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Did an ancient Egyptian god inspire the Oscar statuette?

Dealer Rupert Wace says the bronze was once displayed at Hearst's San Simeon castle, where an MGM art director may have sketched the first Oscar; the Academy denies it.

On air: Hank Ledger and Gloria Vance on BBN This Morning
Published
Photo: Greg in Hollywood (Greg Hernandez) · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
▶ As it aired · Pop Culture

Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger and Gloria Vance on this story, from BBN This Morning at 7:46 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Euronews's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Academy Awards
Photo: Greg in Hollywood (Greg Hernandez) · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

The real story

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What BBN said about it

  1. Gloria Vance · World News AnchorTime to pay that off: a 2,700-year-old bronze of the god Ptah sold on the opening day of Frieze Masters in London, and it was once owned by William Randolph Hearst, who displayed it at his San Simeon castle.

  2. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe Academy has never confirmed any link. It describes its statue as a knight with a crusader's sword standing on a reel of film.

  3. Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe dealer calls the Hollywood angle the cherry on the cake.

  4. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo a god of craftsmen got passed over for best supporting knight.

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The story so far

  1. The Diplomat returns, Little Luck opens, Schleinzer praises Hüller · The Hollywood Reporter
  2. Giant 3,000-Year-Old Statues of Ramses II Unearthed by Egyptian Farmer · Breitbart
  3. Egypt's El Gouna film festival opens MENA fall season · Deadline
  4. Which stone helped scholars crack Egyptian hieroglyphs? · Wikipedia
  5. A secret actor in You Can See Everything, and the Oscar race goes… · /Film
  6. Oscar odds for Supporting Actress add up to more than 100 · /Film
  7. Did an ancient Egyptian god inspire the Oscar statuette? (this story)

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