FANDANGO LAUNCHES "THE FRONTRUNNERS" ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, AS THE FIRST OF SEVERAL ORIGINAL VIDEO SERIES

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Fandango, the nation's leading moviegoer destination, today launched its first original digital video series, "The Frontrunners," hosted by Fandango's Chief Correspondent and one of the nation's leading movie experts, Dave Karger. "The Frontrunners," which will cover the latest news and commentary around awards season, is the first of several original video series to be unveiled in the coming months and is part of Fandango's new strategy of providing moviegoers with a complete entertainment experience around their movie night out. The first three episodes are available for viewing now on the site's "Awards Watch" destination at Fandango.com/AwardsWatch, a one-stop awards season hub.

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"The Frontrunners video series is a great example of our commitment to creating high quality entertainment content for Fandango, further enhancing the movie-going experience for fans everywhere," said Paul Yanover, President of Fandango. "'I'm excited that Dave Karger will be hosting our first show and know that our audiences will enjoy Dave's expert insight and fresh take on this year's hottest movies."

New episodes of "The Frontrunners" (fandango.com/thefrontrunners) will air weekly through the Academy Awards on February 24.  Karger will fill shows with exclusive interviews with A-listers in award contention including Richard Gere ('Arbitrage'), Amy Adams ('The Master'), Ewan McGregor ('The Impossible'), Hugh Jackman ('Les Miserables'), Ben Affleck ('Argo') and Keira Knightley ('Anna Karenina'), as well as offer up his award predictions, day-of-nomination reactions, and Hollywood buzz. The site will also offer ticketing opportunities for the nominated films.

"Since I was a little kid I have been fascinated by the Oscars, so to develop an entire series about Hollywood's awards season has been a dream come true," said Karger. "I hope that 'The Frontrunners' gives Fandango's movie fans an insider's look at what inspires the incredibly talented performers and filmmakers who are at the center of the conversation."

On Fandango's "Awards Watch" destination, movie fans can share in the awards season excitement by offering their own opinions and predictions, as well as participating in surveys on who they think deserves to take home the gold, the award season's biggest snubs and surprises, and more.  "Awards Watch" will also feature a printable Oscar ballot for tallying votes at Oscar viewing parties, weekly polls, red carpet coverage, videos and photo galleries, and a full list of Oscar winners dating back to the first ceremony.

Dave Karger, who recently joined Fandango as the company's Chief Correspondent, is a 17-year movie industry veteran. He most recently was a senior writer for Entertainment Weekly magazine and has served as the Academy's official Red Carpet Greeter for the 2011 and 2012 Oscars.  He is frequently a guest correspondent for national entertainment and news shows, including Access Hollywood and TODAY. While at EW, Karger wrote more than 50 cover stories on Hollywood's A-list celebrities including George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Denzel Washington, Charlize Theron, Halle Berry, Will Smith, Elton John, Kelly Clarkson, and Carrie Underwood.

About Fandango

Fandango, the nation's leading moviegoer destination, sells tickets to more than 20,000 screens nationwide. Fandango entertains and informs consumers with reviews, commentary, celebrity interviews and trailers, and offers the ability to quickly select a film, plan where and when to see it, and conveniently buy tickets in advance. At many theaters, fans can print their tickets at home or receive them as a paperless Mobile Ticket on their smartphones.

Fandango is available online at www.fandango.com, via smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, and at 1-800-FANDANGO. Fandango's top-ranking movie ticketing apps, with nearly 30 million downloads, are available on the iPhone and iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 and many other platforms. Fandango is enjoyed by more than 41 million online and mobile visitors per month. Film fans find Fandango on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fandango and on Twitter @Fandango.

SOURCE Fandango