| 78th Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Date | March 5, 2006 |
| Site | Kodak Theatre Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Hosted by | Jon Stewart |
| Preshow hosts | Billy Bush, Chris Connelly, Cynthia Garrett, and Vanessa Minnillo[1] |
| Produced by | Gil Cates |
| Directed by | Louis J. Horvitz |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | Crash |
| Most awards | Brokeback Mountain, Crash, King Kong and Memoirs of a Geisha (3) |
| Most nominations | Brokeback Mountain (8) |
| TV in the United States | |
| Network | ABC |
| Duration | 3 hours, 33 minutes[2] |
| Ratings | 38.94 million 23.0% (Nielsen ratings) |
The 78th Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST. The ceremony was scheduled one week later than usual to avoid a clash with the 2006 Winter Olympics.[3] During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories honoring films released in 2005. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Louis J. Horvitz.[4][5] Actor Jon Stewart hosted the show for the first time.[6] Two weeks earlier in a ceremony at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California held on February 18, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Rachel McAdams.[7]
Crash won three awards, including Best Picture.[8] Other winners included Brokeback Mountain, King Kong, and Memoirs of a Geisha with three awards and Capote, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Constant Gardener, Hustle & Flow, March of the Penguins, The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation, A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin, Six Shooter, Syriana, Tsotsi, Walk the Line, and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit with one. The telecast garnered nearly 39 million viewers in the United States.
- ^ "A show this big needs buildups and wrap-ups". Los Angeles Times. March 5, 2006. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ Rich, Joshua (March 10, 2006). "Facts about the Oscar telecast". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 25, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
- ^ Feiwell, Jill (December 16, 2004). "Olympics delay Oscars". Variety. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
- ^ Archerd, Army (November 16, 2005). "Cates taking the Oscar lead". Variety. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
- ^ "Oscar Watch: Horvitz to helm kudocast". Variety. December 13, 2005. Archived from the original on August 25, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
- ^ "Jon Stewart to host 2006 Academy Awards". The Seattle Times. January 5, 2006. Archived from the original on August 25, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ "Pixar draws academy kudos". Variety. February 20, 2006. Archived from the original on August 25, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
- ^ Vancheri, Barbara (March 6, 2006). "'Crash' fatal to 'Brokeback' in best picture race". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.