YO CHICAGO, VOTE MARIA PINTO!

Subject: VOTE! Maria Pinto Oscars

CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING PRESS RELEASE:

I would appreciate your help on an exciting development. And, in these challenging times, it is nice to have the opportunity to focus on more positive matters.

I am forwarding to you an exciting announcement concerning my good friend, Maria Pinto. She has been chosen to participate in the Oscars Designer Challenge. As explained in the following message from her public relations office, she is one of seven designers competing (the original field consisted of over 200 nominees).

We, the public, have a chance to vote and participate in the Academy's decision on the best designer. The winning designer will have her dress/model as the 'trophy girl' during the most watched award show of the year! In a nutshell, here's how you can participate:

The public can vote once a day for Maria's design starting NOW through 5 p.m. on February 17 at:

<http://www.oscar.com/>

Click on Oscars Designer Challenge in the lower left corner of the page.
Please vote (each day for the next seven days!). Also, we would appreciate if you would forward this on to your contact group and ask them to cast votes for Maria Pinto. Please help us send her on to the next leg--THE OSCAR RED CARPET!

Thank you all,

Friends and Family of Maria Pinto


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Mark Davidovich MarkD@Studio-PR.com Maria Pinto In Emerging Designer Competition Consumers can vote at

http://www.oscar.com/

(FEBRUARY 10, 2009) Los Angeles, CA -The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selected Maria Pinto to be one of seven emerging designers to showcase an originally designed gown at its annual Oscars® Fashion Preview. Pinto and others are competing for the chance to have their gown worn on the 81st Academy Awards® telecast. The public can vote once a day for Maria's design beginning at 3 p.m. PT on February 10th through 5 p.m. on February 17 at


<http://www.oscar.com/.


This is Maria Pinto's first time participating in the Fashion Preview held at the Academy's headquarters in Beverly Hills, CA. The designer who receives the most votes will have his or her design worn onstage by one Awards Escort during the Oscar® telecast, which airs live on ABC Sunday, February 22, from the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center®.

Even though Pinto's luxurious women's accessories collection debuted at Bergdorf Goodman in 1991, she debuted her first ready to wear and evening collection in 2004. However most consumers didn't know her name until Michelle Obama started wearing her dresses on the campaign trail in 2007.

For more information about Maria Pinto, log on to http://www.mariapinto.com/ <http://www.mariapinto.com/> or contact Studio PR, 212-696-1321.

Geno Petro