A Brief History of Oscar Ties

by Cláudio Alves

Best Live-Action Short Film is the only category to count two ties in its Oscar history.

Last month, at the 98th Academy Awards, the world got to witness the seventh official tie in Oscar history. Presenter Kumail Nanjiani was quick to assure the audience that this was not a bit but something that was really happening as the Best Live-Action Short Film race came down to two victors – The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva. For someone like me, what made this even more momentous was how, for once, the Academy made a good choice, even if they didn’t make up their mind. In a category where good taste goes to die, our champions are good examples of the form, amply deserving of this honor and their new place in the annals of Oscar history. Who would have thought?

For some added context, join me as I go over these seven ties. Were they all deserving? Let’s find out…

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Reader Poll: Who would you love to see as the next Amy Madigan?

This question was posed by a loyal reader and to double the fun we want you to participate with our Team. 

AMY MADIGAN "FLUMMOXED" AND BEAUTIFUL OSCAR SPEECH

At the 98th Oscars Amy Madigan improbably returned to the Oscars 40 years after her first nomination (Twice in a Lifetime, 1985) and WON for Weapons. Who would we like to see as the next Amy Madigan? Here is the criteria for eligibility for this niche actressexual poll: 

• The actress must have received only one one previous Oscar nomination (they lost)
• That nomination was 20 or more years ago
• They are at least 50 years of age at this writing.

Check out the eligibility list and VOTE FOR YOUR TOP TEN by Wednesday night April 8. Share the link with friends you think would like to play. We'll discuss the results from TEAM EXPERIENCE and from readers here on the weekend of April 10th.

Who’s the best director for each Oscar race?

by Cláudio Alves

FRANKENSTEIN is the third Guillermo del Toro movie to win the Best Production Design Oscar.

At the 98th Academy Awards, James Cameron extended his record as the director who has helmed the most Visual Effects Oscar winners, with Avatar: Fire and Ash being his eighth film to do so. At the same ceremony, Guillermo del Toro saw his Frankenstein take the Best Production Design prize, inching ever closer to tying, perhaps one day breaking, Tim Burton’s record of directing four films to this particular trophy. These bits of trivia came up in e-mails with Nathaniel on our post-Oscar debriefing, and they got me thinking. Because every race must have one or two directorial filmographies, taking the title of AMPAS’ favorite. Some time ago, I looked for the Diane Warrens of every category. Now, let me tell you about the preferred auteurs of every feature film Oscar race where directors are not technically up for gold…

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The Lone Acting Nominee vs Best Picture Stars

by Cláudio Alves

In the battle of Aunt Gladys against Best Picture stars, the witch won!

I don’t know about you, but I love Oscar trivia, the more meaningless, niche, and utterly useless for prediction purposes, the better. Indeed, matters of stats and precedent feel better invoked in post-Oscar talk than in the middle of the season, when folks sometimes hold on to these analyses as if they were unshakable rules. Every year, Academy Award history gains new records, new precursor combos that failed or succeeded, and age-old assumptions that were never examined until they were proven wrong. So, let’s roll with it and enjoy the silliness of our collective Oscar obsession. Tonight, I’d like to return to the matter of Amy Madigan’s Best Supporting Actress win.

Hers is a remarkable achievement for a number of reasons, spanning from genre bias to the sheer quality of the performance at hand. Still, even odder is the fact that the Weapons witch was a lone acting nominee facing off against a lineup of women starring in Best Picture nominees. And though we live in an era when the Academy tends to privilege the movies listed in their top race in almost every other category, Madigan came out victorious. This particular scenario has only happened three times before…

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Oscar Night Reactions: Part 2

If you missed part one, click HERE.

Some of the Team Experience writers were almost as happy for Amy Madigan's win as Ed Harris.

For the second half of our Team Reaction blurbs from the 98th Academy Awards, we asked Team Experience about the moments that perplexed them, broke their hearts, and brought them joy... and if there's any last thing about awards season anyone would like to get off your chest.

It's all after the jump...

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