App: The Oscars

Available: iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad

Cost: Free

5/5 Downloads

All of Hollywood’s brightest stars will gather Feb. 27 for the Academy Awards. But if the night that celebrates the year’s best in films seems too far away, the official Oscar Awards application for the iPod, iPhone and iPad should help kill some time until the big show.

Along with the latest news and video, it crams the entire history of the biggest night in movies into the palm of your hand.

The app gives users two options to explore the history of the Academy Awards. One of the menus, ‘The Academy,’ holds the archives. Named after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the same academy that holds the Oscars, this menu is the place to go for the latest news and notes in anticipation of the big night. Users can read a preview about this year’s two hosts, James Franco and Anne Hathaway, and see videos taken behind the scenes of the making of a film. Right now, users can watch actor and director Jon Favreau talk about how directors use special effects in their work.

The most impressive aspect of the app is ‘The Academy Database,’ which lists all awards, winners and nominees from every ceremony dating back to 1929. Anything from Best Actress to Best Original Song to Best Picture is listed in chronological order. This part of the app is sure to satisfy even the biggest movie buffs.

It isn’t easy to figure out what was the best movie or who was the best actor of the past year. This is also where the Oscars app shines. Users can check out the nominees for all 24 awards by scrolling through the ‘Your Predictions’ menu. Tapping on any one of the categories reveals the list of nominees. Looking through the Best Actress contenders will show a brief summary of an actress’ role in the film. Clicking the Best Picture option will summarize the movie. On top of that, no matter which category the users are looking through, they’ll be able to watch a trailer of every nominated film right off their screens.

As the name of the menu suggests, users can enter who they think will win in the ‘Your Predictions’ portion of the app. Once they decide who they think will take home the little gold men, they can post their predictions online and compare them with other movie fans all over the world. This allows users to see how accurate they are in spotting the winners. The users’ choices can be e-mailed or text messaged to their friends. The app also connects to Facebook and Twitter, so friends and followers can see who they think will win on Oscar night.

As with the vast majority of free apps that are available in the iTunes App Store, there are some banner advertisements that appear near the bottom of nearly every page. They are small and manageable, considering all the information that comes with the download of the official Oscars app. There is so much movie knowledge displayed that the ads can easily be ignored.

So pick up that jumbo tub of popcorn and soda that are way too big for safe human consumption and download the official Oscars app. While you may not be able to make it all the way to Los Angeles, you can still be part of the biggest night in film.

nerivera@syr.edu

Published on February 1, 2011 at 12:00 pm