Announcing the 31 Days of Oscar Blogathon!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences handed out its first Awards at a dinner party for about 250 people on May 16, 1929, to honor movies released from August 1, 1927 – August 1, 1928. The organization’s first president, Douglas Fairbanks, hosted and presented at the ceremony, held in the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. The brainchild of MGM studio mogul Louis B. Mayer, the Academy was formed in 1927 as a non-profit dedicated to the advancement and improvement of the film industry. Some might argue about some of those achievements, but there is one thing that is sure to impress classic movie and Hollywood fans: When the music plays to open this year’s Oscars on March 4, 2018, it will be the 90^th time the film industry has honored achievements in movies. Check out all the 1929 nominees and winners.

If you look through 90 years of Oscars ceremonies, you’ll find numerous surprises, disappointments, and controversies, any number of which may spur debate from film aficionados. That’s where we come in. For the sixth consecutive year, I am joining forces with Kellee of Outspoken & Freckled and @Irishjayhawk66 and Aurora of Once Upon A Screen and @CitizenScreen to bring you the 31 Days of Oscar Blogathon. Given Oscar’s special anniversary and all of the memories, we hope you’ll consider joining us to make this the best and brightest outing yet. Details & list of participating blogs after the jump…

As you know, this blogging event is inspired by Turner Classic Movies’ 31 Days of Oscar marathon, which begins its 23rd installment on February 1. This year the network is presenting the movies based on the categories in which they were awarded or nominated. February 1st will honor Best Original Song Winner and Nominees, kicking off with Busby Berkeley’s Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935). William Wyler’s Ben-Hur (1959) will end the presentation on March 3, which is dedicated to Best Picture Winners.

Since both TCM and the Oscars bring to mind our beloved host and favorite historian, Robert Osborne, we thought we would kick off our Blogathon with his words…

“One thing seems to stir the souls of our Turner Classic Movie loyalists like no other: the 31 Days of Oscar salute.”

Blogathon Details

Rather than hosting the 31 Days of Oscar Blogathon for the entire month of February, as we’ve done in the past, this year we will host all entries the weekend before the Oscars. That is from Friday, February 23 through Sunday, February 25, which leaves Oscar weekend free for last-minute movie watching. We’re also combining all topics this year and simply presenting them over the three days. Any Oscar-related topic is fair game. We are not limiting this event to classic film fare either, as we’d like to see entries covering the entire 90-year history of Oscar, including this year’s nominees. To help get you motivated here are the categories we have used in the past…

• The Actors
• The Directors
• The Motion Pictures
• Oscar SNUBS!
• The Crafts (music, costumes, hair and makeup, production design, etc.)
• Oscar Controversies

Most of you know the drill, but as a reminder, adhering to the following is necessary:

• Let us know what your desired topic is by leaving a comment on any of the host blogs.
• Include the title and link to your blog in the comments area.
• Advise if you have a date preference – Friday 2/23, Saturday 2/24, or Sunday 2/25.
• Include the event banner on your blog and in the entry post to help us promote the event.

Restrictions – just two:

• Please do not submit previously published posts
• No duplicates will be accepted to ensure we cover as much of Oscar history as possible. Please check the list of participating blogs and topics below.

We look forward to hearing from you and to reading your entries. As many entries as you want, actually, so get to it.

Until then, here’s to Oscar, to TCM and to YOU. Happy blogging!

Participating blogs and topics

Caftan Woman – 1936 Best Dance Direction Nominee, Benjamin Zemach for Hall of Kings from Merian C. Cooper’s She (1935)

Blog of the Darned – Seven Films that Should Have Been Nominated for Best Picture

One Gal’s Musings – The 1954 Best Actress Competition

Silver Screenings – How the Oscars Began

Movie Movie Blog Blog – Embarrassing Oscar Moments

Old Hollywood Films – Janet Gaynor’s Three Oscar Wins

Hometowns to Hollywood – Bob Hope and His Hosting Duties

Critica Retro – The Trouble with Thrillers

Realweegiemidget Reviews – Oscar-winning Actresses in Romantic Comedies

Moon in Gemini – Forgotten Winners and Nominees

Cracked Rear Viewer – Claire Trevor in Key Largo

Thoughts All Sorts – John Wayne and Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn in both versions of True Grit

Movie Mania Madness – A Man For All Seasons (1966)

The Old Hollywood Garden – The Snubbing of Howard Hawks

Classic Film Obsessions – Agnes Varda and 2018 Best Documentary Nominee Faces Places

The Story Enthusiast – Male and Female Actors Who Never Won an Oscar

Paula’s Cinema Club – Oscar SNUBS, 2018 Edition

Midnite Drive-In – The Day the Academy Lost its Mind – When The Greatest Show on Earth Won

Top 10 Films – Horror Films to Triumph at the Oscars and Top 10 Oscar-Winning Directors Who Didn’t Win For Their Best Film

Wolffian Classic Movies Digest – Ray Harryhausen Honorary Oscar Snub

The Filmatelist – The 1982 Oscars: Tootsie and Victor Victoria

Another Old Movie Blog – Joan Crawford’s Oscar Win for Mildred Pierce

Honey Bee Idol – Katharine Hepburn’s Oscar Wins

The Wonderful World of Cinema – Favorite Best Actor/Actress Nominations

Silver Screen Classics – The First “Big Five” Winner: It Happened One Night