Top 10 Most Fascinating Secrets of the Oscars

In 2016, millions of viewers were moved to tears when Leonardo DiCaprio finally took home the prestigious Oscar after five failed attempts. However, looking back at Oscar history, DiCaprio’s luck seems a bit less significant compared to Kevin O'Connell – a sound specialist who was nominated 20 times without ever winning. 'Finally, the heavens have seen me,' O'Connell said, as he was honored with the Oscar for Best Sound Mixing at the 89th Academy Awards just a few days ago for his work on 'Hacksaw Ridge.'

A prestigious event like the Academy Awards surely costs a fortune, but it might surprise you to know that it all started as an incredibly modest gathering. The first ceremony was held as a simple dinner at a small Hollywood hotel, with attendees paying just $5 per ticket—cheaper than a haircut! The menu was minimal, featuring only roasted chicken, and the entire event lasted a mere 15 minutes.

In 1980, an 8-year-old Justin Henry earned the title of 'youngest actor ever nominated for an Oscar' for his role in 'Kramer vs Kramer.' However, the record for the youngest-ever Oscar winner still belongs to Tatum O'Neal, who was just 10 years old when she took home the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 'Paper Moon' (1973).

Christopher Plummer embodies the saying "Talent gets better with age." At the age of 82, he took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Beginners" (2010), making him the oldest person ever to win an Academy Award. Will anyone else break that record?

"Best Director" has long been a category with significant gender imbalance, with only four women ever nominated in the history of the Oscars. Among them, Kathryn Bigelow stands out as the sole female director to win the coveted title for her war-themed film. Interestingly, she defeated her ex-husband, James Cameron, the director of the record-breaking blockbuster "Avatar."

At the 89th Academy Awards, the organizers caused quite a stir with a memorable mix-up that left the "La La Land" crew both laughing and crying. The infamous error, similar to the 2015 Miss Universe incident, occurred when the legendary Warren Beatty announced the wrong winner. The mistake wasn’t realized until the "La La Land" team had already finished their speeches. Immediately, the producer of "La La Land", Jordan Horowitz, corrected the announcement, revealing that "Moonlight" had won Best Picture instead. The mishap happened because Beatty was handed the wrong envelope, one for Best Actress, which contained Emma Stone’s name, leading to his confusion and the false announcement of "La La Land".

In theory, yes, actors can sell their Oscar trophies. In 1950, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences introduced a rule that if someone wishes to sell their Oscar, they must first offer it back to the Academy for the price of $1. This rule essentially discourages the sale of Oscars, although the 24-karat gold used for the trophy is worth around $900 (about 20.5 million VND) at current gold prices, which is no small sum.

Many might assume that the name Oscar refers to a legendary figure in cinema or someone with great influence in the arts. However, the truth is more lighthearted. The Academy's librarian, Margaret Herrick, remarked that the golden statue resembled her Uncle Oscar when she saw it up close. Her offhand comment made the Academy members laugh, and they decided to adopt it as the official name for the award.

Few people know that the 2000 Oscars ceremony almost faced cancellation when all 55 Oscar statues mysteriously vanished from a warehouse in California 16 days before the event. Fortunately, 9 days later, 52 of the statues were found in a supermarket dumpster. The thieves were two security guards from the warehouse. Three years later, one missing statue was discovered in a criminal hideout in Miami, Florida. After months of wandering, the statue was finally returned to its rightful home – the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

No one else but the Affleck brothers. Ben Affleck probably experienced the most emotional moment at the 2017 Oscars. Just the day before, he was receiving a Golden Raspberry Award for "Batman Vs Superman", while his younger brother, Casey Affleck, was celebrating his Oscar win. It’s unclear whether Ben should be happy or disappointed about the turn of events!