Tweeters Cast Their Oscar(R) Votes for ‘The Hurt Locker’

Waggener Edstrom Worldwide (WE,) a global
integrated communications agency, has predicted that "The Hurt Locker" will win
over "Avatar" for best picture at The Academy Awards®, according to Twitter
community conversations analyzed by the WE twendz pro(TM) service. The influence
analytics service helps measure brand impact and engage audiences on Twitter,
revealing conversation topics and gauging tenor, themes and drivers of those
conversations.

"In a year where the best picture category has swelled, most of the dialogue has
centered around two films. The buzz created the perfect opportunity for us to
utilize our own tool, WE twendz pro service, to evaluate not only what the
Twitter community is predicting, but who might be influencing that general
sentiment," said Karla Wachter, senior vice president, product development, at
Waggener Edstrom Worldwide. "We identified a clear leader for best picture, and
determined that Roger Ebert, one of the foremost respected film critics, is
leading the discussion -- proof that influence can and is crossing media
channels and mediums."