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The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers.
The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is among the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremonies in the world.

The official name of the Oscar statuette is the Academy Award of Merit. Made of gold-plated britannium on a black metal base, it is 13.5 in (34 cm) tall, weighs 8.5 lb (3.85 kg) and depicts a knight rendered in Art Deco style holding a crusader's sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes. The five spokes each represent the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers and Technicians.MGM’s art director Cedric Gibbons, one of the original Academy members, supervised the design of the award trophy by printing the design on scroll.In need of a model for his statue Gibbons was introduced by his then wife Dolores del Río to Emilio "El Indio" Fernández. Reluctant at first, Fernández was finally convinced to pose naked to create what today it is known as the "Oscar". Then sculptor George Stanley sculpted Gibbons' design in clay, and Alex Smith cast the statue in tin and copper and then gold-plated it over a composition of 92.5 percent tin and 7.5 percent copper. The only addition to the Oscar since it was created is a minor streamlining of the base. Approximately 40 Oscars are made each year in Chicago, Illinois by the manufacturer, R.S. Owens. If they fail to meet strict quality control standards, the statuettes are cut in half and melted down.

The root of the name "Oscar" is contested. One biography of Bette Davis claims that she named the Oscar after her first husband, bandleader Harmon Oscar Nelson.Another claimed origin is that of the Academy’s Executive Secretary, Margaret Herrick, who first saw the award in 1931 and made reference of the statuette reminding her of her Uncle Oscar. Columnist Sidney Skolsky was present during Herrick’s naming and seized the name in his byline, "Employees have affectionately dubbed their famous statuette 'Oscar'" (Levy 2003). Both Oscar and Academy Award are registered trademarks of the Academy, fiercely protected through litigation and threats thereof.

As of the most recent ceremony held in 2007, a total of 2,681 Oscars have been awarded. 290 different actors have won an acting Oscar (including Honorary awards and Juvenile awards). Of these, 144 are still alive today.

Since 1950, the statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that neither winners nor their heirs may sell the statuettes without first offering to sell them back to the Academy for $1. If a winner refuses to agree to this stipulation, then the Academy keeps the statuette. Academy Awards not protected by this agreement have been sold in public auctions and private deals for six-figure sums (Levy 2003).

This rule is highly controversial, since it implies that the winner does not own the award.The case of Michael Todd's grandson trying to sell Todd's Oscar statuette illustrates that there are many who do not agree with this idea. When Todd's grandson attempted to sell Todd's Oscar statuette to a movie prop collector, the Academy won the legal battle by getting a permanent injunction. Although some Oscar sales transactions have been successful, the buyers have subsequently returned the statuettes to the Academy, which keeps them in its treasury.

Source : www.wikipedia.org

Century is the lead ship of the Century Class of cruise ships for Celebrity Cruises, and the co-flagship of the Celebrity fleet, along with Millennium class ship Constellation. Other ships belonging to the Century Class are the Galaxy and the Mercury. Century was launched in 1995 and went into a 5 week drydock in April 2006 whilst undergoing complete refurbishment. Designed to incorporate a variety of Celebrity's most popular Millennium-class attributes, the revitalization of Century is the line's most extensive refurbishment to-date, and the largest cruise ship modification completed by Fincantieri's Palermo, Italy, shipyard.

A total of 314 new verandas have been added to the ship, along with 14 new suites, ten new staterooms ranging from inside to veranda categories, a new specialty restaurant, an expanded spa, and a series of features and amenities that typify the line's Millennium-class fleet.

The new Murano specialty restaurant in the center of the ship sparkles with magnificent chandeliers handcrafted of Murano glass, named for the island of Murano near Venice, Italy, where glass-blowing has been a fine art and tradition since the 13th century.

Century boasts the first "ice bar" concept at sea within its Martini Bar, featuring a liquid wall that freezes to form a sparkling crystalline appearance, and a bar counter that freezes into ice-cold stone, while a solid block of ice will creatively display bottles of liquor behind the bar, creating a very "cool" way to serve Celebrity's menu of more than 30 versions of martinis.

Every ocean-view and inside stateroom onboard Century is now equipped with new flat-screen TVs, wireless Internet access, new carpeting, textiles, windows, lighting fixtures, and art. The bathrooms have new vanities and enhanced lighting, surface-mounted sink basins and fixtures, curved-rod shower curtains, and renewed architectural surfaces. Century's suites are also now equipped with new carpeting, wall covering, windows and textiles, new bedding and new light fixtures, new phones, 26-inch LCD TVs, DVD players, wireless Internet access, new accessories, and new veranda furniture.


Source : www.wikipedia.org

"Celebrity" is a 1998 film written and directed by Woody Allen and shot in black-and-white.


"Celebrity" is a satire, a kind of modern day "La Dolce Vita". Allen has crafted a film that is nearly as harsh as Stardust Memories, though not quite as bitter in tone or as great as its predecessor. Allen presents us with several characters, some that actually are celebrities, and many more that wish to be. He treats most of these characters rather terribly in the screenplay, with an obvious lack of respect and admiration for "celebrities" and the notion behind the whole concept of fame. Yet, while the film is often harsh and biting, it is so humerous that you almost overlook the underlying critiques. Judy Davis is sensational, giving us the only character to really root for in the entire film. Famke Jamsen, Melanie Griffith,Charlize Theron, and Joe Magtenga also turn in great work in supporting roles, but it is DiCaprio who steals the show. As the film begins to reach a bit of a slow patch, DiCaprio makes his appearance and literally rejuvinates the entire film (an unfortunate thing for all those angry anti-Titanic fans who wanted "Leo" to fail miserably). He basically plays a parody of himself, or rather of his perceived image, and his prescence and excitement provide an adrenaline shot of sorts to the film.

"Celebrity" also finds Woody working once again with legendary Bergman cinematographer, Sven Nykvist (Another Woman, Crimes and Misdemeanors). As a result, the camera work in the film is exceptional. Shot in black and white (like Manhattan, Stardust Memories, Zelig, and Broadway Danny Rose before it), the film has a nostalgic, yet modern feel. In one of the film's best lines, a character at a movie screening complains about the pretentious director who makes films in black and white. This line is Celebrity in a microcosm; a self-conscious film that asks us why we choose who we choose for our celebrities and heroes, while at the same time presenting us with some real-life stars, directed by one of the most famous directors alive. It takes a harsh look at fame and celebrity, and what people will do to achieve it. It's not a great film, or a poor film, but it is most definitely an intersting one.

Cast

* Melanie Griffith as Nicole Oliver
* Winona Ryder as Nola
* Charlize Theron as Supermodel
* Leonardo DiCaprio as Brandon Darrow
* Michael Lerner (actor) as Dr. Lupus
* Judy Davis as Robin Simon
* Kenneth Branagh as Lee Simon
* Joe Mantegna as Tony Gardella
* Isaac Mizrahi as Bruce Bishop
* Bebe Neuwirth as Nina, the Hooker
* Hank Azaria as David
* Famke Janssen as Bonnie
* Debra Messing as TV Reporter
* Adrian Grenier as Darrow's Entourage
* Sam Rockwell as Darrow's Entourage
* Allison Janney as Evelyn Isaacs
* Frederique van der Wal as Friend of Supermodel


Source : www.geocities.com