Oscar comes to Hawai'i
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor
Oscar is coming to Honolulu.
'Oscar Night America' will be celebrated in Hawai'i on March 24 at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel's Monarch Room.
The golden statuette, symbol of cinematic achievement in Hollywood and the world over, will be journeying to the Islands, under tight security, to make an appearance at the Hawai'i International Film Festival's Oscar Night America party, from 4:30 p.m. March 24 at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel's Monarch Room.
Honolulu will be one of seven cities visited by the sleek, faceless, clothesless icon.
"We got tired of hearing that the Oscar will be in Buffalo, N.Y., so we called to inquire how we could get a statue here," said Chuck Boller, film festival executive director.
He added that if Oscar were to land in Hawai'i, he'd arrange a welcome fit for ... an Oscar winner.
• A benefit for the Hawai'i International Film Festival • 4:30 p.m. March 24 • Monarch Room, Royal Hawaiian Hotel • $150 for nonmembers; free for those with $500 or $1,000 annual memberships; $75 for new members with $50 sign-up fee • 528-FILM, hiff.org
"We proposed an arrival in an outrigger canoe, off the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and a lei when it hit the beach," Boller said.
'Oscar Night America'
The folks at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences suddenly got interested, even hinting (though it's not yet confirmed), that the beach arrival could be integrated into the ceremony for the 74th annual Academy Awards, telecast on ABC, that will originate from Oscar's new home at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
Oscar's arrival by sea is tentatively set for 10 a.m. Saturday. (Oscar travels early, to allow a maximum of promotional possibilities.) That's now being worked out with the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. In Orlando, he will arrive by helicopter; in Tucson, it's a stagecoach. The official Oscar also will be delivered to Charlotte, N.C.; Las Vegas; Oklahoma City; Orlando, Fla.; Tucson, Ariz.; and Washington, D.C.
Honolulu will be one of 38 cities holding Oscar Night America parties, and one of seven to get a real Oscar as part of the hoopla.
The event, part social hour, part TV-viewing, enables celebrants to nosh and sip drinks while the ceremony unfolds in Hollywood and participate in guess-the-winners contests.
The Oscar Night America program, usually involving red-carpet parties with local celebrities, enables host organizations to raise money. Since 1994, about $7 million has been raised nationally with hometown Oscar celebrations; all money stays in the host cities.
"Oscar Night generates excitement all over the world," Boller said. "With the academy's help, our guests will feel like they are part of the A-list."
In each city Oscar visits, he is closely guarded by security experts provided by the motion picture academy. After his journey to the seven selected cities, Oscar returns home to be stored till 2003, when he may become one of the prizes presented to a winner in the milestone 75th anniversary Academy Awards.
