At the end of the Oscars, Jimmy Kimmel joked that last night’s telecast now makes one consecutive Academy Awards ceremony without incident. How about a high five?!? Slap! Discounting of course Elizabeth Banks almost tripping on her long dress while walking on stage and then followed by her very hoarse presentation of the special effects award. Still, it was a pleasant show, as award shows go. Last night was the 95th Academy Awards ceremony.

I got the pic for this post at the Boeing’s Museum of Flight in Seattle. The original recipient, John Monk Saunders, writer, and longtime Seattle resident was awarded this statue in 1931. It is one of 3,000+ Oscar statues to have been awarded all told. In 1927 the first awards ceremony took all of fifteen minutes. Last night’s show clocked in at just over three hours. Still, it finished almost on time, a rarity by today’s standards. The statue has changed little since its beginning, with only minor changes to its base having been made. This statuesque stability reaps unforeseen benefits in modern times. Nowadays, many awards are shared among multiple individuals, requiring the live distribution of an unknown number of multiple Oscars. The Academy can order more than they need and save any extras for next year’s show. Up until 1950 each statue was the uncontested property of the award recipient, but since then the Academy has stipulated that they get the right of first refusal on any sale and the sale price that the Academy must pay is only a dollar. Any award recipient who refuses to sign this contract does not get to take their statue home.