All About Oscar: Great Academy Awards Reads
by Constance Droganes
Celebrating Hollywood history is a great way to bone up for this year’s Oscar bash. From controversial new books about Hollywood A-listers to the inside scoop on star style, these Tinseltown-inspired reads will make any Oscar partygoer red-carpet ready.
Oscar party novices:
Check out “In Style Parties (The Complete Guide to Easy, Elegant Entertaining), by the editors of In Style magazine. In it fledgling Oscar hosts will find luscious drinks, foods and slick party décor. It’s an all-purpose staple that shows hosts how to think like a movie star and organize like a caterer.
“Red Carpet: 20 Years of Fame and Fashion” by Frank Trapper
Veteran celebrity photographer Frank Trapper fills this book with 25 years of red carpet glamour, including glitzy gowns from 2007’s Oscars and movie premieres. (Welcome Books)
“Made for Each Other: Fashion and the Academy Awards,” by Bronwyn Cosgrave
In this glam retrospective of Oscar fashion, Cosgrove delivers a revealing account of the Hollywood A-listers and designers who helped shape the look of the Academy Awards. From Grace Kelly and Edith Head to Nicole Kidman and John Galliano, these famed star-designer duos will entertain fashionistas and film buffs. (Bloomsbury USA)
“The Academy Awards: The Complete Unofficial History,” by Gail Kinn and Jim Piazza
This photo-packed stunner celebrates the first 78 years of Academy Award history. Oscar gossip, facts, ceremony highlights and expert commentary are included along with 500 photos, memorable acceptance speeches and Academy Award fashions. (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers)
“The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards,” by Steve Pond
The dirty game of Oscar politics is the star of this juicy read. From Oscar's earliest days, Pond showcases Norma Shearer's unjust win in 1930 over Greta Garbo, a victory triggered by MGM's orders that employees vote for studio chief Irving Thalberg's wife. The book then fast-forwards through the decades, looking at David Letterman’s hosting gig in 1995, Madonna’s profane rehearsal tirades of 1991, as well as a hefty load of backstabbing Oscar dirt. (Douglas & McIntyre / Faber & Faber)
Others to check out
- The Complete Book of Oscar Fashion: Variety's 75 Years of Glamour on the Red Carpet by Reeve Chace
- 75 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards by Robert Osborne
- Academy Awards Handbook by John Harkness
Page to screen
Great fiction fueled some of big Oscar draws in 2008. Check out these top reads:
- “Atonement,” by Ian McEwan
- “No Country For Old Men,” by Cormac McCarthy
- “The Diving Bell And The Butterfly,” by Jean-Dominique Bauby
- “Into the Wild,” by Jon Krakauer
- “Kit Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini
- “A Mighty Heart,” by Mariane Pearle
