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Title: Inside Oscar, 10th Anniversary Edition by Mason Wiley, Damien Bona ISBN: 0-345-40053-4 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 19 March, 1996 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.67 (15 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: One of my favorite books
Comment: For those with a love for both film and trivia, this book is indispensable. Its the definative examination of the annual mixture of the heartwarming and the gauche known as the Academy Awards. Going year-by-year, Wiley and Bona carefully detail what ruled the box office and amazed the critics as well as giving all the gossipy details on the mostly forgotten men and women who were temporarily declared to be Hollywood's "next great star." Each years ends with a description of that year's academy awards ceremony. Though this might not sound extremely exciting, Bona and Wiley are not shy about injecting their editorial opinions as far as the ceremonies are concerned and several of their sarcastic descriptions of various misbegotten dance numbers and confused presenters, while bordering on being rather snide, are also laugh out loud funny. No matter how savvy and cynical you may consider yourself to be, after reading their behind-the-scenes take on the Oscars, you'll never be able to look at Hollywood the same way as before.
As well, Wiley and Bona have compiled perhaps the most accurate and complete listing of Oscar nominees and winners in existence. They even include lists, for each year, of notable films and songs that were passed over. These lists are probably my favorite part of the book, though I do wish they'd include some explanations of why they selected certain films as overlooked. (As just one example, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls placement as an overlooked 1970 best picture possibility, has always perplexed me.)
No matter how much you may think you know about film and celebrity trivia, this book will have something to surprise you. This is a book I've never tired of reading because I know with each look, I'll discover something both new and hilarious.
In short, this is my desert island book.
Rating: 5
Summary: THE definitive reference tool for ALL Oscar fans!
Comment: For everyone who gets 'movie madness' every March by eagerly anticipating Oscar night, this is a must-own book. It is the bible of Oscar knowledge and includes every nomination and winner from 1927 until the mid-90's. It is by far the greatest Academy Award reference tool that is available and just by paging through the nominee list in the back for a few minutes, your video rental list will grow by the foot.
The first portion gives the reader a quick history lesson including how the illustrious Academy began and how the golden statue got his trademark name. Following that, every year gets its own chapter in which the authors tell of the studio campaigns to get their films nominated, what the critics and gossip writers were reporting at the time, and who got a nominee and who got screwed. The chapter ends with an "Oscar Night," section, which goes down to the most minute detail of each Awards ceremony from the lame jokes the host tried to crack ("U-ma, O-prah!"),to the most flubbed speeches, embarrassing dance performances (Rob Lowe and Snow White?!), timeless quotes ("You like me, you really like me!") and hideous dresses. It also gives the list of presenters and the highlights of the post-Awards parties.
The back though, with the nominee history, is easily my favorite and one can spent countless hours paging through and remembering the classic films of years past or debating with friends about who got robbed in the best supporting category in 1962. I like to use the back as a checklist of what I've seen and need to see next.
My paperback edition is thoroughly warped and I hope the authors put out a new edition or else mine is going to fall apart soon. A warning though, the book does get rather depressing in April because that means there's 11 more months until next year's big show!
Rating: 5
Summary: The "Gone With the Wind" of Oscar books
Comment: Baseball has the World Series. Football has the Super Bowl. Movie freaks have the Oscars. We sneer at them, challenge them, and forget who won a week later. But we watch, not only to bask in the reflected glory of the annointed ones, but also for the rare opportunity to see them disappointed, as four out of five nominees are, year after year.
Now, in this age of media saturation, we know the Oscars are more than a one night affair. The Academy Awards are a contest as competitive, and sometimes just as dirty, as the race for the White House. Mason Wiley and Damien Bona's "Inside Oscar" is the "Gone With the Wind" of Oscar books, the only one that fully details the tasteless and sometimes cutthroat tactics that have been employed to impress Oscar, Hollywood's most enduring superstar.
This mammoth volume covers the show-biz ritual from the very beginning at a small ceremony that attracted little notice ("Wings" was named best picture) through the era when Oscar emerged as a superstar of the small screen in the 50s, right through to the crowning of "Forrest Gump" as best picture of 1994.
There's the inside dope on such controversies as George C. Scott's refusal to accept his Oscar for "Patton" (shamelessly calling the ritual a "meat parade"), and Sacheen Littlefeather's speech on behalf of Marlon Brando who turned down his Oscar for "The Godfather." Wiley and Bona are lively writers who never pass up an opportunity for an amusingly scathing observation. Their behind-the-scenes exploration of what really goes on in the battle for Oscar glory is more entertaining than many of the films honored.
For Oscar junkies, this book provides the most thorough coverage available. Wiley and Bona follow each potential contender through the entire awards season, starting with the prestigious awards from the National Board of Review, to the New York Film Critics Circle, and on to the Golden Globes, right through to Oscar night and its aftermath. There's also the complete list of winners and nominees for each category, a full list of the presenters, and a step-by-step coverage of the Oscar ceremony, complete with the most memorable moments.
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Title: Inside Oscar 2 by Damien Bona ISBN: 0345449703 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 19 February, 2002 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Movie Awards : The Ultimate, Unofficial Guide to the Oscars, Golden Globes, Critics, Guild and Indie Honors by Thomas O'Neil, Tom O'Neil, Peter Bart ISBN: 039952651X Publisher: Perigee Pub. Date: 09 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: 75 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards (Seventy Years of the Oscar, 4th Ed) by Robert A. Osborne ISBN: 0789207877 Publisher: Abbeville Press, Inc. Pub. Date: November, 2003 List Price(USD): $75.00 |
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Title: All About Oscar: The History and Politics of the Academy Awards by Emanuel Levy ISBN: 0826414524 Publisher: Continuum Pub Group Pub. Date: February, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: The Academy Awards Handbook 2003 (Academy Awards Handbook, 2003) by John Harkness ISBN: 0786015527 Publisher: Pinnacle Books Pub. Date: February, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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