‘Episode 1: Rolling out the Red Carpet’:

LA is abuzz. Parties, receptions and special events have been in full swing since early January.  Every Venue is fully booked. Who puts on a show better than Tinsel Town? Fashionistas, journalists, photographers and gossip columnists cannot be happier. All the ingredients are here for press grabbing, headliner surprises. Will this be the last year at the Kodak Theatre location? Nothing is sacred. We know it will certainly not be called ‘Kodak’ any more as the company is now bankrupt.

Predicting the outcome of the Academy Awards for the 24 Awards Categories is a favorite sport of many. Even the casual observer cannot avoid some level of participation in Hollywood’s Biggest Night of the Year. Sometimes its a horse race and other times it is clear that certain films seem to have garnered an unusually large number of nominations.

Last year The King’s Speech was a frontrunner.

This year The Artist, a black and white film set to music – a throw back to the silent film era, has snatched up top awards leading to the Oscars.

Of course the big feature films and mega stars capture the spotlight but we also become aware of the extraordinary work of the Documentary filmmakers, animation experts;  the music, short films, costumes, art, special effects and the many other ingredients that are so essential to the world of film.

Documentary filmmakers are a special type of unsung hero, usually deeply committed to their subject, making great personal sacrifices and willing to go to whatever lengths necessary to get the story told.

myETVmedia interviewed Oscar nominees Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger  last year during Oscar Set Up Week, in LA about their war doc Restrepo, Sadly, on April 20^th the world heard the news that Tim Hetherington, Vanity Fair contributor, photojournalist and filmmaker had been killed while on the job as a journalist in Libya.

This year Set Up Week for the Oscars will once again host a special night for the Documentary Feature Length films with a symposium hosted by none other than a man who has exemplified how to get the attention of the public through documentary filmmaking – Michael Moore.