The Academy Award for best picture has gone to "Slumdog Millionaire," which ends the night with eight awards, including best director for Danny Boyle. Watch Video >>
Molten britannia, a high grade pewter alloy, is poured into an Oscar mould - one of just two ever made - at RS Owens in Chicago...(Picture: EPA)
About a minute later, the mould is cracked open...(Picture: EPA)
...revealing the backside of an 8 1/2-pound pewter Oscar statuette(Picture: EPA)
The still-hot statuette is inspected...(Picture: EPA)
...before being laid down to cool off for an hour or so (Picture: EPA)
The rough edges are trimmed off and the pewter Oscar is thoroughly polished (Picture: EPA)
Every statuette is assigned a serial number, which is engraved in its base, to ensure that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences can track each one (Picture: EPA)
The statuette is allowed to dry for a couple of days, and then it is electroplated in copper...(Picture: EPA)
...nickel...(Picture: EPA)
...silver...(Picture: EPA)
...and finally in 24-carat gold(Picture: EPA)
The gold-plated statuette then has its base screwed on before being bagged and put into a foam-fitted box, ready for shipping to Hollywood(Picture: EPA)
The 81st annual Academy Award nominations were announced this morning and many of the beloved favorites from the Golden Globes are back with Oscar nominations.
You can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but. . . well, you know the rest.
