Katy Perry Makes an Appearance on Good Morning America



Katy Perry made an appearance in Good Morning America earlier today, clad in a sunny, surprisingly demure daisy printed dress to unveil the cover of her next album, "Prism." Good Morning America is also collaborating on the ROAR Katy Perry contest, which calls for high school students to record themselves and their classmates performing their own rendition of Perry’s no. 1 single. The winner’s school will receive a live concert by Perry on October 25, 2013, the singer/songwriter's 29th birthday.

HUGH JACKMAN and the OSCARS

Last year, Oscar statuettes were displayed in Manhattan's Times Square Studios. I made the images above when I visited the display last year. The golden guy known to the world as the Oscar is the real star of Sunday's 81st Academy Awards which will be hosted by HUGH JACKMAN. First-time Oscar host Mr. Jackman received an Emmy Award in 2005 for hosting the Tony Awards in New York. He also won a Tony Award for his role in the hit Broadway show THE BOY FROM OZ. I took the above photo of Mr. Jackman at the stagedoor of the Imperial Theatre in Times Square after a performance in 2004. According to previous reports, Mr. Jackman will open the ceremony with a musical number staged by "Moulin Rouge" director Baz Luhrmann and Tony-award winning choreographer, Rob Ashford. Hollywood is hoping that this year's awards ceremony will draw more viewers and provide a brief escape from hard economic times. Youtube video from saremac.

MEET THE OSCARS

Just like last year, 50 Oscar statuettes are on display at the Times Square Studios at 1500 Broadway at West 44th Street from February 15 through February 23. Tourists flocked to the studios to see the statuettes, and to have their pictures taken while holding an actual Oscar statuette. I took some photos of the exhibit earlier this afternoon. One display showed the statuettes in different stages of manufacturing. The statuettes are made each year by the Chicago-based R.S. Owens Company.The official name of the Oscar statuette is the "Academy Award® of Merit." Each statuette is 13.5 inches tall and weighs 8.5 pounds. Each statuette is made from the britannium and is then plated in copper, nickel, silver, and finally, 24-karat gold. Designed by Cedric Gibbons, the Oscar statuette depicts a knight holding a crusader's sword, standing on a reel of film. The film reel features five spokes, representing the actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers.