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Don't call it "Kodak"! The Academy Awards don't have a new home, but their home has a new name. Monday, Kevin Yeaman, President and CEO of Dolby Laboratories, officially unveiled the new Dolby® Theatre™ in Hollywood.
From the outside, it appears the change is in name only, but inside, we're told "the theater has been transformed with revolutionary new Dolby® Atmos™ sound technology and Dolby 3D," which ups the venue's status for big time entertainment events.
Speaking of, the first event set for the theatre (which was awkwardly referred to as the "Hollywood & Highland Center"during this year's Oscars ceremony) is the premiere of Disney/Pixar's "Brave" on June 18. Starting with the 2013 Oscars, the Academy Awards will remain at the Dolby Theatre for 20 years.
We're hoping the name will stick--it's tough when businesses' names go on venues, and then go kaput--but we agree with Deadline Hollywood that remembering to say Dolby is going to take a little time:
So, How Many Years Before We Stop Calling The Dolby Theatre The Kodak By Accident? http://t.co/AJBbKlk3
— Nikki Finke (@NikkiFinke) June 12, 2012
We've also heard that the signs on the 101 Freeway are already pointing the way to the Dolby, and not the Kodak. Ch-ch-changes!