REDMOND, Wash., March 20, 2002 — While the nominees decide on red carpet attire and acceptance speech accolades, movie buffs are looking to gain a competitive edge for their Oscar® pools. Today, acclaimed movie critic Richard Roeper divulges his Oscar picks during his guest appearance on
“OutSmart™ ,” the Internet’s most popular celebrity-based trivia game, available on Zone.com, the exclusive MSN® games channel.
Match Oscar wits with acclaimed film critic Richard Roeper on “OutSmart,” the Internet’s most popular online celebrity game show at
“Challenging Richard Roeper, and listening to his picks during the game, gave me the upper hand for my Oscar party this year,”
said Chris Di Cesare, executive producer of
“OutSmart”
at Zone.com.
“This episode truly showcases the essence of the game, allowing fans to get a sneak peek into a celebrity’s life while engaged in an interactive trivia experience.”
During the show, Roeper raves about Ben Kingsley’s performance in
“Sexy Beast”
and Nicole Kidman’s work in
“Moulin Rouge”
while calmly deflecting fast-paced Oscar trivia questions posed by
“OutSmart”
host Tim Parker. Produced by games industry leader Zone.com,
“OutSmart”
is a free* online game show that pits players directly against a celebrity in trivia related to the celebrity’s own career. The game’s unique audio component allows players to interact with celebrities such as Roeper, who will defend his Oscar picks during the show. Internet users can now play the
“OutSmart”
Richard Roeper episode exclusively at Zone.com ( http://www.zone.com/ ) and find out who he thinks will take home an Oscar.
Players may have reason to believe they can indeed outsmart this movie expert — Roeper didn’t place
“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
on his top 10 list, and it’s nominated for 13 Oscars. However, if Roeper does win, like most celebrities he’ll want to thank everyone, including his parents, the host, the producer … and even the key grip.
Past
“OutSmart”
celebrity guests include TV vixen Jessica Alba, director John Landis, actor Clint Howard, country musician Garth Brooks, Latin sensation Shakira, Olympic gold medalist Dan Jansen, pop singer and actress Mandy Moore, techno superstar Fatboy Slim and members of *NSync. All episodes are playable exclusively in the
“OutSmart”
Gallery on Zone.com.
About Zone.com
Zone.com, the MSN exclusive games channel, is the largest multiplayer gaming site on the Internet, with 29 million registered members around the world, more than 140,000 concurrent users at peak times, and in excess of 130 games available for play. The Zone offers free* membership and a wide variety of games, including card, board and puzzle games, free* matchmaking for popular CD-ROM games, and premium games.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
* Local and long-distance telephone toll charges may apply.
Microsoft, OutSmart and MSN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
ACADEMY AWARD(S)® , OSCAR(S)® , OSCAR NIGHT® and OSCAR® statuette design mark are the registered trademarks and service marks, and the OSCAR®
statuette the copyrighted property, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. Journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team for additional assistance.
