The Academy Awards are approaching with warp speed. This year’s event – 82nd Annual Academy Awards – will be held on Sunday March 7, 2010.
Leading up to the awards, in Las Vegas the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino and American Superstars will host their 19th Annual Reel Awards tonight, Thursday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Theater of the Stars Showroom. With a unique red carpet, filled with faux celebrities, The Reel Awards honors the world’s best tribute artists and impersonators.
The Reel Awards, a high-energy variety show produced by International Celebrity Images, will include comedy, singing, dancing and impersonations by some of the industry’s top tribute artists. 16 Reel Awards will be presented to winners in various categories based on their achievements throughout the year. Emcee impersonators of Dame Edna and Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will offer sidesplitting comedy and parodies. In addition to performances from tribute artists portraying Marilyn Monroe, Julio Iglesias, LL Cool J, Whitney Houston, Selena, Bette Midler, and the Blues Brothers.
Additionally, the winner of the Vegas Tribute Idol competition, held during the Celebrity Impersonator Convention March 2 & 3, will be announced. Donny Moore, will be one of the “idol” judges, selecting one performer to be introduced Friday, March 5th with the cast of American Superstars.
Reel Awards show tickets cost $50, taxes and service charges included. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.thereelawards.com or call (760)318-0460. The Stratosphere Hotel & Casino is located at 2000 Las Vegas Boulevard South. For more information, call 702-380-7777 or toll free at 1-800-99-TOWER (998-6937) or visit www.StratosphereHotel.com.
Times are tough, so how about hosting an Oscar viewing party at your home? Private Oscar viewing parties are quite en vogue and can be just as swank as the actual Academy Awards themselves.
On the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences web site, you can find everything you need to host your own Academy Award viewing party including downloadable Oscar ballots, party play-along games, recipes, cocktails ideas and much more at http://www.oscars.org/partykit
But, if you rather want to be out and mingle among the masses, you might want to check out Avello that will host the Wynn Las Vegas’ first-ever Academy Awards viewing party on Sunday.
Or, if you prefer, Oscar Night America is rolling out their red carpet for a huge Academy Awards party at 4 p.m. on Sunday in the Millan Ballroom at The M Resort & Spa. This Las Vegas event is one of 50 parties officially sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that will be held across the country on Oscar Night, benefiting Variety – the Children’s Charity of Southern Nevada. Tickets are now on sale at the Variety office, 3401 Sirius Ave., Suite 1, Las Vegas, or online at www.varietysn.org, or by calling 702-383-8466.
If you know of other Oscar parties in Las Vegas, please drop Las Vegas Backstage Access a comment note and we’ll post.
Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the 81st Academy Awards on February 22. 
Vegas Backstage Access (VBA) 