academy awards

Awarded for Excellence in cinematic achievements Presented by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Country United States First awarded May 16, 1929 Official website

The Academy Awards, widely known as the Oscars, are awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)[1] to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is one of the most prominent film award ceremonies in the world. The Oscars, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences itself, were conceived by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio boss, Louis B. Mayer.

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.

The 81st Academy Awards honoring the best in film for 2008 will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.[2] Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Oscar statuette 2.1 Design 2.2 Naming 3 Nomination 3.1 Voters 3.2 Rules 4 Ceremony 4.1 Telecast 4.2 Ratings 5 Venues 6 Award categories 6.1 Academy Awards of Merit 6.1.1 Current Awards 6.1.2 Retired category 6.1.3 Proposed categories 6.2 Special categories 6.2.1 Current special categories 6.2.2 Retired special categories 7 See also 8 References 9 Sources 10 External links //

History

The first awards were presented at a private dinner in Hollywood, with an audience of less than 250 people.[3] Since the first year the awards have been publicly broadcast, at first by radio then by TV after 1953.[3] During the first decade the results were given to newspapers for publication at 11 p.m. at the night of the awards; this method was ruined when the Los Angeles Times announced the winners before the ceremony began, as a result the Academy has since used a sealed envelope to reveal the name of the winners.[4] Since 2002, the awards have been broadcast from the Kodak Theatre.[4]

Oscar statuette The Oscar statuette featured in a display case.

Design

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.[5]

MGM's art director Cedric Gibbons, one of the original Academy members, supervised the design of the award trophy by printing the design on scroll.[6] In need of a model for his statuette Gibbons was introduced by his then wife Dolores del Río to Mexican actor Emilio "El Indio" Fernández. Reluctant at first, Fernández