The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in the film industry. It is regarded as the most famous and prestigious awards in the entertainment industry. Given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the awards are an international recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements, as assessed by the Academy's voting membership. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a golden statuette as a trophy, officially called the "Academy Award of Merit", although more commonly referred to by its nickname, the "Oscar". The statuette depicts a knight rendered in the Art Deco style.
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actress, author, businesswoman, and humanitarian, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album debut in 1967 with Hello, I'm Dolly. After her success during the remainder of the 1960s, her sales and chart peak came during the 1970s and continued into the 1980s. Parton's albums in the 1990s did not sell as well, but she achieved commercial success again in the new millennium and has released albums on various independent labels since 2000, including her own label, Dolly Records.
Grandmaster (GM) is a title awarded to chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain.
Nicole Mary Kidman is an Australian actress, singer, and producer. She has received an Academy Award, one Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards for acting. She was listed among the world's highest-paid actresses in 2006, 2018 and 2019. Time magazine twice named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world, in 2004 and 2018.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors". The Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal are the highest civilian awards of the United States. The award is not limited to U.S. citizens and, while it is a civilian award, it can also be awarded to military personnel and worn on the uniform. It was established in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy, superseding the Medal of Freedom that was established by President Harry S. Truman in 1945 to honor civilian service during World War II.
Sofia Villani Scicolone, known professionally as Sophia Loren, is an Italian actress. A recognizable star of Hollywood's Golden Age, she was named by the American Film Institute as the 21st greatest female star of Classic Hollywood Cinema.
The Grammy Award, or just Grammy, is an award presented by the Recording Academy to recognize achievements in the music industry. The trophy depicts a gilded gramophone. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and the presentation of those awards that have a more popular interest. The Grammys are the first and biggest award of the Big Three networks' major music awards held annually.
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen is an English actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his creation and portrayal of fictional satirical characters, including Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard and Admiral General Aladeen. Baron Cohen adopts a variety of accents and guises for his characters. He interacts with unsuspecting subjects, who do not realise they have been set up for self-revealing ridicule. On these interactions, The Observer states, "his career has been built on winding people up, while keeping a deadpan face". Baron Cohen has been frequently described as a "prankster".
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible to submit a nomination and vote on the final ballot. Best Picture is the final award of the night and is considered the most prestigious honor of the ceremony.
Kenneth Lauren Burns is an American filmmaker, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs in documentary films.
Bachelor of Arts is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts and sciences. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years, depending on the country and institution.
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V and comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of the order.
Kamal Haasan is an Indian actor, dancer, film director, screenwriter, producer, playback singer, lyricist and politician who works primarily in Tamil cinema. Hassan has also worked in Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali films. His production company, Raaj Kamal Films International, has produced several of his films. Haasan's contributions to film have been praised by his contemporaries in the across the Indian film industry, and he has been recognised as an influence for actors and filmmakers in the Tamil film industry. He has won four National Film Awards and 19 Filmfare Awards. He was awarded the Kalaimamani award in 1984 the Padma Shri in 1990, the Padma Bhushan in 2014 and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Chevalier) in 2016. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at 15th Mumbai International Film Festival in 2013.
Catherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress, comedian, singer and screenwriter. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Genie Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Canadian Screen Awards. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2018 and was honored with the Governor General's Performing Arts Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award in 2020.
Eugene Levy CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, director, and writer. From 1976 until 1984, he appeared in the Canadian television sketch comedy series SCTV. He is also well known for works such as the American Pie series of movies and the Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek. He often plays flustered and unconventional figures. He is a regular collaborator of actor-director Christopher Guest, appearing in and co-writing four of his films, commencing with Waiting for Guffman (1996).
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Her debut single, "Inside Your Heaven", made her the only country artist to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the only solo country artist in the 2000s to have a number-one song on the Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), was bolstered by the successful crossover singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats", becoming the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, the fastest-selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history and the best-selling country album of the last 17 years. She won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist.
Paresh Rawal is an Indian film actor, comedian and politician known for his works notably in Bollywood. He was a member of parliament in the Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament representing the Ahmedabad East constituency from 2014 to 2019. He is politically affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Rawal speaks Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu and English. In 1994, he won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in the films Woh Chokri and Sir. For the latter, he received his first Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. This was followed by Ketan Mehta's Sardar, which saw him playing the lead role of freedom fighter Vallabhbhai Patel, a role that got him national and international acclaim.
The Medal of Honor is the United States of America's highest and most-prestigious personal military decoration that may be awarded to recognize U.S. military service members who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. The medal is normally awarded by the President of the United States in the name of the U.S. Congress. Because the medal is presented "in the name of Congress", it is also known as the "Congressional Medal of Honor". However, the official name of the current award is "Medal of Honor". Within the United States Code the medal is referred to as the "Medal of Honor", and less frequently as "Congressional Medal of Honor". U.S. awards, including the Medal of Honor, do not confer post-nominal titles, but the official abbreviation is "MOH".