Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges in the Crazy Heart
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side
Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Best Animated Feature Film: Up
Best Art Direction: Avatar
Although its official name is the Academy Award of Merit, most know and refer to the golden statuette as Oscar, even though the origin of the nickname is not known.
The Oscar stands 13-1/2 inches tall, not including the 3-inch base, and weighs a hefty 8-1/2 pounds. The figure is hand cast in brittanium - an alloy of tin, copper and antimony and then deburred, degreased and polished to a mirror finish. Then the statuette is washed in silver-plate, which adheres well to gold. Finally, after more polishing, the statuette is plated in 24-karat gold and receives a baked lacquer finish.
Because the names are top secret until they are awarded, they're not engraved until later; manufacturer R.S. Owens receives the list of winners only after the ceremony, then engraves the plates to ship back to Hollywood.
The Oscar has changed very little since its birth in the late 1920s, except for slight variations in the base. More than 2,300 statuettes have been awarded since the first one was presented in 1928.
