This film image released by Sony Pictures shows Daniel Craig in a scene from the film "Skyfall." Telecast producers of the 85th Academy Awards say the show will feature a celebration of the 50th anniversary of James Bond. Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced Friday that the show will pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film franchise, which they describe as “the longest-running motion picture franchise in history and a beloved global phenomenon.” The Oscars will be presented Feb. 24 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Sony Pictures, Francois Duhamel)

Oscars expand social media outreach for 85th show

Published: 05:38:52 PM, Sat 23 February 2013 UTC

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is encouraging celebrities to tweet during the Oscars.

The film organization has expanded its digital outreach for the 85th Academy Awards with a new feature that lets stars to snap photos of themselves backstage during Sunday's ceremony and instantly post them online.

What Twitter calls a "Magic Mirror" will take photo-booth-style pictures of participating stars in the green room and send them out on the academy's official Twitter account. Organizers expect multiple celebrity mash-ups.

The backstage green room is a private place for stars to hang out before taking the stage and is typically closed to press and photographers.

The Magic Mirror is "giving access to fans at home a part of the show they never got to experience before," Twitter spokeswoman Elaine Filadelfo said Friday.

A new video-on-demand/instant replay feature also being introduced Sunday will allow Oscar fans to view show highlights online moments after they happen and share them with friends on Twitter and Facebook. Dozens of clips from the red carpet and the awards telecast will be available on the official Oscar website beyond Sunday's ceremony.

Oscar.com also offers other behind-the-scenes interactive features, including various backstage camera perspectives and a new live blog that aggregates the show's presence across social media. It will track the traffic on whatever makes a splash, like Angelina Jolie's right leg did last year.

The academy wants to make its second-screen experience just as rich as its primary one.

"Social media is now mainstream," said Christina Kounelias, chief marketing officer for the academy.

"We're not doing social media to reach out to young kids," said the academy's digital media director, Josh Spector. "We're doing it to connect with all Oscar fans."

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/APSandy.

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Online:

www.oscar.com

Tags: twitter, bob hope, whoopi goldberg, stars, arts_entertainment, social media, sunday, academy award, los angeles, award, academy award for best picture, oscars, michael caine, kodak theatre, 85th academy awards, motion picture arts, green room, oscar fans, live blog, new feature, official twitter account, multiple celebrity mash-ups, various backstage cameras, behind-the-scenes interactive features, new video-on-demand feature, film organization, magic mirror, digital outreach, photo-booth-style pictures

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