Christmas has come and gone, but Hollywood still has its biggest presents to open. Nominees will be announced this week for the 83rd annual Academy Awards, or the Oscars, which recognize excellence in the previous year’s movie industry by actors, actresses, directors, cinematographers, musical composers, set designers and other film professionals.
You’ll have to wait—just like the nominees—until the live telecast of the Oscars ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 27, to find out the winners. Until then, here’s some Academy Awards trivia to help put you in an Oscar frame of mind!
1. Who was the first American female to be nominated for best director?
A) Katherine Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
B) Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation
C) Meg Ryan for When Harry Met Sally
2.  The figure on an Oscar trophy stands atop a reel of film. The five spokes of the reel represent . . .
A) The five original branches of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences: actors, writers, directors, producers and technicians
B) The five major categories of movies: action, comedy, romance, horror/sci-fi and documentary
C) The five founding movie studios: Paramount, MGM, Warner Bros., United Artists and Disney
3.  Which movie won the most Oscars?
A) Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
B) Titanic
C) Schindler’s List
4.  Who won an Oscar for playing a character who said “Show me the money”?
A) Tom Cruise
B) Al Pacino
C) Cuba Gooding Jr.
5. Who is the only person to win a lead acting Oscar for her performance in a movie directed by her husband?
A) Julie Andrews in 10
B) Helen Mirren in The Queen
C) Frances McDormand in Fargo
6.  Who was the first person under the age of 18 to win an Oscar?
A) Patty Duke for The Miracle Worker
B) James Dean for Rebel Without a Cause
C) Tatum O’Neal for Paper Moon
7.  Who hosted the first Academy Awards event, in 1929?
A) Douglas Fairbanks
B) Charlie Chaplin
C) Will Rogers
8.  What was the first movie filmed in color to win Best Picture?
A) Ben-Hur
B) The African Queen
C) Gone With The Wind
9.  Why were the Oscars delayed a week in 1938?
A) Flooding
B) Assassination threats
C) Union picketing
10. During World War II, Oscar statuettes were made of what alternative substance to conserve materials for the war effort?
A) Recycled artillery shells
B) Wood
C) Plaster
11. In refusing to accept his Oscar for The Godfather in protest of discrimination against American Indians, Marlon Brandon sent a woman named Sacheen Littlefeather to speak in his absence. It was revealed later that she was . . .
A) An illegal alien
B) An aspiring actress
C) His mistress  
Answers: 1-B, 2-A, 3-A, 4-C, 5-C, 6-A, 7-A, 8-C, 9-A, 10-C, 11-B
