1. Each year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards performers, directors, writers and other motion picture artists and craftspeople.

2. First awards ceremony The first Academy Awards had little in common with the spectacular productions of recent years. Held on May 16, 1929, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the ceremony was a low-key affair for academy members and guests

3. When the first Academy Awards were handed out on May 16, 1929, movies had just begun to talk. That first ceremony took place during an Academy banquet in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The attendance was 270 and guest tickets cost $5. It was a long banquet, filled with speeches, but presentation of the statuettes was handled expeditiously by Academy President

4. First academy president Swashbuckling star Douglas Fairbanks Sr., pictured here in the film, "The Thief of Bagdad," was the first president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Fairbanks officially presided over the first ceremony in which Academy Awards of Merit were handed out.

5. First TV broadcasts NBC broadcast the first Academy Awards on television on March 19, 1953. Thirteen years later, ABC became the first to broadcast the ceremony in color. Bob Hope was master of ceremonies for both shows.

6. First woman nominee for best director The first woman to be nominated for a best director Oscar was Lina Wertmuller, seen here in 1994, for her film "Seven Beauties" (1976). She is one of three women to be nominated in this category, joined by Jane Campion ("The Piano," 1993) and Sofia Coppola ("Lost in Translation," 2003).

7. First Oscar reference In the late 1930s, the academy officially began calling its merit award the Oscar. It is uncertain who made up the nickname, but there are three popular theories: academy librarian and future executive director Margaret Herrick named the award for her uncle, Oscar Pierce; columnist Sidney Skolsky referred to it as Oscar in a column; and Bette Davis, pictured here in a photo from "All about Eve," nicknamed the statuette because it resembled her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson Jr.

8. In the first year, 15 statuettes were awarded (all of them to men except for the Best Actress award, which went to Janet Gaynor), but in the second year the number of awards was reduced to seven - two for acting and one each for Outstanding Picture, Directing, Writing, Cinematography and Art Direction. Since then, the number of award categories has grown slowly but steadily

9. MOST BEAUTIFUL & STYLISH PICTURE EVER PRODUCED

10. Oscar 2008 nominations: The top nominees are: There Will Be Blood (8 nominations), No Country for Old Men (8), Atonement (7), Michael Clayton (7), Ratatouille (5), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (4), Juno (4).

11. Jessica Alba Heidi Klum Helen Mirren

12. Penelope Cruz Nicole Kidman Kventine Tarantino

13. George Clooney, best actor nominee for the film Michael Clayton, and his girlfriend Sarah Larson

14. John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston arrive for the 80th Academy Awards

15. 234 - Duration, in minutes, of the longest film to win Best Picture (Gone With the Wind 234 - Duration, in minutes, of the longest film to win Best Picture (Gone With the Wind 91 - Duration, in minutes, of the shortest film to win Best Picture (Marty). 91 - Duration, in minutes, of the shortest film to win Best Picture (Marty). 256 - Duration, in minutes, of the longest Oscar ceremony (2002). 256 - Duration, in minutes, of the longest Oscar ceremony (2002). 15 - Duration, in minutes, of the shortest Oscar ceremony (1929). 15 - Duration, in minutes, of the shortest Oscar ceremony (1929). OSCARS BY NUMBERS

16. 2 - Number of trilogies where all three films were nominated for Best Picture (The Godfather, The Lord of the Rings). 2 - Number of trilogies where all three films were nominated for Best Picture (The Godfather, The Lord of the Rings).

17. 13 - Number of acting nominations for Meryl Streep, who holds the record for females. 13 - Number of acting nominations for Meryl Streep, who holds the record for females. 12 - Number of acting nominations for Jack Nicholson, who holds the record for males. 12 - Number of acting nominations for Jack Nicholson, who holds the record for males. 3 - Number of films to win 11 Oscars - a record (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Titanic, Ben-Hur). 3 - Number of films to win 11 Oscars - a record (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Titanic, Ben-Hur).

18. Attendance at the Academy Awards ceremony is by invitation only. No tickets are put on public sale Attendance at the Academy Awards ceremony is by invitation only. No tickets are put on public sale