Movie fans interested in snagging a bleacher seat along the red carpet during the 82nd Academy Awards ceremony are invited to enter an online lottery next week to have a try on their luck, it was announced Thursday.

The online registration will be available at www.oscars.org/bleachers beginning 9 a.m. local time Monday and ending 9 p.m. Sept. 20, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said.

Only 700 bleacher seats are available for the March 7 event. The academy will notify in early October the winners of the draw, and require them to submit additional information for security information and final approval.

According to the academy, as many as 20,000 people have applied online in past years for a shot at the coveted seats.

In addition to sitting along the red carpet prior to the annual awarding ceremony at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, winners will also be invited to watch the live telecast at a nearby private location.

(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2009)