INTO THE OSCAR POOL ONE LAST TIME

Well, the 86th Academy Awards are now in the history books.  Congratulations to all of the winners of Sunday’s Academy Awards, especially first time recipients Jared Leto (‘Best Actor In A Supporting Role’ for “Dallas Buyers Club”) and ‘Best Actress In A Supporting Role’ winner Lupito Nyong’o in “12 Years A Slave”, which also won ‘Best Motion Picture’. Producer Brad Pitt and producer/director Steve McQueen (the British one, not the late U.S. actor) accepted on behalf of the dozen or so people on stage.  “Gravity” took home the most Oscars, including ‘Best Director’ honours for Alfonso Cuaron.  Ellen DeGeneres did an excellent job as host.  Congrats also to Matthew McConaughey (‘Best Actor’) and Cate Blanchett (‘Best Actress’).  And so, until next Oscar season, goodnight...and drive safely.  

                     

QUESTIONS

1.  She played a teenage surfer as well as a flying nun on TV, and in 1977, became the girlfriend of ‘The Bandit’, both in the movie “Smokey and The Bandit” as well as in real life.  She played Forrest Gump’s mother and Abraham Lincoln’s wife.  Her first Oscar win was for portraying labor union organizer Norma Rae Webster.  She’s won two Academy Awards so far and ‘people like her.  They really like her’.  During her TV years, she recorded for several record labels and even made Billboards’ Hot 100 singles chart in 1967.  Her recording career didn’t last, but thankfully her acting career did.  Can you name this world famous actress?

      

2.  “Go ahead, make my day”.  “Do ya feel lucky punk.  Well, do ya?”  Those are two of this actor’s famous catch phrases from the movies.  This 5 time Academy Award winner sang in a 1969 musical western but didn’t make the charts.  That came much later with the help of country singer T.G. Sheppard.  He’s not known as a singer, he’s more the strong, silent type, who acts, directs and produces.  Who is this movie legend?             

                

3.  He’s hosted the Academy Awards nine times, although he’s never actually won an Oscar.  He starred in such movies as “City Slickers”, “Mr. Saturday Night”, and “The Princess Bride”.  His love of baseball and in particular, the New York Yankees is legendary.  He was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live during the shows’ 10th season 1984-’85.  He was Jay Leno’s first guest on “The Tonight Show” on May 25th, 1992 and Jay’s last guest on February 6th, 2014.  Who is this ‘mahvelous’ comedian?  

                 

4.  This 6 time Oscar nominee (and one time winner) took a tongue-in-cheek shot at John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Two Virgins” nude album cover on a 45 record in 1968.  She later switched to acting and appeared in many major motion pictures, including “Badlands”, “Carrie”, “Missing”, “JFK” and “Coal Miner’s Daughter”.  Can you guess the name of this former singer and Academy Award winning actress?               

    

5.  In 2005, this actor/singer beat out Clint Eastwood, Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp and Don Cheadle to win the Academy Award for ‘Actor In A Leading Role’ for his portrayal of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Rhythm & Blues legend Ray Charles.  He’s very serious about his own music and has recorded several hit CDs.  His real name is Eric Marlon Bishop, but that’s not how he’s known in Hollywood.  Can you guess who this Oscar winner is?       

             

ANSWERS

1.  Sally Field is the name we were looking for.  Sally won her first ‘Actress In A Leading Role’ Academy Award for the 1979 movie “Norma Rae”.  Her second Oscar came at the 57th annual Academy Awards ceremony held in March of 1985 when Sally took home the Oscar statuette for her role in “Places In The Heart”.  She was nominated last year for portraying Mary Todd Lincoln in Stephen Spielberg’s “Lincoln”, but didn’t win (that honour went to Anne Hathaway for “Les Miserables”.  1967’s 45rpm single “Felicidad” on the Colgems label, was Sally’s only charted entry on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart, barely squeaking on at # 94.  Sally did date her “Smokey and The Bandit” co-star Burt Reynolds for a short time.       

2.  Clint Eastwood definitely loves music.  During his run as Rowdy Yates on the TV series “Rawhide”, Cameo Records released an album of country songs in 1963 called “Rawhide’s Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favorites”.  The 12 song album included “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,”, “San Antonio Rose” and “Don’t Fence Me In”.  It’s recently been re-released on CD.  In 1969, Clint was one of the stars of the musical western, “Paint Your Wagon”.  Clint sang several songs in the film, including “I Talk To The Trees”.  T.G. Sheppard and Clint teamed up for the 1984 country single “Make My Day”, inspired by one of Clint’s famous lines from the Dirty Harry movie, “Sudden Impact”.  “Make My Day” made it to # 62 on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart.  Clint’s five Academy Award wins are for “Unforgiven” and “Million Dollar Baby” (both for directing and ‘Best Picture’).  Clint was also honoured with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the 67th annual Academy Awards ceremony in 1995.                                             

    

3.  Billy Crystal had a chart hit in 1985 with the song “You Look Mahvelous” using the ‘Fernando Lamas’ character that he played many times on Saturday Night Live.  The song, which reached # 58 on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart, was co-written by Billy and David Letterman’s longtime bandleader, Paul Shaffer.  Besides his movies and stand up gigs, Crystal has written five books – the first being “Absolutely Mahvelous” in 1986.  His latest is 2013’s ”Still Foolin’ ‘Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going And Where The Hell Are My Keys?”  He’s also part owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks and has a 2001 World Series ring after his team beat his beloved Yankees.       

    

4.  Mary Elizabeth Spacek, aka Sissy Spacek recorded a song in 1968 called “John, You’ve Gone Too Far This Time”, teasing John Lennon and Yoko Ono for their frontal/rear nudity on the cover of their “Two Virgins” album.  At the time, she was going under the name Rainbo.  Sissy’s been nominated for an Oscar in the ‘Actress In A Leading Role’ category 6 times and won her only Academy Award in 1981 for her portrayal of country legend Loretta Lynn in the 1980 film “Coal Miner’s Daughter”.                                  

5.  Eric Marlon Bishop aka Jamie Foxx is da man.  His Academy Award win in February of 2005 was for portraying R&B legend Ray Charles in “Ray”.  That same year, Jamie was also nominated in the ‘Actor In A Supporting Role’ category for the movie “Collateral”, but lost to Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”).  In 1994, Jamie cracked Billboards’ Hot 100 chart at # 92 with the song “Infatuation”.  Jamie’s recording career includes the 2005 # 1 album, “Unpredictable”, which was certified double platinum (2 million copies sold).   In 2005, Jamie became only the 4th performer, after Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand, to have won an Academy Award AND have a # 1 charted album.  Jamie also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as several Grammy’s that sit alongside his many other awards.