted.

Those whose names are selected in the random drawing will be notified in November. They will then be required to submit additional information for security purposes prior to final approval. Eligible attendees will receive a confirmation letter in early January with information pertinent to the event. The Academy will not be responsible for securing travel and/or hotel accommodations for winners of the Oscar Fan Experience.

Only those individuals who have been pre-approved by the Academy will have access to the bleachers.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatr at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Image Courtesy of   Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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Acclaimed motion picture, television and theater producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will produce the 85th Academy Awards, Academy President Hawk Koch announced last month. This will be the duo’s first involvement with the Oscars. The 85th Academy Awards will air live on Oscar Sunday, February 24, 2013.

“Craig and Neil are forward thinkers who bring a unique perspective to the Oscar show,” Koch said. “Their enormous collective talent, coupled with their love of film, serves our show perfectly.”

“We are very excited to collaborate with Hawk and everyone at the Academy to produce this year’s Oscars,” said Zadan and Meron. “We hope to utilize our experience in producing features, TV and theater to bring something fresh and special to this incredible awards show. When we filmed ‘The Bucket List,’ we made our own personal bucket list, and producing the Oscars was #1. It’s truly a great honor.”

“Craig and Neil have great talent relationships and bring an infectious energy to the production,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.” They are creative producers in the best sense of the word.”

Zadan and Meron served as executive producers on the 2002 Best Picture winner ‘Chicago’, which won Oscars in six of the 13 categories in which it was nominated. Their credits also include the features ‘Footloose’ (2011), ‘Hairspray’ and ‘The Bucket List.’

Zadan also produced the original ‘Footloose’ (1984).

Zadan and Meron’s work in television includes the series “SMASH” and such movies as ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ and the upcoming ‘Steel Magnolias’.

For Broadway, they recently produced the Tony Award winning revivals of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Promises, Promises.”

Their work has amassed 73 Emmy nominations; 12 Tony nominations; and seven Grammy nominations.

The 85th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Image Courtesy of Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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