Almost a month is left till the Oscar 2013 ceremony begins. It will be held on February 24, but the celebrities are already beginning to visit their stylists, try on designer clothes, practice acceptance speeches in front of the mirror and prepare their handkerchiefs. So far, we have decided to recall the funniest and most interesting facts from the history of the main event in the film industry.
1. Why “Oscar”?
You may wonder why the award is called “Oscar”, and not John, Peter, or Dustin. According to one of the versions, the award, the official name of which is “the Academy Award of Merit”, received its male name due to the Academy librarian Margaret Herrick, who once remarked that the statuette resembled her uncle Oscar. Other historians believe the famous American actress Betty Davis allegedly called it that way.
The word “Oscar” was used for the first time during the sixth award ceremony. Before that day, the statuette was called differently – Gold Award, the Statue of Merit, and even the Iron Man.
2. Oscar Statuette Size
The weight of the statuettes is about three kilos, and its length is 34 cm. Thus, it is of the same size as a large zucchini.
3. What Is Oscar Statuette Made of?
Each statuette is made of copper, nickel, and silver. After that, the 24-carat gold layer is applied. Oscars, which were awarded during the Second World War, were made of plaster, as the metal was in short supply.
4. The Red Carpet
The red carpet that all the celebrities walk on their way to the Oscar ceremony has the length of 152 meters and is 10 meters wide. It admits about 100 photographers, 300 representatives of broadcasters, including operators, sound engineers and other professionals. There is plenty of space for everyone!
5. Oscar Cancellations
During the almost one-hundred-year history of the Oscar ceremony, it has been canceled only three times: during the flood in Los Angeles in 1938, after the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968, and after the assassination attempt on U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
6. The Oscar Records
The leader in terms of “Oscars” is Walt Disney: he’s got 26 “Oscars” of the 64 statuettes he was nominated for.
7. Best Movies
The largest number of Oscars, received by one film, is 11. There are only three such films: “Ben Hur” (1959), “Titanic” (1997) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003). “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” is the only film in the Film Academy history, which got all the Oscars which it was nominated for.
The history of the award has a record of only three films that received a complete set of Oscars for the best film, best actor, best actress, best director and best screenplay. They are: “It Happened One Night” (1934), “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975) and “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991).
“The Artist” is the second mute film in the history of the Academy Awards that received the award for the “Best Film” (2012). The first one was the motion picture “Wings” by Howard Hughes (1929).
8. Best Actors
Jack Nicholson is the most nominated acting star. He has been nominated 12 times, and he became the winner three times (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Terms of Endearment,” “As Good As It Gets”).
Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro are the two actors, who received two Oscars (for the Best Actor and the Best Supporting Actor) after performing the same role in different movies – Vito Corleone in “The Godfather” (1972) and in “The Godfather, Part II” (1974) respectively.
And De Niro became the first actor to receive the “Oscar” for his role in the non-English language.
The oldest actor, who received the Oscar award, has been Christopher Plummer. He was 82 years old, when he was given the “Best Actor” award for his contribution to the film “Beginners” (2012).
9. Best Actresses
Meryl Streep holds the record for the biggest number of nominations (16), though she won only three times. Katharine Hepburn received 12 nominations, and she celebrated her victory four times. Ingrid Bergman comes next: she has three “Oscar” after seven nominations.
Hattie McDaniel received the “Oscar” for her best supporting actress role in the film “Gone with the Wind”, becoming the first African-American woman, who has received this award. Moreover, she became the first African-American woman to be nominated for “Oscar”, and the first black woman in general, who was allowed to be present in the hall in a separate area “for black people”.
Halle Berry became the first black woman, who received the “Oscar” for the leading female role (“Monster’s Ball”, 2001).
Sandra Bullock is the first celebrity to receive the title of the best and worst actress during one week. She received the “Oscar” in 2009 for the best acting in the film “The Blind Side” and the “Razzie” for her worst performance in “All About Steve.” It is notable that she was present at the ceremony!
The youngest winner of the “Oscar” is Tatum O’Neal. She received a statuette in 1973 for her film “Paper Moon”, when she was 10 years old.
10. Best Directors
Kathryn Bigelow is the first woman in the history of the “Oscar” ceremony, who has received the best director award for her film “The Hurt Locker,” and the fourth woman, who has ever been nominated for this award in the field of directing. Her ex-husband, James Cameron, also won the award for the “Best Director” in “Titanic.” What a successful family business!
11. Oscar Statuette Fun Facts
It has been proved by the Empire magazine – Gwyneth Paltrow’s tears of happiness at the ceremony of 1999 could water 657 plants (watch the video below). She holds the record for the biggest number of the “thank you” words. The actress thanked 23 people.Almost a month is left till the Oscar 2013 ceremony begins. It will be held on February 24, but the celebrities are already beginning to visit their stylists, try on designer clothes, practice acceptance speeches in front of the mirror and prepare their handkerchiefs. So far, we have decided to recall the funniest and most interesting facts from the history of the main event in the film industry.
