Academy Awards 2013 Nominations: A Special Edition of 20/20 With Katie Couric About The Oscars' Past, Present And Future

Culture

There were laughs, there were tears, and it wasn't even the real deal. Last night at 10 p.m (to the chagrin of Nashville fans), ABC aired Mad About Oscar With Katie Couric. The special edition of 20/20 spent the majority of the hour looking back at past Academy Awards, with everything from the most memorable speeches to the most hilarious hosts to the most outrageous outfits (Cher was obviously the star of that segment).

Plenty of footage from past Oscars was revisited (a clip of Gwyneth Paltrow's tearful speech was followed by a recap of the Adrien Brody-Halle Berry lip lock) and Couric interviewed nominees such as Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Christoph Waltz. But while the show was focused on pulling at viewers' heartstrings, it was nonetheless education. Here are a few "did you know"s.

With 19 hosting gigs, Bob Hope holds the record for hosting more Academy Awards than anyone else. Billy Crystal comes in second with nine.

Winners only get 45 seconds on stage before the dreaded "wrap up" music begins. 

The origin of the nickname "Oscar" remains a mystery, but Bette Davis claimed she bestowed the moniker because the statue resembled her husband, who's middle name was Oscar.

The golden statuettes are made by hand in Chicago, and take about a week to be completed. Standing 13.5 inches tall and weighing 8.5 pounds, the statuettes are made of Britannia metal and are dipped in 24-k gold. During World War II when metal was scarce, the Oscars were made with plaster.