关于奥斯卡小金人的10个事实

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The 88th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)(美国电影艺术与科学学会), will honor the best films of 2015 and is scheduled to take place on February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST. During the ceremony, AMPAS will present Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. Here are 10 facts about Oscar statuettes(小雕像) that you may not know.

The Telepraphy: 10 facts about Oscar Statuettes

1. The original design of “Oscar” was by MGM(米高梅公司) art director Cedric Gibbons. He came up with a statuette of a knight(骑士) standing on a reel of film gripping a crusader’s sword(十字军之剑). The Academy commissioned the Los Angeles sculptor George Stanley to create the design in three dimensions(三维设计).

2. It was presented for the first time at the initial awards banquet on May 16, 1929 to Emil Jannings, named Best Actor for his performances in “The Last Command”《最后的命令》 and “The Way of All Flesh”《众生之路》.

3. Since then, 2,947 statuettes have been presented(颁发).

4. The new golden statuettes are cast, moulded, polished and buffed(浇铸和抛光) each January by RS Owens & Company, the Chicago-based awards manufacturer(制造商) retained by the Academy since 1982.

5. Oscar stands 13½ inches(13½英寸) tall and weighs 8½ lbs(8½磅).

6. The film reel features five spokes(辐条), signifying(标志) the five original branches of the Academy: actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers. Although the statuette remains true to its original design(原始设计), the size of the base varied until 1945, when the current standard was adopted(采纳).

7. Officially named the Academy Award of Merit(学院成就奖), the statuette is better known by its nickname, Oscar(昵称“奥斯卡"). While the origins of the moniker(昵称) are not clear, a popular story has it that upon seeing the trophy for the first time, Academy librarian (and eventual executive director) Margaret Herrick remarked that it resembled her Uncle Oscar. The Academy didn’t adopt the nickname officially until 1939.

8. The statuettes presented(颁发) at the initial ceremonies were gold-plated solid bronze(镀金实心铜像). Within a few years the bronze was abandoned in favour of Britannia metal(不列颠合金), a pewter-like alloy(锡合金) which is then plated(镀上) in copper(铜), nickel silver(镍银), and finally, 24-carat gold(24K黄金).

9. Due to a metal shortage(短缺) during the Second World War, Oscars were made of painted plaster(石膏) for three years. Following the war, the Academy invited recipients(获奖者) to redeem the plaster figures(石膏雕像) for gold-plated metal ones(镀金金属雕像).

10. The Academy is not certain how many statuettes it will hand out until the envelopes(信封) are opened on the night of the ceremony. Although the number of categories are known in advance, the possibility of ties and of multiple recipients sharing the prize in some categories makes it impossible to predict(预知) the exact number of statuettes to be awarded. Any surplus awards are housed in the Academy’s vault(地窖里) until the following year's event.

YouTube: 10 facts about Oscar Statuettes