Love them or hate them, the Academy Awardsremain a cornerstoneof the movie industry and popular culture.
What Is the Difference Between the Oscars and The Academy Awards?
Despite popular perception, there is a slight difference between the Academy Awards and the Oscars.
Technically, the Academy Awards is the name of the awards show itself.
For instance, the 2024 show is known as the 96th Academy Awards.
The Oscars, meanwhile, is the name given to the statues that Academy Award winners receive.
Over time, though, the line between the two names has blurred.
Early on, if you won an award at an Academy Award show, you won an Academy Award.
Later, if you won an award, the physical award was known as an Oscar.
The two gradually became interchangeable and often inseparable.
If you tell someone youre watching the Oscars, they know you mean the Academy Awards.
If anything, its strange to say youre watching the Academy Awards rather than the Oscars.
Something about using the former just feels pretentious and unnecessary when the latter, shorter name is available.
Keep that point in mind for later.
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When Did We Start Calling The Academy Awards The Oscars?
Believe it or not, it has occasionallybeen necessary.
The O in his name stood for Oscar, which later became the shorthand name for the award itself.
Its a wild story, but its Bette Davis were talking about.
Indeed, Davis later retracted her original claimin the 1974 book,Mother Goddam.
This is a much more interesting and substantial theory.
Unfortunately, its not the real story.
At the very least, its not the whole story.
The title is a mouthful, but the subject matter is even more substantial.
Davis even reveals new information about the Oscars name that refutes Skolskys claim.
The wording offers a minor, but potentially significant, distinction.
However, nobody has ever been able to prove that Gledhill had an uncle named Oscar.
For that matter, its not clear if she had any relatives named Oscar at all.
Davis instead recalls the story of a secretary named Eleanore Lilleberg, whoworked for the Academyin the early 1930s.
Why Oscar, though?
Yet, this is one of those stories stories where the How?
may be less important than the Why?
Why Does Everyone Call The Academy Awards The Oscars?
Regardless of who coined the phrase Oscars, the name had to gain steam for some reason.
Why is the name so popular, and why does everyone use it?
Ultimately, it comes down to pretentiousness (or a lack thereof).
Things have been like that since the origins of the event itself.
If I got them cups and awards, theyd kill themselves to produce what I wanted.
Thats why the Academy Award was created.
If you think otherwise, youve never met anyone in that industry.
Perhaps that even helps explain why it was officially adopted as a major part of the brands image.
Thats a trade show name that makes the whole thing feel like a business.
Well, thats a fun party that everyone feels like they can join.
