The Academy Awards---I Want In

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

So, you want to hobnob with the stars during Hollywood's biggest party? Dreams are great to have aren't they? (Pardon the sarcasm.) Seriously, though, who hasn't dreamed of walking down Oscar's red carpet while flashbulbs explode in every direction and rubbing elbows with Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman or Steven Spielberg? Unfortunately, the granddaddy of all award shows is an invite-only affair and unless you somehow, someway become the next Jennifer Hudson, date the next Ryan Gosling or parent the next Abigail Breslin you'll likely have to settle for a front row seat... in front of your TV.

Then again, maybe not. If you watced last night's telecast you may remember hearing Oscar hostess Ellen DeGeneres quip that there was such a racially diverse group of nominees this year that the only Americans in the Kodak Theatre were seat fillers.

Seat fillers? My ears suddenly perked up. Hmmm... could this be the way an average fan could go cheek-to-cheek (sorry) with Hollywood's biggest names? Here's what I found out:

The Kodak Theatre employs approximately 250 men and woman for the role of seat fillers. All you have to do is stand at the ready and sit when a star needs to stretch his or her legs. As a former seat filler once said: "Basically, your job is to maintain the seamless sea of smiling faces." You can sign up for the chance of a lifetime by clicking here. Sadly, though, the reality is that Academy staffers generally reserve the highly sought after assignments for their own family members.

If you don't mind standing most of the night you could consider applying for the job of an Oscar usher, though the odds of getting the gig are stacked against you. The Kodak Theatre has 40 ushers working during the Oscars. But, again, these plum roles are typically reserved for the theatre's existing staff.

Your best bet: Bleacher Seats. Okay, so you don't get to stroll down the red carpet, but you may still get to rub elbows with the likes of John Travolta and Will Smith. There are 600 bleacher seats that line the red carpet--all are filled by lucky members of the general public who are chosen at random from the thousands of applications filed on the Academy's website. The lottery lasts for only seven days in September and winners are notified in October.

Good luck!

Related Articles:

Oscar-The Day After

Oscar Glam: The Million Dollar Massage

Traveling to the Academy Awards

Creating Your Own Red Carpet Moment

Preparing For Your Own Red Carpet Moment

Martin Scorsese-Could This Be It?

Oscar Trivia

This Year's Academy Awards

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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