15 award-winning facts about the Oscars

Elders React to The Oscars (Bonus #74)

6:54 PM. CST February 21, 2016

Oscar statuettes, such as these handed out in 2014, weigh 81/2 lbs. each. (Photo: Custom)

It"s finally (almost) time for the Academy Awards! Or, should we say, The Oscars, which is what the show was rebranded as in 2013.

Whatever it"s called, the 88th incarnation of the biggest night in showbiz arrives Sunday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Before you watch this year"s batch of Hollywood"s "most" esteemedand primpedstars scoop up their shiny statuettes, check out these fun facts about the history of the awards. You might just impress those you"re watching with, virtually or otherwise:

1. The first Academy Awards were held in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on May 16, 1929.

2. The price of guest tickets for the first Academy awards? A mere $5.

3. Oscar, who? The famous golden statuette is officially named the Academy Award of Merit. According to the Oscars (they"d know), the nickname"s origins are unclear. The most widely known story goes that Academy librarian Margaret Herrick, who had the gig in the 1930s, saw the statue and said it looked like her Uncle Oscar. (The Academy didn"t adopt the nickname officially until 1939.)

4. Whoever he is, he"s hefty. An Oscar statuette is 13 inches tall with a 5-inch base. It weighs 8 1/2 lbs.

5. Since 1929, 2,947 Oscar statuettes have been presented. That means that 25,049 1/2 pounds of Oscars have been collectively lifted by the most acclaimed people in the movie business. Whoa.

6. The design of the Oscar statuette, by Cedric Gibbons, is a knight holding a crusader"s sword while standing on a film reel. There are five spokes on the reel representing the five original branches of the Academy: writers, technicians, producers, actors and directors. (Are you now imagining a 25,049 lb. statue? Because we are.)

7. About 50 Oscar statuettes have been created for this year"s 87th Academy Awards.

8. The first televised Oscars show was on March 19, 1953. That year, Gary Cooper won the Oscar for best actor for High Noon (and it was accepted by John Wayne). Shirley Booth took home the best actress prize for Come Back, Little Sheba. The first color broadcast was in 1966, when The Sound of Music won best picture.

9. Sorry, Walt Disney classics. The best animated feature category was not added until 2001. Shrek won, because it has layers.

(Photo: Custom)

10. Fourteen Oscar shows have been hosted at the Dolby Theatre, including this year"s. Other famous things that happen at the theater: the BET Awards, the ESPY Awards and the American Idol finals.

11. The length of the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre is about 500 feet. The width? Thirty-three feet. That"s 16,500 square feet of walking and praying that you won"t trip.

12. Seventy-two million U.S. viewers tuned into last year"s Academy Awards. That"s a lot of people. In comparison, this year"s Super Bowl had 114.5 million viewers and Sunday"s #SNL40 performance had 23.1 million viewers.

13. So, what"s being judged? Well, there are rules. Among them, a movie (other than in the foreign language category) must open in the previous year in Los Angeles County, Calif., to qualify. And it must have a run-time of more than 40 minutes.

14. The more-than-5,000 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are the ones who choose the winners. Among that group, more than 1,000 are actors.

15. Here"s more of a #TBT to help jog your memory for future Oscars conversations: Last year, Matthew McConaughey won best actor for Dallas Buyers Club ("Alright, alright, alright"), Cate Blanchett won best actress for Blue Jasmine and 12 Years a Slave won best picture.

Source: http://www.ksdk.com/entertainment/events/oscars/15-award-winning-facts-about-the-oscars/49987975

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Watch Demi Lovato Sing the "Spongebob Squarepants" Song as XTina

Demi Lovato - Confident (Official Video)

Impersonating Christina Aguilera and all those ad-libs is a difficult task. Impersonating Xtina and those ad-libs while singing a children"s song is nearly impossible. But Demi Lovato did all of those things last night on The Tonight Show and yes, she hit all the right notes. Playing the latest game of Musical Impressions with Jimmy Fallon, Demi brought out her inner Xtina voice (making her Dextina, I guess) and completely made everyone think of the Spongebob Squarepants theme song differently. Her renditions of "Bingo Was His Name-O" as Cher and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" as Fetty Wap are solid, too. I just wish Demi didn"t have to repeatedly check on the cue card front of her, which probably contained the lyrics to "Twinkle," or a photo of a puppy.

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In related news, Demi also announced yesterday that her music video for "Stone Cold" will arrive on Feb. 23. From this preview, it looks pretty well, cold.

Follow Peggy on Twitter.

Source: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/news/a53991/demi-lovato-impersonates-christina-aguilera/

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Check Out d**n Daniel, the Teen Who Went Viral for His Sick White Vans

Damn Daniel Extended version & and parody - Damn Daniel wearing this white vans back at it again

The Internet, despite all its improvements over the past 20 years, is still the d**n Wild West every once in a while. After all, sometimes something so simple, easy-to-do, and low-resolution can cut through the noise and connect with people, despite how inherently stupid it may seem.

That in mind, meet Danielor, as one of his friends calls him in this incredible 30 second clip, "Daaaaaaaamn Daniel!"

In the video, which is embedded into a tweet that now has over 14,000 retweets, an off-camera voice compliments Daniel on his kicks, particularly a pair of fresh white Vans. "Back at it again in the white Vans!" the voice proclaims in a high-pitched, over-stylized (and vaguely California?) accent. In other words, we can"t explain why d**n Daniel is so funny.

But we can"t stop watching. Or laughing. And we wouldn"t be surprised if in the coming weeks, "Daaaaaaamn Daniel" becomes the cool new way to express your approval of something. (i.e., "Daaaaaamn Daniel, this soup is dope!")

Considering how many different clips are featured in the video, we"re guessing it took weeks to put together this radiant piece of Internet gold.

Source: http://www.gq.com/story/daaaaaaaamn-daniel

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Glenn Beck Responds to South Carolina Primary Results: "Join Me" in a "Fast for Ted Cruz"

How Donald Trump won the South Carolina primary

I would like to ask you to join me and my family Monday in a fast for Ted Cruz, our country and the Nevada caucus, Beck wrote on his Facebook page after the South Carolina election results showed a decisive double-digit victory for Trump, whose candidacy Beck has been staunchly opposed to.

In an earlier Facebook post, Beck stated:

It was a fair fight.

Congratulations Donald Trump on South Carolina.

#1. Donald Trump#2. MarcoRubio#3. TedCruz

On to Nevada. I will join Ted Cruz in Vegas tomorrow night and Reno Monday.

It is time for the others to drop out and make this the 3 way race we all know it is.

Who that helps, I dont know, but it is time to begin to narrow the field. I would assume the establishment will coalesce around Rubio. Ted will make his own way as will trump.

Beck endorsed Cruz before the Iowa caucus last month and has been traveling and campaigning with the Texas senator ever since. At a press conference in South Carolinathis week, Beck speculated as to whether his presence on the campaign trail helps Ted Cruz or not, saying that he didnt know, but felt compelled to do everything I can to help Cruz.

This week Beck also expressed his belief that G*d allowed Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia to die in order to wake America up to how close we are to the loss of our freedom and to the necessity of electing Cruz to name Scalias replacement.

Beck also stated that if the country is lost, it will be lost because of the Christians who did not support Cruz.

There will be no one else to blame, he added. You cant blame the progressives. You cant blame the left. You cant blame Hillary Clinton. You cant blame anyone else but the Christians who are not living and voting their principles.

Source: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/21/glenn-beck-responds-to-sc-primary-results-join-me-in-a-fast-for-ted-cruz/

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AL HAMNIK: Monty Williams teaches us to never quit

Monty Williams Speaks at Wife funeral ***MUST SEE***

A surprising number of my friends are not fans of the NBA, its hip hop mentality, the full-body tattoos, ridiculous salaries and lack of player loyalty.

But like any professional sport, there are good people representing the game with inspiring stories and dare I admit it role models who teach us about this mystery called life.

Monty Williams is front and center among that group.

The former Notre Dame star, current NBA Oklahoma City assistant coach and the father of five children, opened our eyes to what faith and forgiveness mean after losing his wife to injuries suffered in a car accident Feb. 9 in Oklahoma City.

Ingrid Williams was killed and three of her children were injured when a car going more than 90 mph (78 at the moment of impact) crossed into her lane on South Western Avenue and hit Ingrid"s car head on, according to the Associated Press. Ingrid was 44.

Susannah Donaldson, the woman driving the other car with a dog in her lap, also died. She was 52.

We"ve all had a driver pull alongside or zip past us with a dog in their lap, or a cup of coffee in one hand and cell phone in the other, trying to navigate two tons of steel.

We shake our heads in disgust, utter a few curse words and fear the worst.

Monty Williams chose instead to forgive during a moving eulogy last Thursday at Crossings Community Church in Oklahoma City. His deep faith, which he said was "re-established" while at Notre Dame, has kept him from going crazy with grief.

"Everyone is praying for me and my family, which is right, but let us not forget that there were two people in this situation. And that family needs prayer as well. That family didnt wake up wanting to hurt my wife," Williams said in a video that has gone viral. "We have no ill will towards that family.

"This is hard for my family, but this will work out. And my wife would punch me if I were to sit up here and whine about what is going on. That doesn"t take away the pain, but it will work out because G*d causes all things to work out. You just can"t quit; you can"t give in."

An estimated 900 people, including many NBA players, coaches and staff members, attended the memorial service as Williams said goodbye to Ingrid, who was his college sweetheart at Notre Dame.

Williams said his wife is where "we all need to be, and I"m envious of that. But I got five crumb snatchers to deal with," he added, drawing laughter from the mourners.

Among those in attendance at the memorial were Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers, the entire Oklahoma City organization and San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, a 1966 Merrillville grad.

Williams played for Popovich in San Antonio, one of six teams during his nine-year NBA career, and later came aboard as an assistant.

After helping the Spurs to a championship in 2005, Williams had an opportunity to join Nate McMillan"s Portland staff and was given Pop"s blessing.

Williams later coached the New Orleans Pelicans from 2010-15 before joining OKC.

The genesis for his faith came at Notre Dame, when the 6-foot-8, 225-pounder with a 40-inch vertical believed his chances for an NBA career were over after being diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy prior to his sophomore year.

Doctors warned intense activity might cause a fatal heart attack. So Monty and Ingrid prayed together while he stayed in school, determined to earn a degree.

He would often refer to Notre Dame as his "sanctuary."

Then in 1992, doctors put him through a battery of stress tests and found no trace of what is known as HCM.

Williams starred two more seasons, was drafted by the Knicks and took with him a new understanding of faith.

It"s his life preserver through these most troubling waters.

This column solely represents the writer"s opinion. Reach him at Al.Hamnik@nwi.com

Source: http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/columnists/al-hamnik/al-hamnik-monty-williams-teaches-us-to-never-quit/article_d55758ab-9fa6-573c-8918-5f623a1ddc5d.html

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Ryan Anderson still impacted by Monty Williams" powerful speech on forgiveness

Inside The NBA - Monty Williams Speech

After Friday night"s victory against the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson didn"t talk just about his impressive 26-point performance off the bench.

He expressed how much he was impacted by Monty Williams" powerful speech on forgiveness during Thursday"s memorial service for his wife, Ingrid, in Oklahoma City.

Anderson, along with several of his teammates and Coach Alvin Gentry, attended the service for Ingrid Williams, who died last Wednesday from injuries sustained in a car crash in Oklahoma City.

""Unforgettable and I"ve read what a lot of people have said about his speech,"" Anderson said. ""If you know him well, that"s the guy Monty is. He"s a strong guy. He"s a resilient guy but he"s faith and family first. Just to be there to witness somebody who had gone through something so traumatic. The word I think is sacrifice. He made it not about himself and his family, but was asking everyone else were they OK, trying to console everyone else. He"s such a selfless guy.

""I have to say in a world of negativity and you look on the news or yahoo, it"s like Kardashians and all this stupid stuff that is pointless and means nothing. All of sudden Monty"s video is getting some press and it"s getting to people hearts. People are learning about things that"s more important on what we focus on for a day-to-day basis.""

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said Williams" speech was one of the greatest he"s ever witnessed.

""Just the overall thing and the theme of it and the way his kids handled it, to me, they"ve got great faith and you can see G*d is right there with them,"" Gentry said before Friday night"s game. I have no doubt that Monty is going to be fine. There are going to be some tough days, as he said, but just the strong family ties that they have.

""I was glad I was there. Monty made everyone feel better in a really difficult situation and what has happened and and the tragedy that"s gone on and even making reference to the other family. To me, that"s something of the highest character of a person that you could possibly ever think of.""

Monty Williams" entire powerful speech:

Source: http://www.nola.com/pelicans/index.ssf/2016/02/ryan_anderson_still_impacted_b.html

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Winners and losers from the South Carolina primary, Nevada caucuses

Donald Trump Wins South Carolina Primary

Nevada Democrats gave Hillary Clinton a much-needed win in the state"s caucuses, while South Carolina Republicans handed Donald Trump a much-expected win in their state"s primary. Below, meet the winners and losers from the night.

WINNERS

Donald Trump: The real estate mogul was supposed to win South Carolina. He did. Sure, his margin looks likely to be slightly smaller than polls in the run-up to the vote suggested. But anyone who spins that as some sort of loss for Trump is kidding themselves. Trump has now won two out of the first three states to vote and is very likely -- if you believe polling -- to cruise in Nevada"s caucuses Tuesday as well. Trump is also ahead in virtually every one of the 13 states set to vote March 1. There can be no doubt now: Donald Trump is the favorite to be the Republican nominee for president. The GOP establishment needs to come to grips with that fact -- and figure out whether there is anyway they can stop him.

Hillary Clinton: She had to win Nevada to avoid an establishment panic that could have jeopardized her standing in South Carolina and the March 1 and March 15 states. And she got it. Clinton"s team proves its organizing mettle -- more on that below -- despite the fact that all of the reporting coming out of Nevada in the final days before Saturday"s caucus suggested that the race was tied but that Sanders had the momentum edge. In her victory speech, Clinton name-checked both Flint (Michigan) and Ferguson (Missouri), a not-so-subtle signal to black voters that she is attuned to their concerns and is their candidate. She also made sure to note that she is not a single-issue candidate and this is not a single-issue campaign -- a clear shot at Sanders going forward.

Marco Rubio: The Florida senator got what he needed: a clear signal that he is the establishment candidate who can win. Bush getting out of the race opens up a massive amount of major donor money for Rubio. Beating Ted Cruz was likely just icing on the cake. Rubio should be well positioned to do well in Nevada in three days" time -- a showing that will solidify him as the clear alternative to Trump. This was, without question, Rubio"s best night of the race -- and the one that makes clear that he is in the race to stay and, maybe, to win.

Latino voters: Sanders"s eight-point win over Clinton among Latinos was one of the most surprising elements of the Nevada caucuses. It also means that Latinos will become a hugely targeted bloc of voters in virtually every state from now on. Clinton leaves Nevada with a win, yes, but with a problem that she needs to solve between now and the end of primary season: how to reach and win over Latinos.

Robby Mook: Clinton"s campaign manager was chosen for his low-key style and organizing chops. Few people said it publicly before Nevada"s vote, but had Clinton lost, it might have been the end for Mook. Her win is a victory for her commitment to organizing and to Mook. He is now on much more solid ground -- and deserves a lot of credit for putting himself in that spot.

Nikki Haley: The South Carolina governor jumped into the race for Rubio this week and can now claim she helped him to second place. (Yes, seven in 10 Republicans said the Haley endorsement didn"t make their mind up. People never say that someone else influences their vote; we"re too proud.) Haley -- along with Sen. Tim Scott -- allowed Rubio to cast himself as part of the new face of the Republican party, a powerful message going forward in the race. And if Rubio winds up as the nominee, Haley will be first among equals to be his vice presidential pick.

LOSERS

Jeb Bush/George W. Bush: South Carolina was a state the former Florida governor needed to surprise some people. He didn"t, finishing a distant fourth. To his credit, he acknowledged the obvious soon after the polls closed and ended his candidacy. That the end came for Jeb in South Carolina -- a place that he and his campaign touted as "Bush Country" -- amid a full frontal assault by Trump on the legacy of George W. Bush, is particularly painful for the Bush family and a remarkable testament to the fact that the GOP of the Bushes is no more.

Bernie Sanders: Close in Iowa is one thing. Close in Nevada is another. If David wants to slay Goliath, he needs to find rocks that actually slay the giant. Right now, Sanders" win in New Hampshire looks like the exception, not the rule. Ask yourself this: Where"s the next state that Sanders wins? The Colorado caucuses or the Minnesota caucuses March 1? Maybe. But Clinton will be favored in the vast majority of those states including such delegate-rich ones as Virginia and Georgia. Sanders will continue on -- his money and his message won"t run out anytime soon -- and be a major player going forward. But Nevada may wind up in retrospect looking like the moment the race tipped against Sanders.

Ted Cruz: The South Carolina electorate was ready-made for the Texas senator: heavily evangelical and very conservative. And yet Cruz finished well behind Trump and edged out by Rubio as well. Cruz"s problems were exposed in a close look at the exit polls: He isn"t winning enough of the evangelical vote and he can"t win votes outside of the evangelical community. Trump beat Cruz among evangelical voters 31 percent to 27 percent; among non-evangelicals Cruz got just 13 percent, well behind Trump and Rubio. Cruz is now in danger of being cast as the 2016 iteration of Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum -- social conservatives who simply weren"t able to expand beyond that base. That"s not a group Cruz wants to be lumped in with.

Organization for Republicans: There"s no debate that Cruz and Rubio had better organizations than Trump in South Carolina. So, for that matter, did Bush. Didn"t matter. Trump won relatively easily -- as he did in New Hampshire where his organization was not the match of many of the people he beat. Once the race moves beyond Nevada, organization will matter less and less, with lots of big states voting March 1 and March 15. Trump is well on his way to proving that the vaunted organizations don"t matter -- or that they matter a whole lot less.

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-south-carolina-nevada-winners-losers-20160221-story.html

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