Hosts: James Franco and Ann Hathaway / Bob D'Amico, ABC
Most memorable moment: Sally Field's acceptance speech / AP
The USA WEEKEND insider's guide to the Oscars
Whether you're hunkered home in your pj's with a bowl of popcorn or all glammed up at a party to watch the 83rd Academy Awards, here's the inside scoop on what to look for on Hollywood's biggest night. More
Most glamorous female star: Halle Berry / Robyn Beck, AFT/Getty Images
Most glamorous male star: George Clooney / Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY
For more on Sunday's Academy Awards, tune into our Oscar partner, TV's The Insider.
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Oscar. Just say the name and you're swept off to Hollywood's most glamorous night.
"Who doesn't like to imagine themselves floating along that red carpet in expensive clothes and jewels?" asks Debra Ann Pawlak, author of the new history Bringing Up Oscar. "Who doesn't wonder what it would be like to stand on stage cradling that statuette hobnobbing with those movers and shakers?"
Well, we have some answers. USA WEEKEND, in partnership with TV's The Insider, surveyed our readers online to find out what you think about Oscar, the night, the tradition, the stars. Here's what you told us and what the experts think it all means.
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Click for complete Oscar poll results.
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Why we watch
The Academy Awards telecast remains the most-watched show on the planet. Last year, more than 41 million people in the USA tuned in. But why, exactly?
More than half of those who took our survey (54%) say it's an "annual tradition," kind of like watching the Super Bowl but without the entertaining commercials. Beyond that, 76% say they simply want to see who wins. (Shocking!) One reader got more specific: "I watch for the history, the spectacle, the split screen on the nominees!"
Damien Bona, co-author of Inside Oscar, considered the definitive history of the Oscars, explains: "There are quite simply very few images as iconic as the Oscar statuette itself: Uncle Sam. The Statue of Liberty. Grant Wood's American Gothic. Mount Rushmore. Like them, Oscar is part of the American landscape."
'Goddess glamour'
Seventy-five percent want to see "fabulous" fashion, not the flubs (25%). Perhaps that's because there are fewer of them. Celebrity stylist Robert Verdi says nominees prefer to play it safe on what could be their big night. "Actresses comfortable with their own identity are rare birds these days," Verdi says.
Simon Doonan of Barneys New York says: "The stars are now so perfectly styled that the element of surprise has gone. Bjork's swan dress, the J. Lo plunge gown [at the Grammys] — these were memorable moments. There is more to great fashion than unimpeachable goddess glamour."
Shorter is better
What could make the evening better? Twenty-seven percent want to give long-winded winners the boot. (Speaking of thank-yous, 34% said they would thank their partner if they won. Dear old Mom comes in second with 29% support.) Another 25% want more movie clips.
Still, Oscar's place in American culture is secure.
"The Oscar is still the gold standard, the Rolls-Royce," says Jeanine Basinger, chairman of film studies at Wesleyan University. "The Oscar tradition is part of America. We love it even if we can't stay awake."
The host with the most
Who has done it best? Almost 40% say they wish comedian Billy Crystal were this year's host. Actual co-hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway garnered only 9% but still came in ahead of Jon Stewart (5%) and Chris Rock (3%). Last year's duo, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, came in second with 15%.
Entertainment Tonight film critic Leonard Maltin says that the key to the Oscars' success is having a good host: "Having a host who can ad-lib surely makes a difference."
Unforgettable moments
Surprises make memories. Sally Field's now-famous "You like me!" acceptance speech in 1984 remains the biggest Oscar memory for 25% of those polled.
"No one gets there who didn't hope as a kid they would get there," celebrity stylist Phillip Block says. "That's why we watch. We want to see the crying. We want to see the one-hand push-up. We live vicariously through those moments. It's about dreams coming true."
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