Published in Internet Newsroomin February 1998.

The 1st Annual Academy Award Ceremony was held in May of 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Fourteen awards were handed out, with the 1927 World War I air-combat epic, WINGS, winning the first Best Picture award. The famous Academy Award statuette made its appearance in 1929.

On Monday, March 23, 1998, the 70th Academy Awards will be held at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium, and millions of people will be glued to their television sets to watch the stars claim their prestigious awards.

Probably the most comprehensive website for information on the Academy Awards is Oscar.Com. At this impressive site, you can follow a timeline through Academy Awards history, or search their database for past nominations and winners. Look through their listing of current nominations by category, or participate in their weekly trivia challenge. Thirty-one cities now throw big parties on Oscar night. Check the site to see where the parties will be held as well as the latest Academy Awards news.

At the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences website, you can learn about the association itself and its publications, programs, and awards. View the general voting timetable for the 70th Academy Awards, read press releases for the latest news, or search their extensive database.

Another impressive site for Academy Award information is The Envelope Please, an Interactive Guide to Academy Awards & Oscars. Search their database for Oscar history, or take the ultimate trivia challenge on the Oscar Trivia page. The site also features complete information on the 68th and 69th Academy Award ceremonies.

For information about the motion picture industry in general, as well as up-to-date information on the Oscars themselves, visit Mr. Showbiz, a spectacular site about anything and everything Hollywood. Read headline news, learn the latest movie box office numbers, or read interviews with your favorite stars. Glance through their expert predictions of who will win, and of who should win.

Watch Oscar Contender Video Clips at the Screening Room at Hollywood Online: 70th Academy Awards. Simply select a film you want to see, then the format, and you're able to watch a clip of the movie online. Or, look over the list of nominations and see whom you think will walk away with the awards this year. Study a profile on the Academy itself, or read a brief history of the ceremony. If you enjoy games, be sure to play a quick game of Guess Who? or Trivia Contest at this very effective site.

Pathfinder and Warner Brothers Online presents another spectacular Academy Awards site, The Oscars. Reminisce of classic moments in Oscar history by looking through their scrapbook of past ceremonies. Or, check out Oscar Rewind, which offers a new feature every week, such as guessing who will be wearing what this year. Under Oscar Talk, you can participate in a message board discussion about your favorite Academy Awards topics.

Microsoft's Cinemania is yet another entertaining site for movie buffs. Search their database by year or category, or read up-to-the minute coverage on Academy Awards news. How did nominees react with they learned of their nomination? You'll find out at this site.

For a no-nonsense listing of the Academy Awards by year, by category, or by current nominations, visit The Internet Movie Database. If you're in a hurry and need the information fast, this is the site for you. The best thing about the site, though, is that once you've found what you're looking for, the site opens a wealth of information about that particular nomination or topic. Under AS GOOD AS IT GETS, for example, you can learn the movie's plot, goofs, quotes, and crazy credits. Under Crazy Credits for this film, you'll learn that toward the end of the credits, the disclaimer "The actors in this film were in no way mistreated" appears.

Now let's look at some sites for specific Oscar nominees. Did you know that TITANIC has tied ALL ABOUT EVE as the most nominated film in Oscar history? Yahoo!'s Full Coverage-Titanic offers more than you'll ever want to know about the record-breaking motion picture. Read movie reviews, participate in message boards, or read the latest news stories. The site also offers an extensive listing of links to other related websites, including websites devoted to the film's actors.

With his Leading Actor nomination for AS GOOD AS IT GETS, Jack Nicholson has become the most nominated male performer in Academy history. He now has been nominated for either Actor in a Leading or Supporting Role eleven times. Nicholson won a Supporting Actor Oscar in 1983 for TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, and a Leading Actor Oscar in 1975 for one of my favorite films of all time, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST. Visit CelebSite - Jack Nicholson Best Sites for a profile on the actor, a look at his biography, and links to Nicholson sites all over the Net. Be sure to surf over to the AS GOOD AS IT GETS site, a heavily shockwaved website that's sure to impress you.

Another Oscar regular is Woody Allen, whose 13th writing nomination, DECONSTRUCTING HARRY, breaks the Academy's previous record of twelve writing nominations. Allen won an Oscar in 1977 for the writing of ANNIE HALL and in 1986 for writing HANNAH AND HER SISTERS. Visit the Woody Allen website and learn that the meek yet hilarious star's real name is Allan Stewart Konigsberg, as well as discover information about his fascinating life.

Robin Nobles is a freelance writer who can be reached at robinnobles@robinsnest.com.

Back to Main Articles Page