This Sunday (or Monday morning SA time), the biggest names in entertainment will gather in Los Angeles for the 92nd Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars.

Don’t worry, that isn’t one of the eight interesting facts we promised you.

There will be memes and viral moments, and shock winners and losers, but let’s leave all of that for Monday and get cracking with some quirky facts.

The BBC has compiled a list, starting with ScarJo, who has joined an exclusive club:

She is only the 12th person to receive two acting nominations in the same year.

Johansson is nominated for both best actress and best supporting actress for her performances in Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit respectively.

The other 11 people who’ve been nominated twice in acting categories at the same Oscars ceremony include Sigourney Weaver (in 1989), Al Pacino (1993) Emma Thompson (1994), Jamie Foxx (2005) and, most recently, Cate Blanchett (2008).

Nobody has ever won in both of their categories, and it seems doubtful that Scarlett will, either.

If Sam Mendes wins best director, it’ll be the biggest gap between two directing wins in Oscars history

The newly-knighted Sir Sam first won in 1999 for American Beauty, but could triumph again at the 2020 ceremony with his hugely successful World War One epic 1917.

Before now, Billy Wilder recorded the biggest gap, winning his two best director trophies 15 years apart for The Lost Weekend (1945) and The Apartment (1960).

A knighthood and a shot at the best director award – not a bad start to the year.

There’s a competing couple in the best picture category

Directors Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, who began dating in 2011 and have a child together, are up against each other for the top prize.

Gerwig’s nomination for Little Women and Baumbach’s for Marriage Story make them the first director-couple to go head-to-head for best picture.

If one of them wins, it could make for some serious ammunition with arguments down the line.

“Yes, I know I didn’t take the trash out, I was just busy shining my Oscar!”

Toy Story 4 could better the Oscars record it set with Toy Story 3

The prize for best animated feature was introduced in 2001, and since then only one sequel – Toy Story 3 – has won.

So a victory for Toy Story 4 would make it not just the second sequel to win best animated feature, but the second to win within its own film series.

Woody would be proud, wouldn’t he?

It’s been 15 years since the winner of best actress and best picture were in sync

Very rarely does the winner of best actress also star in the winner of best picture – the last one that did was Hilary Swank in 2004’s Million Dollar Baby.

That’s unlikely to change this year, as Renée Zellweger is the favourite to win best actress for her role in Judy, which isn’t nominated.

The average age of the supporting actor nominees is 71

Considerably older this year than the average age of all previous winners in this category – which is 49.

This time around, Brad Pitt is the youngest at 56, nominated alongside Tom Hanks (63), Joe Pesci (76), Al Pacino (79) and Sir Anthony Hopkins (82).

Tough being a young actor these days.

Ford v Ferrari is the first motor racing film to get a best picture nomination

This might not sound particularly interesting but there are a surprisingly large number of racing films which have missed out in the past – such as Rush, Grand Prix and Days of Thunder…

Ford v Ferrari (which is titled Le Mans ’66 in some countries), is nominated but highly unlikely to win.

One for the petrolheads, there.

Songwriter Dianne Warren’s nod in best original song (for I’m Standing With You from the film Breakthrough) is her 11th Oscar nomination

Her others include LeAnn Rimes’s How Do I Live (from Con Air), Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing (from Armageddon) and Faith Hill’s There You’ll Be (from Pearl Harbor).

But, as we said last year, she has still never actually won.

In fact, she is now the most Oscar-nominated woman without a win in history, which keeps the heat off Glenn Close a little longer.

Some harsh critics might say that being involved in any way with Armageddon should prevent you from winning an Oscar.

But good luck, Dianne. You’re certainly due.

There you go – eight facts to casually bring up in conversation this week in order to come across as a movie buff.

You can find the rest of the BBC’s quirky fact list here.

[source:bbc]