LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Organizers of this year's Oscar telecast promised on Friday the competition will be fierce and the show fast-paced in a bid to boost viewership as box office hits like "Avatar" vie for best film. Sunday's Academy Awards -- criticized in the past as bland, unfunny and even unappealing for a young audience -- is being outfitted with ...

The people behind Sunday's Oscars show are urging people to tune in early for one of the program's best sequences. Bill Mechanic, who is producing the awards ceremony with Adam Shankman, promised "the most dynamic opening, from drama to spectacle to ...

Oscar producers Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic are bridging stage and screen with an advanced, automated set at the Kodak Theatre and a super high-tech program planned for TV viewers. After days of technical tests on their stage setup, Shankman and Mechanic ...