THE OSCARS 2009

Its the time of the Oscars. The 81st annual Academy award ceremony happened yesterday at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood during which the world saw the recognition of some of the great talents in the movie industry. Slumdog Millionaire, a British drama film shot in India, directed by Danny Boyle did its magic by bagging the most number of Oscars at the 81st annual academy awards. The film, which tracks the journey of an 18-year-old boy from rags-to-riches, won eight Oscars out of the 10 categories it was nominated for. It became the fourth film along with Gandhi to get the highest number of Oscar awards. Great Job guys!!!

Now here are some trivia about the Oscars.

• WHEN AND WHERE WAS THE FIRST OSCAR CEREMONY HELD???
  The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held on Thursday, May 16, 1929, at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood to honor outstanding film achievements of 1927 and 1928. It was hosted by actor Douglas Fairbanks and director William C. deMille.
  
  
• HOW DID THE OSCARS GET ITS NAME???
  The root of the name Oscar is contested. One biography of Bette Davis claims that she named the Oscar after her first husband, band leader Harmon Oscar Nelson; one of the earliest mentions in print of the term Oscar dates back to a TIME Magazine article about the 1934 6th Academy Awards and to Bette Davis's receipt of the award in 1936. Walt Disney is also quoted as thanking the Academy for his Oscar as early as 1932. Another claimed origin is that of the Academy's Executive Secretary, Margaret Herrick, who first saw the award in 1931 and made reference to the statuette reminding her of her Uncle Oscar. Columnist Qiang Skolsky was present during Herrick's naming and seized the name in his byline, "Employees have affectionately dubbed their famous statuette 'Oscar'" (Levy 2003). The trophy was officially dubbed the "Oscar" in 1939 by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. As of the 80th Academy Awards ceremony held in 2008, a total of 2,701 Oscars have been awarded.
  
  
• CAN THE WINNERS SELL THEIR OSCAR STATUETTES???
  Since 1950, the statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that neither winners nor their heirs may sell the statuettes without first offering to sell them back to the Academy for US$1. If a winner refuses to agree to this stipulation, then the Academy keeps the statuette. Academy Awards not protected by this agreement have been sold in public auctions and private deals for six-figure sums.
  
  
• WHAT IS THE OSCAR STATUETTE MADE OFF???
  The official name of the Oscar statuette is the Academy Award of Merit. Made of gold-plated britannium on a black metal base, it is 13.5 in (34 cm) tall, weighs 8.5 lb (3.85 kg) and depicts a knight rendered in Art Deco style holding a crusader's sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes. The five spokes each represent the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers, and Technicians.
  
  
• WHAT IS THE PRIZE MONEY FOR AN OSCAR???
  There is no prize money as such for an Oscar winner. But all nominees and winners would get a gift bag with merchandise worth thousands of dollars. Courtesy: Yahoo! Answers.
  
  
  

Article Courtesy : WIKIPEDIA