You may know that the organization behind the Academy Awards is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — but we don't often hear much about the "sciences" part.
On one night each year, that all changes when AMPAS hands out its Technical and Scientific Awards for devices, formulas and discoveries that change the way movies are made. This year's edition took place inside the Beverly Hilton's International ballroom, where the Oscars will unfold in two weeks — but this fête was way geekier than the one happening on March 5.
I filed a radio report for NPR here (streaming audio in Win and Real), and a writeup for Wired News here.
Complete list of 2006 winners, including lifetime achievement honorees, here.
Image (courtesy AMPAS): host Rachel McAdams (Wedding Crashers, Red Eye, etc) was the only hot starlet in the house — pretty much everyone else was a nerd. She's surrounded by Technical and Scientific Academy Award winners in this photo.
Oh, and this didn't make it into either report, but the pre-ceremonies entertainment consisted of a ventriloquist from Branson who did jokes about poop and chihuahuas (in an awful Speedy Gonzales accent). Then he stuck black wigs on two Academy bigwigs, and did Motown ventriloquist karaoke. Everyone at my table but the eight-year-old girl was cringing. You know profit margins in Hollywood aren't what they used to be when…
Update: Scott Kirsner has a terrific report in Salon, and here's his cinematech blog post with more.
