With such an extraordinarily talented list of nominees in line for this year’s Oscars, the competition is sure to be nail-bitingly close. With just a couple of days left for the Oscars, everyone is waiting with bated breath to know who will take home the golden statuette this year.
Besides being the most prestigious and glamorous Hollywood events, Oscars have had its fun and big blunder moments that we can never ever forget. From calling out the wrong names for Best Picture to taking selfies with the biggies of the West, this awards night is indeed a starry affair. While you might have been following it for years now, waking up early to watch it live in India, we bet there are many facts about the Oscars that might leave you stunned. Here’s a list of 12 fun facts about the Oscars aka The Academy Awards.
It cost peanuts to attend the first Oscars
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The Oscars might look glamorous and amazing, but the very first ceremony in 1929 was small private affair held at Roosevelt Hotel – and a ticket cost just $5.
What Did The Oscars Winner For Best Actress In 1929 Show Up In?
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While today what they wear makes the news, this wasn’t the scene always. The difference was so much that the winner for Best Actress, Janet Gaynor, came dressed in an off-the-rack skirt, top, and scarf.
Walt Disney Has Won 22 Academy Awards From 59 Nominations
Shirley Temple in 1939 presenting Walt Disney with a Special Award and seven miniature statuettes at the Biltmore in downtown LA during the 11th Academy Awards. Disney was being recognized for producing “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, the first full-length animated feature.
In its 9-decade history Walt Disney has won the maximum awards. In total out of 59 nominations he won 22 competitive Oscars and 3 honorary ones. In fact, he was nominated once every year for almost two decades between 1942 and 1963.
First Color Movie
(c) Selznick International Pictures
Well, this film did change many lives and made many love stories. The classic Gone With the Wind (1939) was the first color movie to win the Best Picture Award.
Posthumous Awards
Heath Ledger and Peter Finch are the only two people who have won an Oscar posthumously.
Peter Finch in 1976 and Heath Ledger in 2009.
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A 20-Year Wait
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In a strange turn of events, Charlie Chaplin’s movie Limelight, which was produced in 1952, won an Academy Award in 1972—20 years after its first release. According to the Academy’s rules at the time, a movie could not be considered for an Academy Award until it had played in Los Angeles. When Limelight finally played at a theater in Los Angeles in 1972, it became eligible for an award.
The Academy Likes To Hand Out Fake Oscars
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Prior to the main night, rehearsals are organised where all the celebrities and nominees come in. They practice their lines, the awards are announced and an award is given. A set of dummy envelope is prepared to mention each nominee’s name. And as it’s a practice event, even dummy Oscars of plaster are made and given out.
Women Making History
While the Oscars is a lot of things, one thing it has always been accused of is having a lack of diversity- from gender to colour. In the history of 90 years, Greta Gerwig is only the fifth woman to be nominated for Best Director this year. The only woman to win an award in this category was Kathryn Bigelow for Hurtlocker in 2010. If Greta Gerwig wins this year, she will be the second woman to win an Oscars for Best Director.
And Rachel Morrison is the first woman ever to be nominated for cinematography. It would be interesting to see if they make the history this year.
(c) Twitter
The Statuette Weighs More Than You Can Ever Think Of
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Most of the first time winners always comment that they didn’t think the statuette would be so heavy. In all actuality, the Oscars statuette stands at 13 1/2 inches tall and weighs 8 1/2 pounds. It depicts a knight, holding a sword, standing on a reel of film which has five spokes, representing the 5 original branches of the Academy–actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers.
Halle Berry: First woman of colour to win the Award
On this day in 2002 Halle Berry was presented the Oscars for Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in “Monster’s Ball”. #HalleBerry #MonstersBall #Oscars
Halle Berry was the first black woman to win an Oscars for Best Actress in 2002 for her movie, Monster’s Ball. It was an overwhelming moment for the entire community. However, till date she is the only woman of colour to win an Oscars in this category.
The Academy Awards Was Robbed…Like Literally
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Not many know but in 2000 the Academy was actually robbed. It happened when two men stole crates which were filled with 55 Oscars statuettes. All but three of the trophies were recovered after the crates were found thrown in the trash box.
Time When Oscars Winners Were Announced In Advance
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Initially, the Academy used to keep the names of the winners under a wrap. However, an exception was made for the newspapers, so they could publish the list out at 11 p.m. But things changed when in 1940 LA Times published the results in advance, giving out the spoilers. Since then the Academy has kept everything under the wrap and the content is kept a secret until the show goes live.
For all whose who look forward for the awards, the 90th Oscars will go live on March 5 at 5:30 AM and you can watch it on Star Movies in India. It would be interesting to see who takes the golden beauty home this year. Let us know who do you think should win and why.