The Academy Awards (Oscar) Has a Fascination for Many

By Kristyne McDaniel

Among the most watched television programming worldwide each year is the spectacle on display each year when the Academy of Motion Pictures awards its Oscar to the best and brightest for the previous year.

It has always been difficult for those of us on the outside of the process to understand what is going on in the process used to determine the winners. We often see winning songs or performances that we didn't care for, or did not like at all selected instead of our favorites. Many times a box office hit will get all the awards, and then at other times the giants of the box office are snubbed for independent films. Each year there are the predictable winners, accompanied by the inevitable surprises. As the year wraps, the next year starts anew and the cycle begins fresh.

I decided to start this site to be a repository for all those answers to my own questions, and for participation by others as well. Like most people, I have an interest in entertainment and the arts, but not an overwhelming fascination that takes up all my time and energies. I don't care about the daily lives of actors, or what kind of legal messes they might be involved with. My interest is with the body of work out there, and with the aspects of people's personal histories that might have contributed to their exceptional work. Maybe an actor grew up privileged and that gave them a window into playing royalty of ages past. Perhaps a director grew up on the streets and saw despair up close and personal, and wanted to bring that to the screen.

Some actors do excellent work in part because of superior education and training with the best theater groups. Many casting directors or art directors or set designers or various other specialties are extremely well trained in their specialties as well. When you watch the credits go by on the screen you see certifications listed by the names. I've wondered what those certifications are, and whether there's a push to have more certifications as time passes.

There are so many questions to answer. The best way to get those answers is to jump in and start.