Even Oscar can’t fight the Information Age. The 79th Annual Academy Awards has surrendered to the Internet, with a newly renovated Oscar.com. Think on-camera interviews with all 177 nominees, a blog from host Ellen DeGeneres and an Oscar night “Thank You Cam,” through which winners can offer gratitude to anyone they neglected to mention on stage. Think “Find the 79s,” an online game in which those who find all the number 79s hidden in the Oscar broadcast win fabulous prizes.

“We want the Oscars to be a two-screen experience,” said Laura Ziskin, who is producing this year’s broadcast. “I’m big on content, so I want to transmit as much content as possible. The web site is natural.”

Yes, DeGeneres will refer to the Web site throughout the show, and every time the broadcast goes in and out of commercial break there will be another mention.

“Research has shown that viewers of event shows, like the Oscars or the Super Bowl, watch them with their computers right there,” said Bedonna Smith, the show’s creative consultant. “We wanted to expand the experience, to leverage the themes of the show onto the small screen.”

If this year’s ratings turn out worrisome, Ziskin and her team can always supplement them with Web site hits. According to a Disney/ABC spokeswoman, the traffic the site is receiving daily is already much higher than last year.

The Oscar web site makeover comes at a time when traditional media outlets, including television and newspapers, are trying anything and everything to get a share of the YouTube audience. Oscar-related sites and blogs abound, although care must be taken when it comes to names — the Academy owns the copyright to “Oscar” and recently pulled rank on Oscarwatch.com, insisting the site, which has been around for seven years, change its name or be shut down.

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