82nd annual Academy Awards!

I can't quite put the right combination of words together to explain what it's like to be a part of the Oscar coverage, but it's something along the lines of... a surreal opportunity.

Andrew Huse (videographer) and I headed to the Red Carpet for this year's 82nd Academy Awards and took part in the pre Oscar madness! A second year at the Oscars, and I must say it was a success.

This year, Andrew and I took the journey to the Oscars again and put our ideas to the test. Last year we were part of the 1st annual MTVu and Academy, "Oscar College Correspondent Competition," where we placed in the top three in the nation and headed to Hollywood to cover four days of pre-Oscar events. It was an opportunity of a life-time and since we were back on our own to cover the Oscars, I thought it would be interesting to get ahold of this year's College Correspondent semi-finalists and organize interviews with each of the three teams. Andrew set up his newest equipment, I prepared my questions and ideas of where I wanted to take the interviews and we headed to the pool deck of the Renaissance Hotel. I wanted this time with each team in the competition because I could not wait to hear how an opportunity that has opened so many doors for Andrew and I just one year ago, has also changed their lives. I learned that this year's Finalists, Terry Stackhouse & Zach Couson and Runners Up Rachel Berry & Christian Hartnett and Brandon McCaskill & Kiarra Hart, are some great broadcast journalists/video journalists out there who also know what they want in this lifetime, and that is so refreshing. We are so thankful that the Academy recognizes that this competition is a huge chance for students to get their feet wet at an event we hope to cover for major news/entertainment outlets in the future.

On Oscar Sunday, Andrew and I were back in action for the third day straight! We covered the pre-Oscar chaos on the Red Carpet in our formal attire. It was great to catch interviews with Entertainment Tonight's, Mary Hart, while also chatting with Lauren Sanchez, two of my fav anchors in the industry. We locked in our spots when the clock struck 2:00p.m. The celebs began to flood in and we had the opportunity to see the months of planning and preparation come to life. We caught a few stars in passing, interviewed Mo'Nique and other names in the industry, then headed to the Interview Room to watch the show live on big screen T.V.s set up for media access. We were surrounded by hundreds of reporters from around the world as we all worked quickly to blog, tweet, update websites and ultimately keep the public informed on what was happening behind the scenes during the show. Minutes after the winners received their Oscars, they entered the Interview Room to answer more questions from the media. It was great to hear what the winners had to say when all the stress was out the window and they finally held their well-deserved statuette!

At the end of the weekend, when the Oscars were said and done, I had a rush of excitement. The feeling of clear satisfaction in covering the biggest night in Hollywood makes two college students happier and more self-satisfied than any other feeling in the world. You know you absolutely love what you do when you expect nothing more but that feeling of accomplishment.

I love the hype, I love the energy, I love the culture of the Academy and I love the idea of taking my passion for broadcast journalism and practicing what I love...at the Oscars :)

Check back here for our coverage soon!

Fight on,

MT