To mark the 83rd annual Academy Awards on Sunday, Google is allowing users to take a virtual tour of the event via its earth service.

 The Google Lat Long Blog explains. “Take a virtual tour of the Kodak Theatre in Google Earth — as if you’re actually there! It includes the red carpet, paparazzi and even the Oscar statues.”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has launched an online “All Access” pass for Oscar night on Oscar.com.

Beginning at 3:30 p.m. PT, Sunday, February 27, visitors to Oscar.com will be able to view red carpet arrivals of actors and celebrities via multiple camera angles. During the broadcast on ABC, users can view the backstage “Thank You Cam” where winners make their acceptance remarks.

Disney/ABC Television Group is going all out this year for Oscar.com during the Academy Awards. A representative for the company tells WebProNews that they’re set to deliver "one of the most extensive live, interactive ‘second-screen’ experiences ever offered."

Intrigued? 

The Associated Press said today it is partnering with Livestream to launch AP Live "Oscars Red Carpet," coverage.

AP Live coverage of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards will feature social media elements, on-demand clips, photos and news.

AP Live is available on a Facebook fan page and syndicated to AP publishers and other distribution channels, including AT&T Entertainment.

Considering what’s going on in the world – financial collapses, mine disasters, North Korean missile announcements – celebrity-related matters may be of less importance than ever.  But they’re certainly holding people’s interest – perhaps we can all use the distraction – and Hitwise and YouTube recently acknowledged the issue.

At the end of 2008, it was announced that Consumers Union, publishers of Consumer Reports was acquiring Consumerist.com from Nick Denton’s Gawker Media. Gawker has now dropped its Defamer.com site as its own entity and rolled it into Gawker.com as the site’s "column from Hollywood."

The competition on American Idol is just starting to warm up, but the real heat may not coming from the performances. As evidenced in last week’s Zeitgeist, Google searchers have American Idol contestant Antonella Barba on the brain, and I daresay it isn’t because of her singing voice.

This year’s Academy Awards were particularly sweet for director Martin Scorsese, who received his first Oscar in five nominations for his behind the camera work in The Departed, which was also awarded the Oscar for Best Picture.

Unfortunately for Scorsese, he won’t be able to relive the moment on YouTube or any other video sharing site anytime soon.

Screener copies of movies under consideration for the Academy Awards have been making very illegal debuts online, as a tracking company finds a few of them making the rounds on the Internet.