MEDIA CONTACT Natalie Kojen [email protected] April 6, 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ACADEMY TO PREMIERE NEW RESTORATION OF 1963 MUSICAL COMEDY "BYE BYE BIRDIE" BEVERLY HillS, CA - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will premiere a new digital restoration of "Bye Bye Birdie" on Wednesday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Hosted by film critic Stephen Farber, the evening will feature a Digital Cinema presentation with a newly restored 4- channel stereo soundtrack, followed by an onstage discussion with special guests Ann­ Margret and Bobby Rydell. Just five years after Elvis Presley was drafted into the army, the satirical "Bye Bye Birdie" had already been written, staged on Broadway, and turned into a film . When singing sensation Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson) is drafted, songwriter Albert Peterson (Dick Van Dyke) and his girlfriend, Rosie Deleon (Janet leigh), arrange for Birdie to sing one of Peterson's songs in a farewell performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." To heighten the drama, the rock 'n' roll star is to give a goodbye kiss to a lucky young lady (Ann-Margret) from a small Ohio town - much to the dismay of her steady beau (Rydell) and parents (Paul Lynde and Mary LaRoche). Directed by George Sidney, this vibrant adaptation of the successful Broadway musical comedy earned Oscar" nominations for both Music and Sound, and features a range of songs, from the youthful "A lot of Livin' to Do" to the parentally angled "Kids. " For updates on special guests, visit www.oscars.org. .