For all movie fans, here are some of 2005 nominees for the OSCARS, if you seen any of the mentioned movies, share your comments about it with us lets see why it was nominated and whether it deserves to win or not.

ACTOR — LEADING
• Philip Seymour Hoffman - CAPOTE
• Terrence Howard - HUSTLE & FLOW
• Heath Ledger - BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
• Joaquin Phoenix - WALK THE LINE
• David Strathairn - GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.

ACTOR – SUPPORTING
• George Clooney - SYRIANA
• Matt Dillon - CRASH
• Paul Giamatti - CINDERELLA MAN
• Jake Gyllenhaal - BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
• William Hurt - A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

ACTRESS — LEADING
• Judi Dench - MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
• Felicity Huffman - TRANSAMERICA
• Keira Knightley - PRIDE & PREJUDICE
• Charlize Theron - NORTH COUNTRY
• Reese Witherspoon - WALK THE LINE

ACTRESS — SUPPORTING
• Amy Adams - JUNEBUG
• Catherine Keener - CAPOTE
• Frances McDormand - NORTH COUNTRY
• Rachel Weisz -THE CONSTANT GARDENER
• Michelle Williams -BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

BEST PICTURE
• BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
• CAPOTE
• CRASH
• GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
• MUNICH

VISUAL EFFECTS
• THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
• KING KONG
• WAR OF THE WORLDS

Creation of the Oscar Statuette
From its creation in 1927, one of the first goals of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was the development of a way to honor achievements in the motion picture industry. The Academy Awards, now in its 78th year, were the result of this work.
Vital to the success of the Awards was the creation of trophy that could be distributed at the Awards. MGM art director Cedric Gibbons was assigned the task of designing the statuette. The product of Gibbons’ work was the statuette that we all recognize today: a simple, stylized golden knight standing on a reel of film and gripping a sword. The award was actually created by sculptor George Stanley.

How did the Oscar Get Its Name?
Although officially named the Academy Award of Merit, the statuette is almost universally known as the Oscar. But where did this name come from? A number of stories have arisen over the years.
The most popular story about the name’s origin involves then Academy librarian and future executive director, Margaret Herrick. The story goes that Herrick, upon seeing the statuette sitting on a table exclaimed “it looks just like my Uncle Oscar!” The name stuck and it has been called by that name ever since.
Another common story involves actress and two-time Academy Award winner Bette Davis, who reportedly named it after her ex-husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson, Jr. Columnist Sidney Skolsky, perhaps the first to use the name in print, claimed that the name came from an old music hall joke, “Will you have a cigar, Oscar?”
Although we don’t know the name’s true origin, we do know that it quickly gained popularity. In 1934 Hollywood reporter Sidney Skolsky used the name in reference to Katherine Hepburn’s win that year. Walt Disney is also reported to have called it by that name in the same year at the Awards ceremony. By 1939 the Academy itself was using the name officially.

Evolution of the Oscar Statuette
In its 78 years, the Oscar has undergone relatively few changes. Looking at a statue from 1929 and one today, they are almost exactly the same. It is 13 ½ inches tall and weighs 8 ½ pounds.

I have passed an article today on NY-Times highlighting a new secret gadget to be released on 2nd March 2006. Its really puzzling? The porject name is called Origami Project . I have searched and found that Origami means making creatures & design shapes using the paper. So what can that new Microsoft gadget be? They mention its something mobile!

Click to read NY Times Article Link