50 Oscar Nights: Iconic Stars and Filmmakers on Their Career-Defining Wins

This glitzy debut from Turner Classic Movies host Karger compiles actors’, directors’, and musicians’ recollections of what it was like to win an Academy Award. Many recount feeling shocked and humbled, as when Jennifer Hudson recalls hardly believing she had been awarded the trophy for best supporting actress for her role in Dreamgirls: “I looked up and everybody is looking at me, and I’m like, Oh, they called me for real? Oh, wow.” Offstage drama spices up some of the accounts. Marlee Matlin, for instance, remembers how after winning best actress for her part in Children of a Lesser God, William Hurt, her partner at the time, who had been nominated for his role in the film but didn’t win, treated her with scorn, asking her “What makes you think you deserve it?” Elsewhere, Clint Eastwood, Barry Jenkins, Rita Moreno, and Octavia Spencer reflect on their speeches, the after-parties, and where they keep their Oscars (Louis Gossett Jr., best supporting actor winner for An Officer and a Gentleman, is keeping his in storage until he can “be free of it”). Hearing the winners’ memories in their own words is a delight, and the bountiful photos of the stars are an added treat. It’s a glamorous coffee-table book for movie buffs. Photos. (Jan.)