First held on May 16, 1929, the annual Academy Awards ceremony, commonly known as the Oscars, is the most famous, glitzy and glamorous of all film industry honors. Members of the Academy — artists and craftsmen in the motion picture world — vote by secret ballot; those ballots are tabulated by the international auditing firm Price Waterhouse Coopers. The results are not revealed until the night of the actual event, when winners receive the infamous gold-plated brittanium statuette (informally named Oscar by the Academy's librarian, Margaret Herrick, who was overheard by a journalist comparing the gold figure to her Uncle Oscar).
There are approximately 25 categories, each of which holds up to five nominations. Members of the Academy associated with a particular category are permitted to vote for nominees in that category. For example, film editors vote for Achievement in Film Editing. All members are allowed to vote for Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film of the Year.
The first Oscars ceremony was not quite the global event that it is today. Held in a private room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, only 250 attendees participated. Interest in the ceremony slowly mushroomed. The following year, the Academy broadcast the awards on the radio. In the 1950s, the ceremony was televised in the United States and Canada. In 1969, the awards show was televised throughout the world. By the mid-'90s, it boasted viewership in more than 100 countries.
The 76th Academy Awards winnersBest Picture: Barrie M. Osbourne, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh ("The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King")
Best Director: Peter Jackson ("The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King")
Actor in a Leading Role: Sean Penn ("Mystic River")
Actor in a Supporting Role: Tim Robbins ("Mystic River")
Actress in a Leading Role: Charlize Theron ("Monster")
Actress in a Supporting Role: Renée Zellweger ("Cold Mountain")
There are approximately 25 categories, each of which holds up to five nominations. Members of the Academy associated with a particular category are permitted to vote for nominees in that category. For example, film editors vote for Achievement in Film Editing. All members are allowed to vote for Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film of the Year.
The first Oscars ceremony was not quite the global event that it is today. Held in a private room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, only 250 attendees participated. Interest in the ceremony slowly mushroomed. The following year, the Academy broadcast the awards on the radio. In the 1950s, the ceremony was televised in the United States and Canada. In 1969, the awards show was televised throughout the world. By the mid-'90s, it boasted viewership in more than 100 countries.
The 76th Academy Awards winners
