If you've ever dreamed about your perfect red carpet gown, Channing Tatum has some good news for you. No, sorry, he isn't taking you to the Academy Awards as his date, but he does want to help you get to there on your own, making us love him even more than we already did. On Friday, November 15th, Tatum announced the Team Oscar contest, designed to help college kids who are passionate about film go to the industry's biggest event. In conjunction with the show's producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, Tatum will pick six winners who will be flown to Los Angeles to not only watch the Oscars, but participate in it as a presenter.
"[The producers] wanted to make sure that anyone who walked out on that Oscar stage had a real passion for film, and so that led them to kind of do away with the traditional presenters and find new presenters that had a connection to the future of film," Tatum said.
Any college student over 18 is eligible to enter, they just need to make a one-minute long video explaining how they want to contribute to the future of film. Submissions are due January 5th, 2014, after which Tatum will announce the winners on The Ellen Show.
"When they mentioned it to me, I thought it was such a great idea to get more young people involved," said 2014 host Ellen Degeneres.
The Oscars, while great, can be known for being a bit stifled and dark at times. (I eagerly await the day they let a comedy win Best Picture.) This contest seems like a great opportunity to let a younger generation into the exclusive industry's inner circle.
"I'm really interested to see what they come up with because there are some really creative kids in college right now," Tatum said. (Yeah, take that, Mom. Channing Tatum thinks I'm creative!) "It’s inspiring to see talented young people passionate about movies, and I’m excited to help shine a spotlight on them through Team Oscar. I’m looking forward to viewing and judging the creative videos submitted on Facebook and working with Craig, Neil and the Academy to choose winners who epitomize the next generation of filmmakers."
So get out there and impress Channing Tatum with your creativity, because going to the Oscars is an opportunity that shouldn't be missed.
