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March 3, 2010 | Issue 46•09

Academy Awards Highlights

Every year, the Oscars entertain Hollywood insiders and movie fans alike. Here are some of the more memorable and scandalous moments in the ceremony's 81-year history:

  • 1945: A nervous Barbara Stanwyck confesses she doesn't fully understand the double- indemnity clauses in some life insurance policies
  • 1946: Still in character from The Lost Weekend, Ray Milland staggers up to the podium, mumbles something about it being Sunday, and then pisses all over the front row of the theater
  • 1948: Unbeknownst to the stars arriving at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium, the red carpet leads directly into a surprise hearing of the House Un-American Activities Committee
  • 1955: Judy Garland accidentally boos her own name when announced as a nominee
  • 1977: A sizzling Faye Dunaway accepts her Oscar while naked, and the censors fail to fuzz it out
  • 1982: Instead of the usual montage of actors who passed away the previous year, the Academy screens a reel eerily and accurately predicting who will die in the year to come
  • 1994: After winning Best Actor for Philadelphia, Tom Hanks cracks up the crowd with his lighthearted jokes and reminds everyone that "it's just a stupid movie"
  • 2005: After host Chris Rock gets a few laughs at Jude Law's expense, Sean Penn joins in the fun by pretending to be a humorless, pretentious asshole

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