Unlike the first Oscars of 1929, which was more of a dinner party with less than 250 guests, the 2009 Oscars will have extensive viewership and loads of hype.

The Kodak Theatre, the first permanent home to the awards, has hosted 7 Oscar events so far. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rents it out weeks before the event.

Hugh Jackman, this year's Oscars host, won an Emmy for hosting the Tony Awards ceremony in 2005. Jackman loves to play the piano and guitar, golf sometimes, and windsurf.

The Oscar Night America (ONA) party, which showcases the pre-Oscar experience, will hit its 16th year in 2009. ONA parties are formal black-tie events with limousine arrivals, celebrities ramping the red carpet and paparazzi and press stomping over each other to get interviews.

'Slumdog Millionaire' - about a Mumbai slum-dweller who wins US$ 20 million in a reality game show - has won 7 BAFTAs (British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards) and 4 Golden Globes.

Australian actor Heath Ledger's haunting performance as The Joker in the film 'The Dark Knight' is a highlight of this year's Oscar event. Ledger died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs on 22 January 2008. He is the first and only actor to secure an acting nomination for a Batman film.

Credit : http://specials.msn.co.in/sp08/oscar/oscar_2009.asp