So maybe you know that Natalie Portman trained for five hours a day, six days a week and dropped 20 pounds for her ballerina role in “Black Swan.”
Or that Colin Firth had to learn to stammer – and then un-stammer – to thoughtfully portray the affliction in “The King’s Speech.”
But did you know that John Travolta was the first choice to play “Forrest Gump”?
Or that the distinction of being the actor with the most Oscar nods but nary a win belongs to Peter O’Toole?
That’s where TCM host – and official biographer of the Academy Awards – Robert Osborne comes in.
Starting Tuesday at 6 a.m., Osborne will prep movie fans for the Feb. 27 Academy Awards with a ton of history during “31 Days of Oscar,” which this year focuses on Oscar trivia. A Best Picture Oscar winner will also grab the spotlight each night at 10.
Now in its 17th year on TCM, the monthlong 24/7 special obviously poses new challenges in programming.
After all, how many stories can even a film connoisseur such as Osborne think of to share about “The Godfather”?
But the eloquent Osborne, 78, is quick to deflect any credit for this year’s engaging theme, instead targeting Charlie Tabesh, TCM’s head of programming, as the creative mind behind “31 Days of Oscar.”
“A lot of times, big corporations can get territorial about their products, but Charlie knows what we can use,” Osborne said in a recent phone interview. “If I say, ‘Let’s have a night of movies with great slap scenes in them, that means you can show Ginger Rogers slamming Jimmy Stewart or ‘Chinatown,’ with its very serious slap. So when it comes to ‘31 Days of Oscar,’ Charlie doesn’t need much help because he knows what has been licensed.”
This week’s films include themes such as “Love at First Sight” (starring women who received Oscar-nominations for performances in their film debuts); “Most Nominated Actor” (Jack Nicholson, who has earned a dozen nods); and “An All-Knighter" (British knights nominated for their performances).
Those who have caught Osborne’s “Essentials” or “Private Screening” series on TCM know that his forte is sharing deep knowledge about the classic films being screened.
But his task with “31 Days” is to share as much obscure information as possible.
“Charlie put the films together in a certain way for themes, but it’s my duty to add to that or explain a little further,” Osborne said. “The trivia might be about Peter O’Toole never winning [an Oscar] if we’re showing ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ but it’s also my job to say that Marlon Brando was first up for the role, but was doing ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ and couldn’t.”
This year’s crop also includes a smattering of comparatively contemporary films, such as “Thelma & Louise” (1 a.m. Feb. 23) and “The Silence of the Lambs” (12:30 a.m. Feb. 27).
Osborne realizes that while he might not personally wish to repeatedly view many of the movies he’s tasked with discussing, his responsibility isn’t to pass judgment.
And, the Oscar sage is also happily embracing the changing times exhibited with the unconventional choice of this year's Oscar hosts, Anne Hathaway and James Franco. It’s a decisive U-turn from the typical deployment of hammy comedians or actors whose personalities often overshadow their abilities, and Osborne couldn’t agree more heartily with the statement it sends.
“It finally really says, OK, it’s a new ball game. [The ceremony] is no longer tied to the past when it was about Bogart and Hepburn,” he said. “For so long, the awards haven’t been willing to give up the fact that that period is over. It’s a new Hollywood. It’s different. There are no rules anymore.”
TV preview
“31 Days of Oscar,” hosted by Robert Osborne, begins at 6 a.m. Tuesday through March 3 on TCM. A Best Picture Oscar winner will air nightly at 10. View the complete schedule at www.tcm.com.
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