This Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST, Ted Mann and I will join TV reporter Karen DePodwin for a live RNN segment about Sunday’s Academy Awards. I’ll be wearing my tux for only the third time since my senior year in college, so the comedic value of that alone might be worth the tune-in. Here’s a preview of one of the topics slated for discussion.

Stars with a connection to the Lower Hudson Valley have done very well for themselves at the Oscars over the years, and 2008 is no exception.

Eight-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken, a New Rochelle native and North Salem resident, has been nominated three times for his songs from the Disney movie “Enchanted.” He took home his first two trophies for Best Song and Best Score for “The Little Mermaid,â€? and his most recent ones were in the same categories for songs from “Pocahontas.â€? In total, he’s been nominated for a whopping 18 Oscars, but hasn’t won one since 1996.

First-time nominee and sentimental favorite Ruby Dee, a New Rochelle resident, is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her part in “American Gangster,” starring Mount Vernon native Denzel Washington and former Nyack dweller Russell Crowe—both of whom are Oscar-winners themselves.

LoHud also has at least two representatives in the Best Documentary/Short Subject category, including Ossining High School alumnus Francisco Bello (for “Salim Baba”) and former Croton-on-Hudson resident Cynthia Wade (for “Freeheld”).

After the break, check out a list of some other prominent current and former residents of the Lower Hudson Valley who have won or have been nominated for an Oscar in the last 30 years.

Note: This is by no means a comprehensive list, but feel free to add other LoHud notables (and their specific connections to the region) in the comments section below!

Academy Award wins:
•Russell Crowe (former Nyack resident) - Best Actor for “Gladiator,� which also won Best Picture.
•Jonathan Demme (Nyack resident) – Best Director for “Silence of the Lambs,â€? which also won Best Picture.
•Mel Gibson (born in Peekskill, raised in Verplanck) – Best Director for “Braveheart,â€? which also won Best Picture.
•William Hurt (Piermont resident) – Best Actor for “Kiss of the Spider Woman.â€?
•Angelina Jolie (former Sneden’s Landing resident) - Best Supporting Actress for “Girl, Interrupted.�
•Kevin Kline (Garrison resident) - Best Supporting Actor for “A Fish Called Wanda.�
•Barbara Kopple (raised in Scarsdale) - Two Oscars for Best Documentary (“American Dream� and “Harlan County, U.S.A.�)
•Ang Lee (Larchmont resident) - Best Director for “Brokeback Mountain.�
•Al Pacino (Sneden’s Landing resident) - Best Actor for “Scent of a Woman.�
•Tim Robbins (Pound Ridge resident) - Best Actor for “Mystic River.�
•Susan Sarandon (Pound Ridge resident) - Best Actress for “Dead Man Walking.�
•Denzel Washington (Mount Vernon native) – Best Actor for “Training Dayâ€? and Best Supporting Actor for “Glory.â€?

Academy Award nominations (excluding winners listed above):
•Glenn Close (Bedford resident) - 5-time Oscar nominee (3 for Best Supporting Actress, 2 for Best Actress).
•Matt Dillon (raised in Mamaroneck) - Best Supporting Actor for “Crash,� which won Best Picture.
•Dan Futterman (raised in Mamaroneck) – Best Adapted Screenplay for “Capote.”
•Lasse Hollström (Bedford resident) - Best Director for “The Cider House Rules� and “My Life as a Dog�; Best Adapted Screenplay for “My Life as a Dog.�
•Bill Murray (Sneden’s Landing resident) - Best Actor for “Lost in Translation.�
•Debra Winger (Irvington resident) - 3 Best Supporting Actress nominations (“Shadowlands,� “Terms of Endearment� and “An Officer and a Gentleman.�)

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)