10 THE OSCARS

Things you might not know about

IT’S the Oscars tonight – Hollywood’s biggest night of back- slapping, grandstanding and virtue signalling.

But what exactly are the Oscars?

Here’s some facts… 1

THE Oscars are in fact the awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and

Sciences.

2

THE first award ceremony was held on May 16, 1929, in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Blossom Room. It lasted 15 minutes. 3

THE first recipient was Emil Jannings – named Best Actor for his performances in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh in 1929.

4

UPON seeing the trophy for the first time, Academy librarian ( and eventual executive director) Margaret Herrick remarked that it resembled her Uncle Oscar… hence the name “the Oscars”.

5

AN alternative story is that actress Bette Davis claimed once that she invented the nickname, as she said the statuette’s arse was like her husband Harmon Oscar Nelson’s.

6

THE famed Oscar statuette stands 13.5ins tall and weighs 8.5lbs. It’s officially called the Academy Award of Merit.

7

THE statuettes are solid bronze and plated in 24- carat gold. Due to a metal shortage during World War II, Oscars were made of painted plaster for three years.

8

THE shortest performance to ever win an acting Oscar was given by Beatrice Straight. She was on screen for just five minutes and two seconds in the film Network in 1976.

9

WALT Disney earned 59 Oscar nominations, of which 22 were wins. He also received four honorary Oscars, thus receiving a total of 26. With this, he holds the record of earning most Oscar Awards and nominations as an individual.

10

THREE films that won most Oscar awards, 11 each in different categories in a single ceremony, are Ben- Hur ( 1959), Titanic ( 1997), and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

( 2003).