What We're Reading: Jan

The Academy Awards: The Complete Unofficial History by Jim Piazza and Gail Kinn

It's award season and perhaps looking at past Oscar contests will get us in the mood for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, March 7th, this year. This title will accomplish the goal. It has decade-by-decade facts about the ceremonies and the winners and losers. However, it also includes background information like who may have missed out on a particular role, important firsts in the movie business and a section called "Unmentionables," - anecdotes and controversies. For example, Russell Crowe won the Best Actor award for the film Gladiator and also acquired a broken foot bone, fractured hip and punctured cheek for his efforts. Another anecdote is a quip from The Exorcist director William Peter Blatty when he lost out for the Best Picture statue and complained, "The Exorcist is head and shoulders the finest film made this year." There are also 500+ photographs in the book that remind the reader of their favorite films and ceremony moments. Special sections of the book called "The Look of the Decade"cover fashion and glamour do's and don'ts through the years. All in all the book is a treasure-trove of fact and fun for everyone that loves the movies.