Taking full advantage of the visually bold, breakthrough design introduced less than five months ago, CNN.com will provide unprecedented coverage of the Academy Awards on March 7.  Available at www.cnn.com/showbiz, the site’s entertainment section will showcase all things Oscar:  from the excitement on the red carpet to the notorious fashion ‘dos and don’ts’ to the evening’s nominees and statue winners.  
 
Centering its online coverage on providing exceptional access to the most compelling moments from Oscar night, for the first time, CNN.com will stream live video directly on the homepage and on the front page of the Entertainment section.  From 6 to 8pm ET, users who go to www.CNN.com/showbiz will be able to see live coverage from the red carpet, getting a first look at what the biggest stars are wearing as they arrive.
 
CNN.com’s coverage of the 82nd annual Academy Awards also places emphasis on input from and engagement with its audience. An innovative fashion interactive, located at http://on.cnn.com/cxmvNn will enable users to rank the best and worst dressed from the show via “drag and drop” functionality, as well as share their votes with friends on Facebook, Twitter and other social media networks. CNN iReport, the network's user-generated news community, also is asking iReporters to share their pick for who should win the Oscar for Best Picture at http://on.cnn.com/cwo275. 
 
Users can also find the latest Oscar news on CNN’s Marquee Blog at www.cnn.com/marquee and follow minute-by-minute updates from the red carpet via @CNNShowbiz, CNN’s Twitter account for the latest entertainment industry news and information.
 
Finally, the CNN Challenge, an interactive online news trivia quiz, will allow users to test their knowledge by featuring special Oscar-themed questions. Online at http://cnnchallenge.com/, users can test their knowledge of historical Oscar trivia, as well as answer current questions such as ‘What film is tied with “Avatar” for the most nominations, with nine?

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