The Oscar is the oldest and most prestigious film award in the world.

Traditionally, the Academy Awards took place around February. This year, however, due to the Covid pandemic, the awards ceremony has been postponed and will be held on April 26 at 2:00 AM and more than 200 countries will be connected.

 

But ….let’s start from the origins.

The first Oscar was given in 1929 to a German Shepherd called Rin-Tin-Tin because it was the star of 27 movies. Well yes to a dog, it was amazing. But The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences changed the rules allowing only humans to receive the award. He was then reassigned and given to Emil Jannings, a German actress.

 

The name “Oscar” has always been a mystery. It was originally called “Academy Award of Merit”, then changed to Oscar but nobody knows why. One story is that the actress Bette Davis said it looked like her husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson.

The famous statuette is made of gold-plated bronze on a black metal base, it is 34.3 cm tall, and weighs 3.856 kg. It depicts a knight rendered in Art Deco style holding a crusader’s sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes.

There are many curiosities about this award. It has been stolen, sold or lost. Vivien Leigh and Olympia Dukakis lost them to theft, Harold Russell instead sold him to pay for his wife’s medical treatment.

However, there is a rumour that Russell used the money for a vacation. Furthermore, not everyone was happy to receive him, like Marlon Brando, the best actor of the godfather who, however, sent an actress to protest against the mistreatment of Native Americans. George C. Scott also refused the award, describing the offensive and barbaric ceremony.

Katherine Hepburn won the award 4 times, Meryl Streep 3 times. Edith Beat surpasses both with 8 awards on the bulletin board. As film houses, on the other hand, we find Walt-Disney with 26 Oscars. Titanic, Ben Hur and The Lord of Rings won 11 awards, while John Ford took the stage 4 times. Finally, we have sound engineer Kevin O’Connell with 20 nominations.

 

In all these years, however, the thanks of the actors could bore the audience, but fortunately, on several occasions, several performers made the ceremony a little spicier, like the actor Jack Palance in 1992, 72, who did push-ups on one hand. Or Cuba Gooding Jr. who gave a special thank you speech, taking the stage of the theatre referring to God, Tom Cruise and other tops of the cinema. Then we have Robin Williams doing funny self-deprecation instead. Finally, there is Sophia Loren who instead had prepared a speech but got caught up in emotion and therefore found the words at the moment.

Where the 2021 Oscars will take place?

The ceremony will take place as usual inside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, although, obviously, in a peculiar way to comply with the health regulations in force to face the pandemic. A secondary one is added to the main location: the Union Station of L.A.

Where can you see the 2021 Oscars ceremony?

The Oscars ceremony will be broadcast live on Sky, on the dedicated Sky Cinema Oscar channel, channel 303.

How the 2021 Oscars will unfold?

Unlike the Golden Globes, for this Oscar ceremony no connections via Zoom. The 2021 Academy Awards will take place live, although only the directors, actors and film professionals nominated in one of the categories will be present. Yes to the usual display of elegant clothes, but with a series of necessary sanitary measures to ensure the event is carried out in complete safety.

The actors don’t get money for the award, but for every nominee at the oscar are already winners as they receive a coveted bags of goodie worth  US$215,000.   But winning an Oscar can transform an actor’s career.

It cements credibility, and the prestige that comes with it opens a door of opportunities not only to the best actors/actresses but to the directors, the screenwriters, the producers, the costume designers and the make-up artists in the business.

This year among the candidates there is also the singer from Romagna Laura Pausini with the song” Io si (Seen) “, which is part of the film” Life in front of you “with Sophia Loren”.

Do it well Laura and “ no matter what happens, It’ll be a success.