The poster for the 79th Annual Academy Awards.
Courtesy ©A.M.P.A.S.
An official poster for the 79th Annual Academy Awards

Every spring, the movie industry gears up for its biggest celebration: the Academy Awards, more commonly known as the Oscars. There is extensive press coverage of the event, even down to the arrival of the stars; flash bulbs and microphones abound as the nominees and other famous, well-dressed guests make their way down the "red carpet," flanked by cheering onlookers.

The Oscars aren't just for Hollywood's most powerful and glamorous, though -- millions of people tune in every year to root for their favorite movies and actors, check out the incredible clothing on display, or maybe just catch any embarrassing podium mishaps as they happen.

In this article, we'll find out what the Oscars are all about. We'll take a look at the organization behind the Oscars and see what the "Academy" actually is, check out the Oscar statuette itself, and learn some interesting tidbits of Oscar history.

And the Nominees Are ...
The nominees for the 80th Annual Academy Awards® are:

Best Picture:

  • "Atonement"
  • "Juno"
  • "Michael Clayton"
  • "No Country for Old Men"
  • "There Will Be Blood"

Foreign Language Film:

  • "Beaufort" - Israel
  • "The Counterfeiters" - Austria
  • "Katyn" - Poland
  • "Mongol" - Kazakhstan
  • "12" - Russia

Actor in a Leading Role:

  • George Clooney in "Michael Clayton"
  • Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" 
  • Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" 
  • Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah" 
  • Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises"
Actress in a Leading Role:
  • Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
  • Julie Christie in "Away from Her"
  • Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose"
  • Laura Linney in "The Savages"
  • Ellen Page in "Juno"
Actor in a Supporting Role:
  • Casey Affleck in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" 
  • Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men" 
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War" 
  • Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild"
  • Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton" 

Actress in a Supporting Role:

  • Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There" 
  • Ruby Dee in "American Gangster"
  • Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement" 
  • Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone"
  • Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton"

    Source: Oscar.com