Good afternoon . . .
hope you're all enjoying the sunny and relatively mild weather today since
we're supposed to get more snow this weekend.
In today's post, I will
discuss briefly the history of the Academy Awards and present
one of the games we are offering from the shop.
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| Douglas Fairbanks |
In 1927, M-G-M studio
chief Louis B. Mayer and his associates talked
about creating an organized to benefit the growing film industry. A week later,
the International Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded.
Bylaws were incorporated and Douglas
Fairbanks was elected the Academy's first president.
A year later, a
committee called Awards of Merit was formed and members suggested that awards
be presented in 12 categories: Outstanding Picture, Unique and Artistic
Production, Best Director, Comedy Picture, Best Director, Dramatic Picture,
Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Writing,
Original Story, Best Writing, Adapted Story, Best Cinematography, Best Art
Direction, Best Engineering Effects, and Best Writing, Title Writing.
On May 16, 1929, the first
Academy Awards presentation was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt
Hotel. The ceremony was a private dinner with an audience of about 270 people.
There was a post-awards party at the Mayfair Hotel. The cost of guest tickets
in 1929 was $5, compared with $69 for this year's ceremonies. Fifteen
statuettes were awarded to honor the artists, directors, and technicians for
their work during 1927-28. The ceremony was a mere 15 minutes!
The first Best Actor
Oscar went to Emil Jannings for two performances in The
Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. Janet
Gaynor was honored as Best Actress for her performances in
three films. "Wings," the first Best Picture winner, was a silent
film.
Following the fourth
ceremony, the system changed in which professionals were honored for a single
performance. Beginning with the 1934 awards, the eligibility period changed
from a span of two years to one year. Until 1954, Oscars were presented on a
Thursday night. From 1955 to 1958, the ceremony was held on a Wednesday night.
From 1959 through 1998, the ceremonies were presented on a Monday night but
moved to Sunday in an effort to improve TV ratings.
For a comprehensive
timeline of Oscar highlights, see the official Academy
Awards website.
Oscar stands 13-1/2 inches tall and weighs about 8-1/2 pounds. The film reel he stands on represents the five original branches of the Academy: acting, directing, producing, technicians, and writing. Legend has it that upon seeing the statute for the first time, a librarian at the Academy remarked that it resembled her Uncle Oscar. The Academy didn't adopt the nickname until 1938. As of last year, a total of 2,809 Oscars have been awarded.
The Oscar ceremony is well-known for their speeches. Some are poignant while
others are long-winded and boring. We have created a variation of our
"Quote/Unquote" game where party guests will match the star with the
text of his/her speech.
Now for today's
Listmania:
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| Matthew "Mack" Robinson |
Black History Month Fun
Fact of the Day: Each day during
this month, we will present a fun fact about African-American history. Baseball
legend Jackie Robinson had a track-star brother
named Matthew "Mack" Robinson. He won a
silver medal in the 200-yard dash in the 1936 Olympics and came in second to Jessie Owens.
Oscar Fun Fact of the
Day: Nine out of 20 of this year's acting nominees portrayed real people: Stephen Hawking, Janet Wilde Hawking, Cheryl Strayed and her mother, Bobbi Grey, Alan Turing and his fellow codebreaker Joan Clark, "American Sniper" Chris Kyle, John E. duPont, and wrestler David Schultz.
Valentine's Day Party
Idea of the Day: Whether you have a hot date or just going to brunch with your friends, Valentine's Day is a perfect day to dress up in something special. Some looks that I liked appear on Beauty Diaries, Her Campus. and Glamour. For women of a certain age (like me), I liked the outfits that appear on 40+ Style, one of my favorite style blogs.
Today's Birthdays: Gavin DeGraw (38), Natalie Imbruglia (40), Nicolle Wallace (43), Clint Black (53), Tim Both (55), Lisa Eichhorn (63), Michael Beck (66), Alice Cooper (57), Florence LaRue (73), John Steele (74), and Gary Conway (79).
Holidaze: Today is National Thank a Mailman Day. The first organized postal service in American was established in 1775. and Benjamin Franklin was named the first Postmaster General. Since the days of the Pony Express, the motto of the U.S. Postal Service has always been "Neither rain, or snow, nor death of night, can keep us from our duty." In other milestones, postage stamps were invented in 1847 and Zip Codes began in 1963. This day is supposed to be a reminder of how important letter carriers are in our everyday lives. Because my building has a different carrier almost every day, it's hard to thank just one person!
It is also National Create a Vacuum Day. A vacuum is merely a space of empty matter. How you want to interpret this day is up to your imagination.
Tomorrow we'll continue our discussion of Oscar, and it's almost time for Freebie Friday!
Have a PRINTASTIC Day!
Kathy
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