ABOUT JIM PINKSTON ... Jim Pinkston, co-author (with Peter Brown) of OSCAR DEAREST, has managed to combine his vocation as a writer with his passion for the glitz and glamour of show business. His first job out of the University of Alabama, where he earned a degree in journalism, was at the Washington Post. His incipient (two-year) newspaper career was interrupted by a stint in the Navy, stationed in New York City. As a native-born Mississippian, he was dazzled by the Big Apple and vowed to live and work there upon his discharge from the service. Esquire magazine was his first stop where he was head of publicity and worked as a supplier of items to Walter Winchell, Dorothy Kilgallen and other gossip columnists. After four years there, he opted to work in public relations where the pay and perks are more conducive to maintaining a big city standard of living. After four years working as account exec for MG sports cars, he segued to Harshe-Rotman & Druck, then the PR agency for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Oscar-awarding organization headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA. Despite the prospect of working on the Oscar account at Harshe, he succumbed to the lure of Los Angeles and accepted a job there with MG's largest distributor, Qvale Motors. While sports cars and auto racing can, indeed, engender their own kind of adrenalin, it was the excitement of working with a celebrity literary agency that ultimately beckoned. It was at Andrews & Robb that he met Peter H. Brown, his writing partner for OSCAR DEAREST. The two collaborated on stories for the Los Angeles Times, Life magazine, Los Angeles magazine and the tabloids, The Enquirer, The Star and The Globe, among others. When Peter moved to Orange County, Jim returned to work as a literary agent and finally, opened his own agency, representing such clients as the late Sydney Guilaroff, MGM's longtime head of hairstyling and makeup, and Sarah McClendon, dean of the White House press corps. He is also busy as an editor, researcher and fact checker for authors of celebrity biographies, among them J. Randy Taraborrelli and Cathy Griffin. NOTE: OSCAR DEAREST is no longer being published, and is not readily available through mainstream or online retailers. However, several auction sites, as well as some zShops on amazon.com, sell various editions of the title. Jason and Jim recommend checking these sites to obtain copies of the book. Jim Pinkston can be reached via e-mail at Jameswarrenp@aol.com. A Word From Jason O'Brien ... I am very happy to have Jim Pinkston joining me as a contributing editor to my Oscar web site. Jim's book, OSCAR DEAREST, which he co-wrote with Peter Brown, is one of the best, in-depth examinations of the Academy Awards ever written. It looks at the Academy's history from 1927 to 1986, looking at the various scandals, the politics, and some of the more unknown stories of Oscar's past. I feel he provides a wonderful companion voice to my own discussions and articles, as well as illuminating several other issues necessary for a rounded examination of the Academy Awards. I also feel that he provides fascinating insight into some of the frustrations a number of us have had with the Academy and some of its choices over the years. I am honored to have him join me in this particular site on the Oscars, and I encourage you to check out his articles, which he plans to post a couple a month depending on his schedule.