Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images/Jemal Countess, Getty Images/YouTube

With Oscars season upon us, it’s anyone’s guess who will take home the gold. Each year, some newcomers crash the party among veteran actors who command the red carpet at the Academy Awards. The annual event draws Hollywood’s biggest stars, and millions more around the world. The press always puts together some basic information about this year’s nominees, but how much do you actually know about the Oscars ceremony? Here’s a list of fun facts and trivia you can use to impress your friends this awards season.

Why’s it called Oscar?

Nobody knows for sure. The most commonly cited origin dates back to actress Bette Davis, who said that the backside of the statuette looked like her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson. According to another theory, the name came from Academy secretary Margaret Herrick who claimed it looked like her Uncle Oscar. However it came to be, the Oscar officially got its name in 1939, 10 years after the annual ceremony began. The official name of the Oscar is the Academy Award of Merit.

What are the statues made of?

Originally, they were gold-plated solid bronze. Then they moved over to Britannia metal, a pewter-like alloy that was then covered with copper, nickel silver, and 24-carat gold. But when WWII hit, and a metal shortage followed, the Academy had to make do with what materials they had available. So they resorted to painted plaster for three years. After the war ended, recipients were invited to exchange the plaster awards for gold-plated metal ones. Fun fact: Oscar statuette weighs 8 1/2 pounds and is 13 1/2 inches tall. (Watch a video on the making of an Oscar below.)

Hardly anyone attended the first Academy Awards

With what the awards have turned into today, it’s hard to imagine Hollywood’s humble beginnings. But that was the case for the first Academy Awards in May 1929, which was a small dinner held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for 270 guests. It cost $5 a head, and the guests dined on broiled chicken.

Oscars.org

There have only been a few sweeps of the top categories

‘Hugo’ leads this year’s Best Picture crop with 11 nominations, but only three films in the history of the awards have ever won all five of the top categories (Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role, Actress in a Leading Role, Directing, Writing). They are: ‘It Happened One Night’ (1934), ’One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ (1975) and ‘Silence of the Lambs’ (1991). 37 other films have been nominated in all of the “Big Five” categories, but have fallen short of ultimate Oscars glory.

Vince Bucci, Getty Images

A sound mixer is the biggest loser in Oscars history

Sound mixer Kevin O’Connell has 20 nominations yet still no wins, making him “the unluckiest nominee in the history of the Academy Awards,” according to The Guardian. Basically O’Connell is the Susan Lucci of the Oscars, with nods spanning from ‘Terms of Endearment’ to ’Transformers.’ “If I ever did get an opportunity to make a speech, one of the things I’d say is to all you nominees, don’t consider yourselves losers. You guys are winners and don’t let anyone tell you differently,” he told Entertainment Weekly. O’Connell can take solace in his recognition from the Academy in other ways — he sits on the Board of Governors, representing the sound branch. (Watch an interview with O’Connell below.)

A toothbrush is Billy Crystal’s good luck charm

Expect this year’s host Billy Crystal to be armed with a toothbrush in his tuxedo pocket, but not because of a fear of bad breath. As a kid, Crystal would pretend to make an Oscar speech using his toothbrush as a microphone, and each of the eight times he’s taken the stage as the show’s host, he’s brought along his toothbrush to help ease his nerves.

Selling Oscar trophies is forbidden

Fame is fleeting, and so are Oscars apparently. Many celebrities have given their Oscars way or lost them over the years. But according to Moviefone, they can’t hock them at the pawn shop — the Academy banned the sale of the statuettes in 1950. Heirs to the statuettes must, according to the established rule, sell the trophies back to the Academy for $1. Pre-1950 Academy Awards have sold for millions.

Jemal Countess, Getty Images

Someone streaked the Oscars

During the 1974 Academy Awards, while actor David Niven was calling up Elizabeth Taylor to present the Oscar for Best Picture, a streaker emerged from the back of the stage and interrupted the festivities. Niven ad-libbed, ”Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was almost bound to happen. But isn’t it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?” The streaker was Robert Opel, a photographer and art gallery owner who had snuck backstage posing as a journalist. You can thank him for the delay imposed on the televised broadcast. Watch the famous moment below.

Marlon Brando turned down an award

When Marlon Brando won Best Actor in a Leading Role for ‘The Godfather’ in 1972, he declined to accept the award and instead sent Native American actress Sacheen Littlefeather to represent him on the stage. Littlefeather explained that Brando didn’t appreciate the way that Native Americans were portrayed in the movies. While some didn’t like Brando’s political statement, others believe that Brando’s stand helped improve the treatment of Native Americans in Hollywood. The Academy subsequently banned the use of proxies to speak on anyone’s behalf at the ceremony.

Oscar wins raise the divorce rate

A recent study found that women who were nominated for Best Actress were more likely to get divorced sometime after their Academy Award nods. Many recent winners – including Kate Winslet, Reese Witherspoon, and Sandra Bullock – feel prey to the curse. (See a recent list of actresses here.) “Winning an Oscar can be construed as a big jump in professional status that an actor or actress has in their world and in the eyes of the broader audience…You are never the same after you’ve secured an Oscar for Best actor or Best Actress,” explained one of the scientists.

Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images

Source: TheFW.com

Courtesy of Curb Records

Hank Williams Jr. fans new and old will garner great appreciation for a new 22-track greatest hits album that will hit stores next month.

The retrospective collection, titled ‘Best of Hank Williams Jr. (All My Rowdy Friends),’ will be released by Nashville’s Curb Records and will feature the biggest and most memorable hits of Hank Jr.’s career, including ‘Family Tradition,’ ‘A Country Boy Can Survive,’ ‘Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound,’ and of course, ‘All My Rowdy Friends Are Comin’ Over Tonight.’

The album will also feature the duet rendition Bocephus sang with the vocal track of his late and legendary father, Hank Williams, on the classic hit ‘There’s a Tear in My Beer.’ Other guest appearances on the collection of songs include Rehab, who lend their talents to Hank’s ‘Bartender Song (Sittin’ at the Bar).’

‘Best of Hank Williams Jr. (All My Rowdy Friends)’ will be released on Tuesday, March 27, exclusively at Walmart.

‘Best of Hank Williams Jr. (All My Rowdy Friends)’ Track Listing:

1. ‘Family Tradition’
2. ‘Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound’
3. ‘Women I’ve Never Had’
4. ‘Outlaw Women’
5. ‘Kaw-Liga’
6. ‘Old Habits’
7. ‘Dinosaur’
8. ‘The Blues Man’
9. ‘Texas Women’
10. ‘Dixie On My Mind’
11. ‘All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)’
12. ‘A Country Boy Can Survive’
13. ‘If Heaven Ain’t a Lot Like Dixie’
14. ‘The Conversation’
15. ‘All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight’
16. ‘Country State of Mind’
17. ‘Born to Boogie’
18. ‘If the South Woulda Won’
19. ‘There’s a Tear in My Beer’ (with Hank Williams)
20. ‘Red, White, and Pink-Slip Blues’
21. ‘Bartender Song (Sittin’ at the Bar)’ (with Rehab)
22. ‘All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming for Monday Night Football’

Source: TasteofCountry.com

For the record, taking a look at who the both of them have dated is quite impressive.  Taylor Swift has dated Joe Jonas, Jake Gyllenhaal,  John Mayer, Taylor Launter, and Toby Hemmingway.

Zac Efron has dated, Ashley Tisdale, Amanda Bynes, Kay Panabaker, and Vanessa Hudgens.  The two have certainly dated some impressive people so I think it could work out between the two.  If it doesn’t work out though, I guess we have another album from Taylor!

YouTube

Just days before her new single ‘Good Girl’ is scheduled to be officially released, Carrie Underwood has given fans a sample of the until now unheard track from her upcoming fourth studio album. In a video released on her official website on Tuesday, Underwood takes fans inside the studio.

“I thought I’d give you guys a little teaser, cause hey, what are they gonna do to me?” the blonde country superstar asks before swinging the mixing room door open, releasing a flood of uptempo country goodness. The song seems cut from the mold of ‘Before He Cheats’ or ‘Undo It.’ It’s the bad girl Underwood that fans will hear from first.

“I cannot wait for you to hear the whole thing. It will be coming to a radio near you very soon. I hope you like it.” The still-untitled album is due in stores May 1.

Underwood’s website says the song will be released on Feb. 23. In fact, there is a ‘Good Girl’ countdown that is pecking away the seconds to midnight ET. It may be a very late night for the singer’s most loyal fans.

Watch Carrie Underwood’s Sneak Peek of her New Song ‘Good Girl’

Source: TasteofCountry.com

Rick Diamond, Getty Images

The Band Perry took a break in the middle of their tour with Brad Paisley to step onto the new stage of Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Monday (Feb. 20). The sibling trio was the first group to take the newly-renovated historic stage after the 61-year-old blond oak stage was replaced with one made of Brazilian teak. According to the Tennessean, the band’s 85-minute set of songs included some of their crowd favorites sprinkled with a good mixture of new songs, played for the first time.

“It’s going to be a bit of a musical narrative tonight,” Perry told the audience, who came out to the 120-year-old venue to see the band perform. “We’re going to do a couple of medleys, deeper cuts on the album, but we also wanted tonight to be about the continuing story of the Band Perry.”

Leading off that story, the Perrys dove into their set with a number that Kimberly described as “a big statement from the three of us” — their song ‘End of Times.’ Speaking of the song, Kimberly said, “I feel like musically it has progressed us to a new level while still embracing everything we were on the first album. It’s a little bit of an eerie way to start the set, very Southern gothic.”

From there, the night took a turn with ‘Sweet Baby Love’ and then ‘Hip to My Heart’ from their 2010 self-titled debut. The trio also performed songs with the titles ‘It Burns for You’ — a “new one for the lovers” — ‘Back to Me Without You,’ ‘Jimmy’ and ‘A Night Gone Wasted,’ as well as several of their tried and true songs from their first record. They even threw a few covers or portions of covers into the mix, with songs like ‘Free Fallin” and Queen‘s ‘Fat Bottomed Girls,’ as well as Chris Tomlin’s ‘Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone),’ which resulted in a standing ovation.

Even when singing love songs, Kimberly assured the crowd where the siblings’ affections truly lie: “We’re hopelessly single,” she said. “But we feel like the last two years have been us trying to win your hearts. We are eternally grateful to you for changing our lives.”

Source: TasteofCountry.com

Jason Merritt, Getty Images

Taylor Swift is a walking anomaly. She’s risen to the top of the charts with songs about love and loss, while at the same time assuring the public that she’s absolutely loving being single. On ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jay Leno on Monday (Feb. 20), Swift opened up a bit about her Grammy-winning song ‘Mean’ and gave some insight into one of the reasons she is perhaps so content to be living the single life for a while.

“I’m a Sagittarius, and it says one of our major qualities is that we’re blindly optimistic,” she tells Leno in the clip below. “So when I’m in love, I’m just stupid about it, and I trust people – constantly. And then I always am like, ‘I’m not gonna trust people anymore. I’m gonna be one of those dark, twisty girls who guys love because they’re all like guarded and stuff.’ And then I just trust people again.”

This moment of truth came just after Leno asked the country starlet about her quote in her recent ‘Vogue’ cover story, where she said, “I’m smart unless I’m in love.” Speaking of her ‘Vogue’ experience, Swift gushed about how she was so excited to finally be able to live that dream. “I just loved the whole shoot, working with the coolest photographer and stylist and people,” she said. Even when the team cut her hair and put her in a hat, she says she just said ‘OK’ because that’s what you do when you’re working with ‘Vogue.’

Looking back on her recent two-Grammy win, Swift offered a little explanation behind her hit song ‘Mean,’ which most people assume to be about an experience she had in high school… but actually has a totally different origin.

“A lot of people think that I wrote it about being bullied in high school, and when the song went out into the world it kind of became that,” she explains. “But I actually wrote the song about a critic who kept giving me really bad reviews. Nothing ruins your day like getting a bad review. And then there’s this scathing review which is kind of past constructive criticism, and it’s kind of more into like I hate you territory, which is mean.”

While Swift shares that you never develop skin thick enough to handle those reviews, she says she loves hearing that others relate and are able to get out of abusive relationships or bullying situations because they feel empowered by the song. Still, the country star — who admits to getting her feelings hurt easily — says she no longer checks her Google alerts to see what people are saying about her.

Watch Taylor Swift on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jay Leno

Source: TasteofCountry.com

Steve Powell, Getty Images

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history:

1819 – By the Adams-Onís Treaty, Spain sells Florida to the United States for $5 million (More info)

1879 – In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many of five-and-dime Woolworth stores (More info)

1924 – President Calvin Coolidge becomes the first commander-in-chief to deliver a radio broadcast from the White House (More info)

1980 – In what would come to be called the Miracle on Ice, the US men’s hockey team beats the heavily-favored Soviet Union team 4-3 at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York (More info)

2006 – At least six men stage Britain’s largest robbery in history, stealing $92.5 million from a Securitas depot in Kent (More info)

Frazer Harrison / David Livingston, Getty Images

Here’s a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today:

Jeri Ryan
Age: 44
Occupation: Actress
Known For: Playing the liberated (“de-assimilated”) Borg, Seven of Nine, on ‘Star Trek: Voyager,’ roles on other shows like ‘Leverage,’ ‘Boston Public,’ ‘Dark Skies’ and ‘Shark,’ and her current role as Dr. Kate Murphy on the ABC drama ‘Body of Proof’

Drew Barrymore
Age: 37
Occupation: Actress, Producer and Director
Known For: Her star-making childhood role in ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,’ two stays in rehab by the time she was 14, rebounding nicely with adult roles in ‘Boys on the Side,’ ‘The Wedding Singer,’ ’50 First Dates’ and the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ film franchise, co-founding the prolific Flower Films production company, her recent engagement to art consultant Will Kopelman, and just being all-around adorable

Kyle MacLachlan
Age: 53
Occupation: Actor
Known For: His roles in the cult films ‘Blue Velvet,’ ‘Showgirls,’ ‘Dune’ and ‘The Doors,’ work on the TV shows ‘Twin Peaks,’ ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘Desperate Housewives,’ and a lengthy relationship in the 1990s with supermodel Linda Evangelista

Rachel Dratch
Age: 46
Occupation: Actress and Comedienne
Known For: Being a cast member of ‘Saturday Night Live’ from 1999 to 2006, appearing in movies including ‘Down with Love,’ ‘Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star’ and ‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,’ and her enviably close friendship with Tina Fey

James Blunt
Age: 38
Occupation: Singer, Songwriter and Musician
Known For: Singles including ‘You’re Beautiful’ and ‘Goodbye My Lover,’ being nominated for five Grammys, selling 18 million albums, and having a long string of model girlfriends

I’m sure everyone has seen the movies where aliens come from space and try to take over Earth.  Same old story line in every one and just to prove it, just think of these movies. Cowboys vs. Aliens, Independence Day, Signs, Transformers, Monsters (2010) Battle: Los Angeles, Skyline, Super 8, District 9, Men in Black, III Battleship.  I’m sure I have left out a few but you hopefully get my point.

Like I said earlier the difference with this movie is Nazis.  Evidently after WWII they escaped to the moon and 70 years later they are out for revenge!  Great idea for a movie and I guess we will just have to see if a plot like this will flop or be a success.

Rick Diamond, Getty Images

Neal McCoy will release his new album ‘XII’ on March 6 after a five-year hiatus. The album, produced by country couple Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, is McCoy’s 12th studio effort. The singer just shared the track listing for the album, along with some accolades from his high-profile production team.

McCoy is proud of the fact that the album will make the listener feel like he or she is at a Neal McCoy show. “It’s like my shows, a little bit of everything that makes music special,” said the country music veteran. “‘XII’ has a little bit of church, a little bit of bar-room, a couple ballads that’ll encourage, and a real Texas thing about finding your groove in the midst of heartbreak with a cold beer and a good jukebox. Blake and Miranda had definite ideas about what this should be – you almost couldn’t hold ‘em back.’

Shelton called McCoy not only a friend, but a hero, and spoke about producing the platter, saying, “Our first priority with this album was that Neal only cut songs that he truly loved and was excited about. That was very important to us.” His equally excited and talented wife commented, “It was a blast seeing Neal and Blake together…had the place laughing all the time. I think fans will hear three different artists coming together on this album with their individual takes on the music.”

Produced by Shelton and Lambert, with a little bit of church, a little bit of watering hole energy and ballads, combined with the idea of getting your groove back despite heartache? This album just keeps getting better and better, as Neal is, for lack of a better word, the real McCoy.

‘XII’ Track Listing

‘A-OK’
‘Real Good Feel Good’
‘Judge a Man By the Woman’
‘Mouth’
‘Shotgun Rider’
‘That’s You’
‘Crazy Women’
‘Lucky Enough’
‘Every Fire’
‘That’s Just How She Gets’
‘Borderline Crazy’
‘Van Gogh’

Source: TasteofCountry.com

Courtesy of Sony Music Nashville

Love and Theft‘s new single, ‘Angel Eyes,’ is giving the band a handful of firsts, including the fact that it’s a their first release as a duo. The video for the tune was just released, showing a more mature side of Eric Gunderson and Stephen Barker Liles as they flirt with temptation of dating the preacher’s daughters.

The video was shot on Liles’ farm outside of Nashville, and features their friends and family as the extras who come out for the big bonfire barn party, following Gunderson’s afternoon Harley ride and Liles’ cruise around town in his Mustang with their girls in tow. As a preacher’s kid himself, Liles knows all too well the mischief that is to be had growing up with that particular title.

But like good boys, Gunderson and Liles return their sweethearts to the front steps of the church at the end of the video, as their preacher father (played by Liles’ real-life preacher father) gives the the boys the look of questioning their involvement with his girls.

For Gunderson, the song is an extra special single, as he co-wrote the tune with newcomer Eric Paslay. Click here to read our interview with Paslay about how the song came about.

Watch the Love and Theft ‘Angel Eyes’ Video

Source: TasteofCountry.com

Jason Kempin, Getty Images

Craig Campbell is revving his engines. The ‘Family Man’ singer will make his way down to the Daytona International Speedway this coming weekend, where he will headline the Coca-Cola stage in the Midway Fan Zone prior to the start of the Daytona 500. Campbell will hit the stage at 10:45 AM ET on Sunday, Feb. 26. He is slated to play a free, 90-minute set. Yes, you read right. The show is free.

The race itself starts at 1 PM so Campbell will certainly do his best to entertain the crowds for an hour-and-a-half before the actual race. Few things mesh as well as country music and fast cars and it’s a foregone conclusion that Campbell will do the genre proud.

According to a press release, Campbell has already designed his set list for this performance. He plans to play ‘Family Man’ and ‘Fish’ from his self-titled debut, as well as his new anthem ‘When I Get It.’

So if you’re based in Florida and were already planning to head down to the big event, make sure to get their early so you can take in Campbell’s free set.

Source: TasteofCountry.com

2 lbs hash pounds – partly thaw
1/2 cup chop onion
MIX:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1-16 oz.  sour cream
1 stick butter
Melt butter on stove, add soup and sour cream. Add 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese. (Save a little to add to top of potatoes when almost done)
Add dash of salt and pepper and mix. Place in 9×13 pan and bake 1 – 1 1/2 hours at 375. Last 10 minutes add rest of cheese on top. Some people add 1 cup crushed potato chips to top but I typically don’t.
good luck and enjoy.

Universal Pictures

The Denzel Washington/Ryan Reynolds thriller ‘Safe House’ kept movie-goers on the edge of their seats this holiday weekend, earning $28.4 million to land at the top of the charts in its second week of release.

‘The Vow’ took in $26.6 million for the runner-up spot, barely squeaking past ‘Journey 2: The Mysterious Island,’ which sold $26.4 million in tickets for third.

Rounding out the top five? Nicolas Cage’s ‘Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance’ and the Reese Witherspoon rom-com ‘This Means War,’ which netted $25.7 million and $20.4 million, respectively.

Here’s a list of the top 10 movies at the box office Friday through Monday with estimated grosses, along with how much each movie has made since its release:

1. ‘Safe House’ – $28.4 million, $82.6 million total
2. ‘The Vow’ – $26.6 million, $88.5 million total
3. ‘Journey 2: The Mysterious Island’ – $26.4 million, $59.5 million total
4. ‘Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance’ – $25.7 million, new release
5. ‘This Means War’ – $20.4 million, $22 million total
6. ‘Star Wars: Episode I – Phantom Menace’ – $10.1 million, $36 million total
7. ‘Chronicle’ – $9.2 million, $52.6 million total
8. ‘The Secret World Of Arrietty’ – $8.1 million, new release
9. ‘The Woman in Black’ – $7.9 million, $46.5 million total
10. ‘The Grey’ – $3.7 million, $48.6 million total

[Box Office Mojo]

Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

Trace Adkins has been named the spokesman for Pilot Flying J’s soon-to-be-launched loyalty program, which is set to kick off this spring. Pilot Flying J, in case you didn’t know, is the largest operator of travel centers and plazas in North America. Pro drivers, motorists and road warriors like Adkins rely on travel centers to survive while on the road.

Adkins was selected as the face of the program because blue-collar drivers, which the company serves dutifully, relate to him and he has been known as one of the hardest working man in the country genre, which fits Pilot Flying J’s mission and aesthetic as a company. Trucks keep America moving and who better to help relay that image than Adkins, a proud American who spends a lot of time on the wide open road. He knows what life is like on that endless stretch of asphalt.

“As much as I travel, my band, crew and I certainly rely on Pilot Flying J travel centers as we tour the country,” Adkins said, according to Country Music is Love. “I think all the professional drivers, business travelers and motorists on our U.S. highways and interstates would say the same. I’m proud to partner with this driver-driven company as they serve and reward the men and women who are responsible for transporting the products and services of America!”

The feeling is mutual for Pilot Flying J execs. “Trace relates to the hardworking, American professional driver,” said Jimmy Haslam, Pilot Flying J CEO. “As the driver-driven company, we strive to serve our customers with passion, convenience, quality products and fast, friendly service. Trace is a natural match; he’s been called the hardest working man in country music, and that aligns well with our work ethic at Pilot Flying J. We’re very proud to have Trace on board to represent Pilot Flying J.”

Source: TasteofCountry.com