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Most of us have been in a situation with family or friends when their health is in decline and they lose hope. It seems that is what happened with actor Daniel Von Bargen when he shot himself in the head. It was an unsuccessful attempt at suicide and he ended up calling 911. You can hear the 911 call here.

Von Bargen was known, most notably for his role as Mr. Kruger on the TV series ‘Seinfeld’. He also appeared in ‘Super Troopers’, ‘Basic Instinct’, ‘The Postman’ and a variety of other TV and movie roles as well.

The 61 year old Von Bargen was suffering from health problems and was scheduled to go to the hospital for what he describes as an amputation. He had previously had one leg amputated and was tired and didn’t want to go to the hospital for the next procedure.

He shot himself in the temple using a Colt .38. He tells the 911 operator that he can’t open his eyes but is coherent enough to give the information needed for help to be sent to his apartment.

He remains in critical condition.

msn.com

Seems that animals have instincts that allow them to do things you wouldn’t think possible. Like these elephants in the video. The baby elephant, like human toddlers, has gotten it’s self into a bit of a pickle. As usual though, it’s mom to the rescue.

The event was caught on tape in the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The baby seems to have wandered off and gotten it’s self stuck in a water hole and now can’t seem to get out.

That’s alright though because mom has a plan. You can see the mom pace a little bit seemingly assessing the situation and figuring a plan to get the baby out.

She finally sees that the water isn’t that deep and she goes in after the little one and ends up pushing it out of the water hole.

With the whole event being filmed had this not worked someone I’m sure would have been there to lend a hand. However, mom does a great job of handling the situation with no problem. I’m sure baby got a good trunk lashing afterwards though!

andjohan, Flickr

For job interviews, it used to be enough to just show up in a nice suit, answer some perfunctory questions and be on your way.

But these days, some companies have changed the interview process so much that candidates wind up feeling as though they’re trying out for a reality TV show instead of simply vying for a 9-5 paycheck.

The Los Angeles Times calls the trend “extreme interviewing,” and cites the example of one company that made internship hopefuls write 13 different 140-character messages on Twitter to illustrate why they should be chosen for the gig.

In addition, other interviewees are now often asked questions for which there is no right answer, like, “If Germans were the tallest people in the world, how would you prove it?” or “On a scale of 1 to 10, how weird are you?”

The popular Pinkberry chain even asks potential hires to act out fake commercials and come up with marketing plans for hypothetical new products — and that’s just for a job scooping frozen yogurt. In a statement, the company said such exercises “allow us to see immediate impact on team connectedness, demonstrate service and leadership skills and unveil entrepreneurial spirit.”

Bottom line: the next time you have an interview, keep in mind that while you probably won’t have to eat anything icky in ‘Fear Factor’ style, you may very well have to prove your worth in a variety of bizarre ways.

[Time]

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Mike Myers has never been nominated for an Academy Award. A fact that shouldn’t shock anybody who has seen ‘The Love Guru.’

But despite this oversight, Myers is still a very talented actor. Don’t believe us? Check out his hilarious turn as Oscar etiquette expert Sir Cecil Worthington in this promotional video for the 2012 Academy Awards.

It seems Kevin Kline, a 1989 Academy Award winner for ‘A Fish Called Wanda,’ has been mistreating his statuette.

So the Academy has asked Worthington to retrain Kline on the ways of handling the world’s most famous golden midget. As you can see, Kline proves a worthy pupil. And Worthington, who is so obsessed with the eight-and-a half pound prize that he doesn’t even have time to watch any movies, drops all kinds of Oscar knowledge as he teaches Kline the error of his ways.

But what it all boils down to, really, is that an Oscar winner must remember to keep the statuette on an even surface. All you future Oscar winners out there take note.

Source: TheFW.com

Thinkstock/Jason Kempin, Getty/Thinkstock/Thinkstock

The Academy Awards take place this weekend. It’s Hollywood’s biggest night and it might be yours, too, if you go to a good Oscars party. If you do wrangle an invite, make sure to avoid any of the following people, who typically show up at an Oscars bash.

The woman who loves ‘Titanic’

Thinkstock/Paramount Pictures

People who survived the legendary boat’s sinking didn’t have as tough a time moving on as this woman does from the fact the 1997 movie’s moment in the sun is over. This woman constantly brings up how romantic the love story was, how sad the ending was and how Leonardo DiCaprio failing to pick up a best actor nomination was the biggest disgrace in Hollywood since ‘Ishtar.’ And don’t even get her started on how much she loves Kate Winslet.

The woman who thinks she’s Joan Rivers

Jason Kempin, Getty Images

Yup, this woman is convinced she’s on E!’s ‘Fashion Police.’ She always has to give her opinion on what so-and-so is wearing and make some sort of snide remark, like she’s testing out material to use at her next open mic night. We get it — Bjork looked weird in her swan dress. That reference is over a decade old.

The gossip

Kevin Winter, Getty Images/Thinkstock

A one-person TMZ, this annoying partygoer is the Lisa Turtle of the party. When Jennifer Aniston walks out onto the stage to present an award, the gossip immediately feels the need to remind everyone about her well-known romantic history and usually punctuates it with a dated reference like, “I still can’t believe she couldn’t make it work with Vince Vaughn. They seemed so good together.” She needs to jump in the time machine she shares with the ‘Titanic’ fan and push 2012.

The dude

Joe Shlabotnik, Flickr

Generally speaking, Oscar parties are not the most masculine of events, but chances are there’s at least one guy there. And somehow he’s great friends with every woman in attendance. They all love him – like a brother – yet no one knows why he’s been single since his tragic fourth grade breakup. What no one seems to realize is he’s been harboring a crush on one of the women there since the ‘80s, but he’s gotten so far into the “friend zone” that it would take a team of EMS rescue workers to dig him out.

The person who has to get up early the next morning

Thinkstock

Why this person came to the party remains as big a mystery as why exactly he or she has to get up early. It’s a matter shrouded in secrecy because you can’t get a straight answer when you ask why they have to be up early. He or she feels compelled to tell everyone that they have a 3 am flight the next morning, claiming it’s “for work” and “I guess I’ll just sleep on the plane.” Next time, don’t go to an Oscar party, buddy. The show is never under three hours.

The woman who is always surprised

Thinkstock

No matter the winner, this person is stunned, as if the academy is pulling some sort of joke. When Natalie Portman won best actress for ‘Black Swan,’ she was in a state of disbelief matched only by the test audience for any non-animated Eddie Murphy movie, even though Portman was considered the frontrunner. This person is also the type to be caught off-guard when Meryl Streep picks up her annual nomination for whatever movie required her to wear a wig and adopt a British accent this year. “Doesn’t Meryl already have enough nominations??,” the surprised woman bellows, to anyone within earshot.

The person who hasn’t seen a movie in a really, really long time

Warner Bros/Thinkstock

The Oscars are not the best event to play catch up. If the last Academy Award-winning film you saw was ‘Out of Africa,’ then you’re probably not the ideal person to attend an Oscars bash. This person usually says things like, “I haven’t seen ‘American Beauty’ yet, but it’s in my Netflix queue” or “I had ‘The Departed’ in my Netflix queue, but it never got shipped to me” or “Someone hacked into my Netflix account just before I was supposed to get ‘Gangs of New York.’” Maybe the moral is you shouldn’t have a Netflix account.

The ‘Movie buff’

Thinkstock

You know this snob. Midway through the evening, this self-proclaimed connoisseur starts talking about how great the cinematography in ‘The Artist’ was. Here’s a little-known fact: no one cares about the cinematography. The cinematographer barely cares about the cinematography. So when this person starts blabbing on about how ‘Hugo’ is an homage to the work of French surrealist filmmaker George Méliès, make sure you have a blunt object at the ready to hurl in their general direction.

Source: TheFW.com

Henry S. Dziekan III, Getty Images/GQ

Anyone picked up the latest issue of GQ? Well, this time around you should ’cause Trey Songz got himself a nice little spread in there, looking suave as hell. The photos aren’t available online yet, so now’s the time to run to a newsstand and find out exactly what we’re talking about. (Or, we suppose, you can just wait that extra week or so until it hits the web.)

Trey’s GQ pics were a much needed reminder of how sexy he is. We already knew this, but lately he’s been getting upstaged in the news by Chris Brown and that singing president of ours. He’s also proving himself to be quite the style icon. (Maybe even more stylish than Kanye West. Is that blasphemous to say?)

Vibe Magazine

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Twitter, @treysongz

Andrew H. Walker/Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Jason Merritt / Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

Last week, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum‘s Hillary Scott and a handful of musical country femmes made it onto VH1‘s 1oo Greatest Women in Music list. The complete list debuted Feb. 13 in a one-hour special that kicked off a five-day series of similar specials. Topping the list as the greatest woman in music was Madonna, with Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Adele joining her in the top five.

Country women made quite the showing on the list as well, with Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott sitting at No. 89, Leann Rimes at 62, Miranda Lambert at 58, Taylor Swift landing at 43, the Dixie Chicks at 39, Faith Hill at 37, Shania Twain at 35 and Carrie Underwood as the highest-ranking country lady with a placement at No. 23.

The list features the best women in music in the past 20 years, and last week VH1 aired an hour-long segment talking about a different group of the women each night.

Underwood just released an in-studio video preview of her upcoming single ‘Good Girl’ for fans to enjoy. That single is expected to release Feb. 23, just a couple of weeks after Underwood made an appearance at the Grammys dueting with pop standard luminary Tony Bennett.

Source: TasteofCountry.com

Daniel Barry, Getty Images

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says wireless resources are not infinite.

In fact, the smartphones to which we’re all so addicted are gobbling so much bandwidth that as early as next year, we could be paying more for our service — not to mention seeing slower data speeds and an increase in dropped calls.

The FCC calls the issue “spectrum crunch” and officials there are worried it could be a very real problem, with one saying, “Network traffic is increasing … [Carriers] can manage it for the next couple years, but demand is inevitably going to exceed the available spectrum.”

Rory Altman, director of technology consultancy Altman Vilandrie & Co., added, “We got into this principally because technology and demand exploded at a rate that nobody had anticipated.”

The current wireless spectrum is distributed among companies and entities unevenly, with some having more than they need and others having too little. In early March, Congress is expected to vote on an FCC plan to hold incentive auctions that would help balance things out, something FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski says would not only help to free up spectrum resources but would also greatly benefit the US Treasury.

[CNN Money]

Erika Goldring, Getty Images

Jason Aldean is on the verge of completing his highly-anticipated fifth studio album, the follow-up collection to his multi-platinum selling ‘My Kinda Party.’ While Aldean admits that the pressure was on to come up with a solid album that would outdo what ‘My Kinda Party’ did — which was spawn four consecutive No. 1 singles — he says that in the end, he stuck with music his fans love and have come to expect.

“One thing I didn’t want to go in and do was make ‘My Kinda Party II,’” Aldean tells Taste of Country. “But at the same time, and I think I said this on the last record, too, I don’t want to ever totally get away from what it is that got me to this point — that sound and hard-charging kind of thing that I’m known for, because that’s what I enjoy to play. At the same time, I think on the ‘My Kinda Party’ record we changed it up. We did the [duet] with Kelly [Clarkson], we did ‘Dirt Road Anthem’ … just little snippets of things like that that are kind of different and odd.”

“I think there’s some of that stuff on this new record,” he continues. “It’s going to be the kind of record that people are used to us making. It’s still going to be that hard-driving stuff and a couple of little surprises in there, too. It’s good … I think so, anyway.”

Fans will see some of the usual suspects behind the songs lyrics, including Neil Thrasher (‘Tattoos on This Town,’ ‘Fly Over States’), Jason Sellers (‘Don’t You Wanna Stay’), David Lee Murphy (‘Big Green Tractor’) and Wendell Mobley (‘Tattoos on This Town’), as well as some first-time writers like ASCAP’s Songwriter of the Year and Peach Picker, Ben Hayslip.

“The more success we have, the better the songs are that get pitched to us,” notes Aldean. “With every record we’re getting better and better songs. This record was no exception. We have some really great songs. I think a lot of writers are locked into what I’m doing. For whatever reason, I feel like the stuff they write is stuff that really fits what I do. They’ve gone in and wrote a lot of songs specifically for us, especially on the new album. There are certain guys who are just great writers, so when you’re looking for songs for a new album, obviously you’re going to want to go to those guys and see what they’ve got and if they’ve got anything that fits you. Those guys are kind of dialed into what I like. We’ve got a good run going with them right now.”

Aldean hopes the yet-to-be-titled new album will hit stores around October or November of this year. The hat-wearing hitmaker just released his fifth and final single from the ‘My Kinda Party’ album, ‘Fly Over States.’

Source: TasteofCountry.com

A composer, comedy songwriter and documentary filmmaker, Hill said he plans to establish a “Senate for Terrestrial Alien Relations,” replace military war machines with flying discs and release all top secret government UFO files on both DVD and Blu-Ray.

As if that wasn’t enough, Hill also wants to build giant stone pyramids near the Hollywood sign, Pikes Peak and Alcatraz Island. The Statue of Liberty will need to be replaced too. But don’t worry, says Hill, a nifty monument to Zaxon, who he describes as “the leader of the good aliens,” will go in its place. Got all that? Good. Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to go work on our tinfoil hats.

Would you vote for UFO Phil? Is he any crazier than fellow candidate, self-proclaimed “friendly fascist”/wizard Vermin Supreme?

Source: TheFW.com

My Fox Atlanta

At Atlanta pizzeria is receiving both cheers — and jeers — for the notice it recently printed on its menus asking parents of noisy children to take their kids outside.

After Donnie Parmer, co-owner of Grant Central Pizza, got an abundance of complaints (both in person and on the review site Yelp) about screaming or unruly children in his restaurant, he added the following notice to the bottom of his menus:

Dear all present and future patrons: GCP is proud of its reputation as a family restaurant, a title that we will work to keep. Unfortunately a number of our diners have posted unpleasant experiences because of crying and unsupervised children. To ensure that all diners have an enjoyable lunch or dinner with us we respectfully ask that parents tend to their crying tots outside.”

Parmer says that while he likes kids and Grant Central Pizza is a family establishment, it’s not fair for little ones to disrupt the entire dining room. He cites an incident in which a child hit an adult patron in the head with a toy as the last straw that made him print the public notice.

While some parents are offended, saying “noise is just part of the experience in a family restaurant,” other customers applauded the gesture and said it’ll make them more likely to visit the restaurant.

[My Fox Atlanta]

consumerist, Flickr

Does your job make the world a better or worse place? That’s what 30,000 workers were asked last year — and their answers have given researchers a lot to talk about.

Salary comparison site PayScale conducted the survey in which people were asked the question and told to choose from the answer options of “very much so,” “yes,” “a little,” “no” and “My job may make the world a worse place.”

While only one percent picked the last answer, the New York Times was curious about what types of jobs those people had, so PayScale investigated further. Here are the top 10 occupations that had the highest shares of workers saying they thought their jobs made the world a worse place:

• Fast-Food Worker: 42.3 percent
• Bartender: 5.8 percent
• Senior Attorney: 4.9 percent
• Fashion Designer: 4.1 percent
• Associate – Investment Banking: 3.8 percent
• Legal Assistant: 3.6 percent
• Account Executive, Advertising: 3.4 percent
• Claims Adjuster / Examiner / Investigator: 3.3 percent
• Personal Banker: 3.2 percent
• Petroleum Engineer: 3.1 percent

Although a lot of people would take issue with bartenders thinking they don’t make the world a better place, analysts noted two of the 10 spots were banking professions — possibly a reflection of the economic downturn that happened largely at the hands of Wall Street executives.

Sorted by industry, here are the top 10 fields in which employees said their jobs make the world a worse place (the number one slot isn’t a terrible surprise):

• Tobacco Manufacturing: 15.9 percent
• Gambling Industries: 5 percent
• Gasoline Stations: 4.4 percent
• Limited-Service Eating Places (e.g., Fast-Food Restaurants): 2.8 percent
• Beer, Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers: 2.1 percent
• Petroleum and Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers: 1.9 percent
• Legal Services: 1.8 percent
• Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing: 1.7 percent
• Jewelry, Luggage and Leather Goods Stores: 1.7 percent
• Advertising and Related Services: 1.6 percent

[The New York Times]

tpauly, Flickr

Despite what many a working stiff might think, men do not wear neckties to facilitate strangulation when their bosses are less than pleased with their work.

So, why do men wear this variable, often quite fashionable, and utterly useless piece of business attire?

The answer lies in history, and Europe’s Thirty Years’ War. The logistics of that 17^th century conflict are messy, to say the least, and the various alliances hard to follow. What is worth note here was the extensive use of Croatian mercenaries. Croatian soldiers, fashion innovators that they were, wore scarves around their necks as part of their uniforms, which were called kravatas.

French soldiers must have thought the Croats looked pretty smashing in their rustic scarves. Military personnel brought the idea of wearing neckties back to France, where King Louis XIV quickly introduced ‘la cravate’ to high society. Neckties soon became all the rage. Wearing a cravate allowed you to show off your individual style, by altering the size and length of the tie, as well as the colors and patterns swimming across the cloth.

The word ‘cravat,’ which owes its origins to ‘Croatian,’ eventually became ‘tie’ in English. While the design and manner of wearing a tie have evolved over the years, the ubiquity and cross-cultural relevance of this little strip of fabric simply prove that ties are here to stay.

[Time]

Courtesy of Curb Records

Hank Williams Jr. fans new and old will garner great appreciation for a new 22-track greatest hits album that will hit stores next month.

The retrospective collection, titled ‘Best of Hank Williams Jr. (All My Rowdy Friends),’ will be released by Nashville’s Curb Records and will feature the biggest and most memorable hits of Hank Jr.’s career, including ‘Family Tradition,’ ‘A Country Boy Can Survive,’ ‘Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound,’ and of course, ‘All My Rowdy Friends Are Comin’ Over Tonight.’

The album will also feature the duet rendition Bocephus sang with the vocal track of his late and legendary father, Hank Williams, on the classic hit ‘There’s a Tear in My Beer.’ Other guest appearances on the collection of songs include Rehab, who lend their talents to Hank’s ‘Bartender Song (Sittin’ at the Bar).’

‘Best of Hank Williams Jr. (All My Rowdy Friends)’ will be released on Tuesday, March 27, exclusively at Walmart.

‘Best of Hank Williams Jr. (All My Rowdy Friends)’ Track Listing:

1. ‘Family Tradition’
2. ‘Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound’
3. ‘Women I’ve Never Had’
4. ‘Outlaw Women’
5. ‘Kaw-Liga’
6. ‘Old Habits’
7. ‘Dinosaur’
8. ‘The Blues Man’
9. ‘Texas Women’
10. ‘Dixie On My Mind’
11. ‘All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)’
12. ‘A Country Boy Can Survive’
13. ‘If Heaven Ain’t a Lot Like Dixie’
14. ‘The Conversation’
15. ‘All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight’
16. ‘Country State of Mind’
17. ‘Born to Boogie’
18. ‘If the South Woulda Won’
19. ‘There’s a Tear in My Beer’ (with Hank Williams)
20. ‘Red, White, and Pink-Slip Blues’
21. ‘Bartender Song (Sittin’ at the Bar)’ (with Rehab)
22. ‘All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming for Monday Night Football’

Source: TasteofCountry.com

jdangson, YouTube

For some mysterious reason, February 23rd is known as International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day. It seems likely that dogs managed to get a hold of a calendar somewhere and decided to mark this day, so to speak, in order to get more treats. Clever pups.

In celebration of this delicious day for dogs and the crafty canine who must have made it so, we found a selection of videos involving dogs and treats and what dogs will do for the love of biscuits.

Little Dog Steals Biscuits From Big Dog

This brave (and treat-crazed) Yorkie steals a biscuit from a rather large, but patient, pit bull. We don’t advise taking biscuits from a bigger dog, but we can understand why the little dog would do so. Look how much more he gets.

Impressive Eye Trick

This little guy will risk having his eyes stick that way for a biscuit. We’ve never seen a dog cross his eyes on command before, so this trick definitely deserves a treat. But, please, save his eyes and teach him to roll over too.

Find the Hidden Biscuit

Victor the German Shepherd has to use his powerful sense of smell to figure out where his favorite treat has been hidden. Dogs know that the best use of their nose is for finding their delicious biscuits, no matter where the humans hide them.

Synchronized Biscuit Eating

Time to double the treat fun with more German Shepherds. This pair of pups waits serenely for the command to toss the treats off their noses and catch them. They deserve many biscuits because they have coordinated their efforts in a virtual dog biscuit ballet.

Extreme Patience Wins a Biscuit

These two patient pooches endure a long and excruciating waiting period before they get their biscuits. Certainly, they must go to some very Zen, dog happy place to sit so still and wait so patiently for the command to eat their beloved biscuits.

Tricks With Biscuits For Biscuits

Last year, we showed you this talented dog who can balance a giant stack of treats on his nose with ease. Here he is again, lying on his back, balancing biscuits on his chin and paws. Knick knack paddywack, give this dog a bone.

Even Cats Like Dog Biscuits

This sneaky little thief proves that it’s not just dogs who love dog treats. And, his dark coloring gives him a stealthy advantage, although he seems to have been caught in the act this time.

Pooch With Amazing Balloon Popping Skills

Strangely enough, this dog appears to prefer balloons to biscuits. She even holds a Guinness Book of World Records title for popping 100 balloons in 44.49 seconds. Anastasia, you deserve a biscuit.

Give a Dog a Biscuit Over Twitter

To celebrate the day, you can give the lovely Sela a treat through the miracle of modern technology and the internet with this robotic instant message treat dispenser. We can’t tell if this is actually working right now, but you can follow @seladog on Twitter and give her a treat from there.

Not a Dog Biscuit, But a Dog, “Biscuit”

This dog named Biscuit is a skilled climber. She loves rock climbing with her owner and has gotten to new heights with her talent. We don’t see it here, but we do hope she gets a biscuit after a good climb.

Source: TheFW.com

Courtesy of Monarch Publicity

Craig Morgan has always enjoyed using his star power to do good deeds for others, so it came as no surprise that the singer made a generous donation to the music department of a local Tennessee school this week.

Tuesday morning (Feb. 21), Morgan delivered 15 new Dean acoustic guitars to Dickson Middle School, which is located an hour west of Nashville. While dropping off the gorgeous instruments, Morgan spent some time talking with Mr. Elston’s 8th grade class about the importance of music and the ways it has shaped his life and career. Morgan also treated the students to an impromptu guitar lesson, and even showed the class how ‘easy’ songwriting can be by hashing out a quick ditty with the students.

“Music has always been such an important part of my life,” says Morgan in a press release. “I’m happy to give back so that others can share in that experience.”

Those who were not included in Morgan’s special musical treat won’t have to wait too much longer for new music from the star, as his new album ‘This Ole Boy’ hits stores next week (Feb. 28). The album’s lead single is the title track, which was penned by Nashville’s hottest writing team, the Peach Pickers — Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson and Ben Hayslip.

Source: TasteofCountry.com

At first, this young girl’s trick may not seem all that impressive. But try it yourself. It’s definitely not as easy as it looks. We got about halfway through before throwing in the towel.

How exactly does she pull off this amazing closed-mouth feat? Is she throwing her voice? Does she have a mini speaker hidden somewhere in her mouth? If anyone has an explanation for this odd (but impressive) trick, we’d like to hear it.

Source: TheFW.com

YouTube

Just days before her new single ‘Good Girl’ is scheduled to be officially released, Carrie Underwood has given fans a sample of the until now unheard track from her upcoming fourth studio album. In a video released on her official website on Tuesday, Underwood takes fans inside the studio.

“I thought I’d give you guys a little teaser, cause hey, what are they gonna do to me?” the blonde country superstar asks before swinging the mixing room door open, releasing a flood of uptempo country goodness. The song seems cut from the mold of ‘Before He Cheats’ or ‘Undo It.’ It’s the bad girl Underwood that fans will hear from first.

“I cannot wait for you to hear the whole thing. It will be coming to a radio near you very soon. I hope you like it.” The still-untitled album is due in stores May 1.

Underwood’s website says the song will be released on Feb. 23. In fact, there is a ‘Good Girl’ countdown that is pecking away the seconds to midnight ET. It may be a very late night for the singer’s most loyal fans.

Watch Carrie Underwood’s Sneak Peek of her New Song ‘Good Girl’

Source: TasteofCountry.com

Here’s a look at this year’s nominees in the major categories. Let your voice be heard and tell us who you think will win!

‘Hugo’ leads the way with 11 nominations. Will it end the evening with the most wins? You tell us:

Paramount/DreamWorks/DreamWorks

Frazer Harrison/Kevin Winter/Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Kevin Winter/Carlos Alvarez/Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

Frazer Harrison/Jason Merritt/Jason Merritt, Getty Images

Jason Merritt/Frazer Harrison/Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

Gareth Cattermole/Valerie Macon/Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images

DreamWorks/DreamWorks/Blind Wink Productions

Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images/Jemal Countess, Getty Images/YouTube

With Oscars season upon us, it’s anyone’s guess who will take home the gold. Each year, some newcomers crash the party among veteran actors who command the red carpet at the Academy Awards. The annual event draws Hollywood’s biggest stars, and millions more around the world. The press always puts together some basic information about this year’s nominees, but how much do you actually know about the Oscars ceremony? Here’s a list of fun facts and trivia you can use to impress your friends this awards season.

Why’s it called Oscar?

Nobody knows for sure. The most commonly cited origin dates back to actress Bette Davis, who said that the backside of the statuette looked like her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson. According to another theory, the name came from Academy secretary Margaret Herrick who claimed it looked like her Uncle Oscar. However it came to be, the Oscar officially got its name in 1939, 10 years after the annual ceremony began. The official name of the Oscar is the Academy Award of Merit.

What are the statues made of?

Originally, they were gold-plated solid bronze. Then they moved over to Britannia metal, a pewter-like alloy that was then covered with copper, nickel silver, and 24-carat gold. But when WWII hit, and a metal shortage followed, the Academy had to make do with what materials they had available. So they resorted to painted plaster for three years. After the war ended, recipients were invited to exchange the plaster awards for gold-plated metal ones. Fun fact: Oscar statuette weighs 8 1/2 pounds and is 13 1/2 inches tall. (Watch a video on the making of an Oscar below.)

Hardly anyone attended the first Academy Awards

With what the awards have turned into today, it’s hard to imagine Hollywood’s humble beginnings. But that was the case for the first Academy Awards in May 1929, which was a small dinner held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for 270 guests. It cost $5 a head, and the guests dined on broiled chicken.

Oscars.org

There have only been a few sweeps of the top categories

‘Hugo’ leads this year’s Best Picture crop with 11 nominations, but only three films in the history of the awards have ever won all five of the top categories (Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role, Actress in a Leading Role, Directing, Writing). They are: ‘It Happened One Night’ (1934), ’One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ (1975) and ‘Silence of the Lambs’ (1991). 37 other films have been nominated in all of the “Big Five” categories, but have fallen short of ultimate Oscars glory.

Vince Bucci, Getty Images

A sound mixer is the biggest loser in Oscars history

Sound mixer Kevin O’Connell has 20 nominations yet still no wins, making him “the unluckiest nominee in the history of the Academy Awards,” according to The Guardian. Basically O’Connell is the Susan Lucci of the Oscars, with nods spanning from ‘Terms of Endearment’ to ’Transformers.’ “If I ever did get an opportunity to make a speech, one of the things I’d say is to all you nominees, don’t consider yourselves losers. You guys are winners and don’t let anyone tell you differently,” he told Entertainment Weekly. O’Connell can take solace in his recognition from the Academy in other ways — he sits on the Board of Governors, representing the sound branch. (Watch an interview with O’Connell below.)

A toothbrush is Billy Crystal’s good luck charm

Expect this year’s host Billy Crystal to be armed with a toothbrush in his tuxedo pocket, but not because of a fear of bad breath. As a kid, Crystal would pretend to make an Oscar speech using his toothbrush as a microphone, and each of the eight times he’s taken the stage as the show’s host, he’s brought along his toothbrush to help ease his nerves.

Selling Oscar trophies is forbidden

Fame is fleeting, and so are Oscars apparently. Many celebrities have given their Oscars way or lost them over the years. But according to Moviefone, they can’t hock them at the pawn shop — the Academy banned the sale of the statuettes in 1950. Heirs to the statuettes must, according to the established rule, sell the trophies back to the Academy for $1. Pre-1950 Academy Awards have sold for millions.

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Someone streaked the Oscars

During the 1974 Academy Awards, while actor David Niven was calling up Elizabeth Taylor to present the Oscar for Best Picture, a streaker emerged from the back of the stage and interrupted the festivities. Niven ad-libbed, ”Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was almost bound to happen. But isn’t it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?” The streaker was Robert Opel, a photographer and art gallery owner who had snuck backstage posing as a journalist. You can thank him for the delay imposed on the televised broadcast. Watch the famous moment below.

Marlon Brando turned down an award

When Marlon Brando won Best Actor in a Leading Role for ‘The Godfather’ in 1972, he declined to accept the award and instead sent Native American actress Sacheen Littlefeather to represent him on the stage. Littlefeather explained that Brando didn’t appreciate the way that Native Americans were portrayed in the movies. While some didn’t like Brando’s political statement, others believe that Brando’s stand helped improve the treatment of Native Americans in Hollywood. The Academy subsequently banned the use of proxies to speak on anyone’s behalf at the ceremony.

Oscar wins raise the divorce rate

A recent study found that women who were nominated for Best Actress were more likely to get divorced sometime after their Academy Award nods. Many recent winners – including Kate Winslet, Reese Witherspoon, and Sandra Bullock – feel prey to the curse. (See a recent list of actresses here.) “Winning an Oscar can be construed as a big jump in professional status that an actor or actress has in their world and in the eyes of the broader audience…You are never the same after you’ve secured an Oscar for Best actor or Best Actress,” explained one of the scientists.

Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images

Source: TheFW.com