Oscar Red Carpet

Oscar Countdown 2006 Co-Hosts, Official Red Carpet Celebrity Greeter

Oscar® Countdown 2006 Co-Hosts

Billy Bush, Chris Connelly, Cynthia Garrett and Vanessa Minnillo have been set to co-host the Academy's hour-long red carpet arrivals show "Oscar Countdown 2006" preceding the 78th Academy Awards®. This is the seventh Oscar Night® association for Connelly, the third for Bush, and the first for Garrett and Minnillo. Each correspondent will be trying to capture the thoughts, nervousness and excitement of the nominees as they proceed down the red carpet to what may be one of the most exciting nights of their lives.

Bush is co-anchor of "Access Hollywood." He joined the program in December 2001 as the east coast correspondent and became the co-anchor in June of 2004.

Connelly is a correspondent for ESPN and a contributing correspondent for "20/20." Prior to ESPN, he was an on-air correspondent and editorial director of MTV News.

Garrett was most recently seen as co-host of "Life & Style" and can be seen regularly on HBO. Prior to joining "Life & Style," she spent four years with VH1, where she began her on camera career.

Minnillo is a recent addition to the Entertainment Tonight family as a New York-based correspondent. She also serves as a co-host for MTV's "Total Request Live" and has hosted several MTV specials.

The pre-show will be produced by Dennis Doty and executive produced by Gil Cates. It will air on ABC Television at 4 p.m. PST/ 7 p.m. EST and will segue directly into the 78th Academy Awards presentation at 5 p.m.

 

Robert Osborne to Serve as Academy's Red Carpet Celebrity Greeter

Film historian, television host and Hollywood Reporter columnist Robert Osborne has been selected as the Academy's 2006 red carpet celebrity greeter, Academy President Sid Ganis announced.

Osborne will step into the slot occupied for the past four decades by Daily Variety columnist Army Archerd, who has stepped down and this year will himself be a celebrity guest of the Academy at the 78th Academy Awards.

In addition to writing a column for the Hollywood Reporter, Osborne is the prime time host of Turner Classic Movies and a frequent host of Academy events, both in New York and Los Angeles. In addition, he is the author of the Academy's official history, "75 Years of the Oscar" and hosts Robert Osborne's Classic Film Festival in Athens, Georgia.

"Robert Osborne's taking over this important Oscar night slot is perfect," Ganis said. "He' s a man personally familiar with today's stars, but with a historian's knowledge of the movies and the Oscar ceremonies."

"Army became an institution on our red carpet," Ganis added. "He had done it for so long that no one, including Army, is sure when he started or how long he has introduced celebrities to the bleacher crowds. We don't even have a name for it — it's always been 'the Army Archerd position.'

"But it's a vital position, very important to the creation of an atmosphere of excitement that pervades the Academy Awards red carpet experience. Each time another celebrity arrives and is introduced, a collective roar from the bleacher fans adds another visceral jolt to those arriving on the carpet. We think we've found just the person in Robert Osborne to continue that long tradition for us."

Osborne will be on the carpet for the duration of celebrity arrivals, which are expected to begin about 3 p.m. and conclude at the start of the Oscar telecast at 5 p.m.

Text, photo courtesy AMPAS ©2006

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