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WASHINGTON (February 15, 2005) – The U.S. Bishops' Communications Committee is urging people to cast their own vote for the Academy Awards.
The Committee, which oversees the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting (OFB), is providing the opportunity to vote on the USCCB Web site at (http://www.usccb.org/movies/oscarvote2005.htm).
The options include voting for Best Actor, Actress, Director and Best Movie of the Year and a handful of other categories.
The chance to vote continues through February 27, the date of the annual presentation of the coveted Oscars, voted on by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The results of the Communications Committee survey will be posted on the USCCB Web site February 28.
The Office of Film and Broadcasting reviewed all of the movies nominated. Reviews include a description of the film, the USCCB classification of each movie's suitability by age group, along with the rating given by the Motion Picture Association of America. In 2004, the office reviewed 225 movies.
New reviews are posted each week on the Web site (www.usccb.org/movies/index.htm) which receives over 20,000 visits each month, with 297,484 total visits in 2004.
Reviews also can be accessed through the CCC Movie Review Line (1-800-311-4222), which received over 76,000 calls in 2004.
"The movie reviews provide moral and ethical guidance for viewers," says Harry Forbes, director of the OFB. "Hollywood hype can be misleading. The USCCB Web site and Movie Line offer critiques on the films' artistic and moral content."
The movie review service is supported by the Catholic Communication Campaign, the U.S. bishops' media program funded by an annual collection in parishes nationwide. Other CCC efforts include sponsorship of TV specials, public service announcements in English and Spanish, and 1-800-MASSTIMES, a toll-free number for travelers.