Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Oscars

Help us recreate iconic film costumes for our holiday party

Unicorn on the cob — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:22:37 -0800

[CostumeFilter]: My company is having a Hollywood-themed holiday party in two weeks. Please help me think of a good costume for myself and my boyfriend. Difficulty factors: He has a beard, I'm short and curvy. The idea is red carpet moments, classic Hollywood, or memorable screen roles. Ideally this would be something highly recognizable, like the Marilyn Manson/Rose McGowan red carpet look (but nothing x-rated) or, say, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Cleopatra. Unfortunately, I can't think of many "memorable" red carpet/Oscar moments that couples have shared, and I don't want to just buy a nice dress (boring!) when we could go full costume instead.

The couple with the best outfit wins a significant amount of spending money and a trip to Hollywood, so we are motivated; he is willing to shave the beard if it's worth it.

So far, we've kicked around the idea of going as young Obi-Wan and Padme Amidala or Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz (he'd make a reluctant cowardly lion) but we don't want to get TOO crazy on spending money and have a short amount of time to work on it, since the Thanksgiving holiday's about to start.

Both of us have black hair and he wears glasses, if that helps. The celebrities we most closely resemble naturally are Tori Amos (me) and a mix of Charlie Chaplin and Justin Long (him).

We don't have to go as a specific couple from the movie itself, just two characters from the same film will also work but I'm having trouble finding stuff like this by poking around on IMDB. Googling for Hollywood couples is equally unhelpful, since I'm trying to cross-reference roles and memorable looks. Thanks for any suggestions!

Best Costume Design: What to Wear Post-Oscars

alainabrowne — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:25:05 -0800

I've quite improbably wrangled an invite to an exclusive post-Oscar party tomorrow night. This is not my usual scene (big understatement). What's appropriate attire, and where can a petite but not skinny girl shop for such attire in LA? I live in NYC and am flying out tomorrow morning. It's short notice, but obviously not an opportunity to miss even if I end up wearing the wrong thing. Thanks for your help!

And the winner is?

fearfulsymmetry — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:01:31 -0800

Recommended Oscar live blogs, twitter etc? Fairly certain I'm going to stay up this year to get the results live. The last time I did it I remembered flicking around a few news sites (like the BBC and The Guardian) but given the number of blogs now, plus the rise of Twitter, I'm sure there will be other options.

Oh and I'm in the UK which is why if I want the results as it happens it's got to be via the internets.

Oscar pool ballot software?

Unsomnambulist — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:32:34 -0800

Looking for an online poll service or WP plug in that would work with an office Oscar pool. Oscar nominations come out tomorrow, and once again duty falls to me to create a ballot for a bunch of friends participating in an Oscar pool. The way we've done for years includes different points being assigned to different categories, so the person who predicts the most Oscar recipients doesn't necessarily win the pool.

I would like to create an online version of the ballot that allows me to also assign the point values, so after the awards are over all I need to do is enter the awardees, and it will automatically tally the points for anyone who filled out the ballot online.

Does anyone know of an free service or Wordpress plug in that could handle this?

Please help us make our Oscars/Housewarming Party a success!

iamkimiam — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:45:48 -0800

Need help planning a themed Oscars/Housewarming Party! Here are a couple areas we're having trouble with:

The theme: Currently thinking about doing a "Make Yourselves at Home & Roll Your Own Theme!" party, where people can dress up in whatever theme they want, based on whatever they feel like. I would like to incorporate prizes (but what kind?), both relating to theme and to the Oscars. Does anybody have a better idea? What details can we incorporate to make this kickass?

Mixed company: We have a lot of friends, all ages, all ilks. I'm not that good with interacting with people in groups. How can I help ease the awkwardness I have and make sure everybody is having a good time?

Housewarming Ettiquette: My boyfriend and I have never had or been to a housewarming party. Do we fill out a gift registry for this (ex. Target)? Do we even expect gifts? How long to people generally stay? What are housewarming parties all about? What are we expected to provide?

Neighbors: Do we invite them? I'd feel awful not doing so, especially since I'll likely warn them about a long day/night of noise. If they come, do I introduce them to everyone, or just let them come in and fend for themselves and leave when alienated? This is a social minefield that makes me want to call the whole thing off.

Other stuff...our place is small, parking is limited, we have 2 hypoallergenic indoor pets, no shoes allowed on carpet, cats are toilet trained and so toilet seats must stay up...how do we tell people all this without seeming neurotic as all getout?

Why is it so difficult to find historical footage of past events which were, at the time, broadcast for free?

chos — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:20:09 -0800

Why is it so difficult to find historical footage of past events which were, at the time, broadcast for free (for example, archival video of the Olympic Games and the Oscars)? Wouldn't the economic value of making these events available somehow (for a fee) outweigh their value sitting on a shelf somewhere, unwatchable except in tiny snippets or on very rare special occasions? The current Beijing games has made me interested in going back to see events from past Olympics, especially those featuring athletes who are competing again this time. Considering the popularity of these types of events, I am surprised that it isn't possible to find archival video (either legally for purchase, or otherwise). I have observed this same behavior at work with other high-popularity events, like the Super Bowl or the Oscars.

Obviously the broadcast/distribution rights-holders of these events are fiercely protecting their property, as one would expect. It would seem, however, that the value of these events goes down immediately after they are completed (after everyone knows the winner of the game, most people would have no interest in watching). I am interested in understanding the economic rationale behind limiting their availability - is this a Long Tail kind of thing where it wouldn't actually be worth it to produce DVDs or otherwise manage these assets? Or is the strict limitation supposed to add to the "special/exclusive" nature of these events, thus attracting more viewers the next time they occur?

Where can I see Stanley Donen's 1997 Honorary Academy Award acceptance speech?

h00py — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:39:38 -0800

I've been trying to find online a video of Stanley Donen accepting his honorary academy award in 1997 without much success. I have a very vague memory of it and I'm longing to see it again. It's been taken down from YouTube and I was wondering if anyone knows where else it may be hiding. My search skills are crap. It's the best acceptance speech I can remember seeing, legendary director of musical films starts singing "Cheek to Cheek" to his golden man, and I've been wanting to see it again for ages. Recommendations for online resources are good but also I'd be prepared to buy a decent compilation of Oscar moments if that's the only way I can see it again.

Does anyone know why Brad Renfro was left out of the Oscars tribute montage?

easy_being_green — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:32:20 -0800

Does anyone know why Brad Renfro was left out of the Oscars tribute montage? I've read the statements and officially the Academy says that they can't include everyone due to time constraints, but Renfro died shortly before Heath Ledger and he was mentioned.

Does anyone know the politics behind who gets included? I doubt it's because of drug politics because I think Chris Farley was included when he died of an illegal-drug overdose. Renfro was never in an Oscar-nominated film, but neither was Farley. (I don't think.)

I'm curious why someone might be overlooked for the montage.

Burn it Blue

msali — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:34:08 -0800

I would like to find a video of Lila Downs appearing at the Academy Awards, please. I was completely underwhelmed by the songs and musical performances at this year's Oscars. Three songs from "Enchanted"? Seriously? I started thinking about good Oscar's performances, and I remembered that five years ago, Caetano Veloso and Lila Downs performed "Burn it Blue" together, and I got shivers down my spine. The recorded version does not do it justice. I would love to be able to watch that specific performance, with Lila and Caetano, but I have been unable to find it through traditional means. Can anyone here help me, perhaps point me in the right direction?

Point me to video clips of the best parts of the Oscars

greggish — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:08:25 -0800

I want to watch the Oscars... but just the five or ten minutes of it that are worth watching! (it's never more than five or ten minutes). Where is that set of video clips? Under non-Jon stewart circumstances, i'd happily forgo them entirely. but sadly he hosted so i have to track down the good stuff. please help me get my jonny stew fix.

where to find best animated shorts online?

JamesJD — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:42:22 -0800

Where can I view the Best Animated Short Oscar nominees online? Every year I watch the Oscars and I see these incredibly short clips of some astounding looking animated shorts. Is there some website where I can find/download them?

More broadly, is there any "package" of Oscar nominated/Oscar winning films?

And the Oscar goes to...

AlliKat75 — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 07:36:04 -0800

Has an openly gay man or lesbian ever won an Academy Award (in any category)?

Where to find an online Oscar pool?

JamesJD — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 17:01:44 -0800

Which is the best site to run an Oscar pool on? Follow-up, where should I go for a reliable guide to who will win the obscure categories like best visual effects, best sound mixing, and best cinematography. I want to run and win an Oscar pool. Ideally I would like a site that shows everyone's picks and shows who is ahead minute-by-minute during the broadcast. It would also be nice if the site allowed you to weight certain categories (Best actor/actress, best movie) double.

Since no site will probably meet all of those parameters, I'd love to see whatever you can find. Thanks!

Oscar neutrality?

beagle — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 07:36:27 -0800

Belated Oscars question: In this age of political correctness and gender-neutrality, why are there still gender-based Academy Award categories? There are not awards for, say, best male director and best female director. And most female actors shun the term "actress" in favor of "actor", but the Academy is still officially for the "Best Actress." The Screen Actors Guild has switched to "best male actor" and "best female actor", but they and all the other award programs still have gender differentiation in the acting categories. Nobels and Pulitzers are not given out on the basis of gender. What inherent difference mandates the continuation of separate but equal awards for male and female actors rather than a single "best acting" award?

Where can I find Oscar acceptance speeches?

MadamM — Sun, 05 Mar 2006 22:45:53 -0800

Where can I find videos of the Oscar acceptance speeches from tonight? Because the telecast (of course) ran over and I was tivoing it, I missed the last half hour. Basically, I missed everything after best actress (also known as all the awards that count). I know who won, but I'd like to see the speeches. Should I just monitor youtube and so forth for the next few days, or does some source already exist?

Oscar Online?

Navek Rednam — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 09:55:37 -0800

Where can I watch, or listen to, the Academy Awards live on the internet? A repeat of last year's question. Has anything changed?

Who gets invited to the Oscars?

jasonsmall — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 10:15:21 -0800

Who (besides, obviously, the nominees, Academy members and presenters) are all those people at the Oscars? And how does that invitation process work?

Where can I watch the Oscars online?

Po0py — Sun, 27 Feb 2005 09:04:36 -0800

I need to find an a site that streams/broadcasts the Oscars live. I'm in the uk and for the first time since I can remember the BBC are not broadcasting the Academy Awards live. It seems Sky Movies have the exclusive rights to the live broadcast which casts doubt on my yearly ritual of staying up late and reporting in sick the next day.

Can anyone point me in the right direction? A site that can stream the Oscars to my computer. I'd even be willing to pay a sign up fee if that is the case.

Sting's Instrument

notsnot — Sun, 29 Feb 2004 22:57:56 -0800

What the hell was that *thing* Sting was playing at the Oscars? It had an almond-shaped body, but the two strings were spread wide, with what looked like a harmonica in between 'em, and almost no neck. Plus, he was turning a little hand-crank on it with his right hand. It had two small f-holes in it, too. I'm completely stumped.