Best Director Oscar Winner 2013: Ang Lee Nails Academy Award For 'Life of Pi'
Life of Pi's Ang Lee has officially won the award for Best Director at the 2013 Oscars, beating out the likes of Lincoln's Steven Speilberg, Silver Linings Playbook's David O. Russell, Life of Pi's Ang Lee, Beasts of the Southern Wild's Benh Zeitlin and Amour's Michael Haneke amongst several other notable filmmakers.
The very first Academy Awards celebration took place off camera at a banquet at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Two hundred and seventy people were said to be in attendance for the May 16, 1929 dinner in the Blossom Room of the hotel. Tickets for the now infamous event were a mere $5.
It was a long ceremony complete with speeches, but unlike now, the award was quickly handed out. By the second year of its existence, the enthusiasm was high enough to have a Los Angeles radio station produce a live one-hour broadcast of the event.
Surprisingly, there had been very little speculation as to who would win the awards. The winners were announced three months in advance. However, the original protocol was quickly changed, as the following year the Academy made the decision to keep the results secret until the actual contest, but a list in advance was given to the media at 11 p.m. on the night before.
Fifteen statuettes were handed out at the first ceremony for movie accomplishments in 1927 and 1928.
