The Envelope, Please: The Ultimate Academy Awards Trivia Book

Rating:
Summary: That's Entertainment!
Review: And the winner is "The Envelope, Please: The Ultimate Academy Awards Trivia Book." From its opening remarks to the final answer, this book is smart, funny, and information-packed. Arnold Wayne Jones combines an encyclopedic knowledge of Oscar lore with fresh insights and irreverent volleys. The wonderfully clever organization goes far beyond who-won-what-when. Highly recommended for lovers of all things Oscar, as well as for movie and showbiz aficionados and anyone who wants to impress friends with little-known but fascinating factoids.

Rating:
Summary: Great idea, badly done
Review: Dear Prospective Buyers:

This is hands down the best Academy Awards book out there. And on top of that it is the best trivia book I have ever seen as well. The questions are fun to read and filled with interesting anecdotes that you will not find anywhere else. Where else can you find information about Marlon Brando declining his Oscar or the streaker who appeared during the ceremony in the early 1970s?

I especially love the opening introduction by the author in which he talks about his fondness for movies. As a fellow film buff, I can definitely relate.

By the way, be sure to get a copy of this book before this year's awards ceremony. It should be used as a handy reference to be kept nearby while the ceremony is going on.

Jones definitely knows his stuff. I cannot wait for his next book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: Dear Prospective Buyers:

This is hands down the best Academy Awards book out there. And on top of that it is the best trivia book I have ever seen as well. The questions are fun to read and filled with interesting anecdotes that you will not find anywhere else. Where else can you find information about Marlon Brando declining his Oscar or the streaker who appeared during the ceremony in the early 1970s?

I especially love the opening introduction by the author in which he talks about his fondness for movies. As a fellow film buff, I can definitely relate.

By the way, be sure to get a copy of this book before this year's awards ceremony. It should be used as a handy reference to be kept nearby while the ceremony is going on.

Jones definitely knows his stuff. I cannot wait for his next book.

Rating:
Summary: Great idea, badly done
Review: I picked up this book because I thought it would be fun to read the bits of trivia. However, I wasn't very far along into it when I began finding factual errors -- errors in major categories that easily could have been corrected had the author or editor bothered to check. In Chapter One, for instance, the author claims that Hugh Griffith won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1963 for "Tom Jones"; in reality, Melvin Douglas won for "Hud." (Griffith won in 1959, for "Ben-Hur.") Later, in a question regarding consecutive wins, the book omits Tom Hanks for his performances in "Philadelphia" (1993) and "Forrest Gump" (1994), although the book was published in 1999. Mistakes such as these can be found throughout the book.

Rating:
Summary: That's Entertainment!
Review: This book has lots of fun information, but no useful way to look it up (like an index). So, if you want to know how many times a particular actor was nominated for a supporting role Oscar, you're out of luck.