Oscar season is the time period in which Hollywood studios release their more critically acclaimed films, hoping to win at the Academy Awards. Oscar season usually begins in the fall, around November, although the date in which the summer blockbuster season ends and the Oscar season begins are ambiguous, and dependent on the year.

The Academy Awards occur every late February or early March, and films that win awards typically see a boost in sales. To take advantage of this, the studios release films they deem "Oscar worthy" in the fall, before the eligibility cut-off, so that the films remain fresh in the memories of critics and Academy members right before the Awards, increasing their chances of being nominated.

However, winning the awards does not always contribute to the financial success of a film. The Hurt Locker won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2010, but failed commercially, grossing only $16 million in North America. The producers attributed this loss of sales to piracy.

During Oscar season, studios heavily campaign for their films to win, spending large amounts of money in an attempt to influence Academy voters. Harvey Weinstein, of Miramax, was especially notorious for his campaigning. Weinstein was alleged to have spread rumors that John Nash was antisemitic, to hurt the chances of A Beautiful Mind, which was competing for the awards with the Miramax film In the Bedroom. It was also suspected, although unproven, that Weinstein was involved with the nomination of The Reader in 2009, a film that received mixed reviews from critics.

Ronald William "Ron" Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American film director, producer and former child actor. He came to prominence playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years. He appeared in the films American Graffiti in 1973 and The Shootist in 1976, the latter during his run on Happy Days. Howard made his directorial debut with the 1977 comedy Grand Theft Auto, and left Happy Days in 1980 to focus on directing. His films include the Academy Award-winning Cocoon, Apollo 13, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Beautiful Mind. In 2003, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. Asteroid 12561 Howard is named after him.

Howard was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, the son of Jean Speegle Howard, an actress, and Rance Howard, a director, writer and actor. His father was born with the surname "Beckenholdt", and had taken the stage name "Howard" by 1948, for his acting career. Rance Howard was serving three years in the United States Air Force at the time of Ron's birth. The family moved to Hollywood in 1958, the year before the birth of his younger brother, Clint Howard. They rented a house on the block south of the Desilu Studios, where The Andy Griffith Show would later be filmed. They lived in Hollywood for at least three years, before moving to Burbank.

Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938 in Charlotte, Tennessee), nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American National Basketball Association player with the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Robertson played the shooting guard/point guard position, and was a twelve-time All-Star, eleven-time member of the All-NBA Team, and one-time winner of the MVP award in fourteen professional seasons. He is the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season. He was a key player on the team which brought the Bucks their only NBA title in the 1970-71 NBA season. His playing career, especially during high school and college, was plagued by racism.

For his outstanding achievements, Robertson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980, and was voted one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. The United States Basketball Writers Association renamed their college Player of the Year Award the Oscar Robertson Trophy in his honor in 1998, and he was one of five people chosen to represent the inaugural National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame class in 2006.

Rachel Zoe Rosenzweig (born September 1, 1971), also known as Rachel Zoe, is an American fashion stylist best known for working with celebrities, fashion houses, beauty firms, advertising agencies, and magazine editors. In 2008, the first season of her Bravo reality television series The Rachel Zoe Project debuted. She is married to Rodger Berman, with whom she attended college at The George Washington University, in Washington, DC.

Zoe was born Rachel Zoe Rosenzweig in New York City, New York, the daughter of Leslie and Ron Rosenzweig. Zoe dropped her last name in favor of her middle when she began her career as a fashion stylist as Rosenzweig sounded "too Jewish". Zoe grew up in Millburn, New Jersey, and graduated from Millburn High School. She has a sister Pamela Rosenzweig. She later studied sociology and psychology at George Washington University. Before working as a stylist, Zoe worked at Gotham and YM magazine.

Although Zoe works with high-profile clients and has a very notable fashion sense^{[weasel words]}, she does not have any formal fashion training. Zoe went freelance, giving her the opportunity to meet and work with some high-profile clients. As a stylist, she has worked with Brenda Song, Backstreet Boys, Lindsay Lohan, Mischa Barton, Mario Orejel, Nicole Richie, and Keira Knightley. Zoe's current client list includes Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Garner, Kate Hudson, Kate Beckinsale, Debra Messing, Demi Moore, Liv Tyler, Joy Bryant, Molly Sims, Beau Garett, Eva Mendes, Paula Patton and Anne Hathaway. Zoe, with the help of reality TV star Nicole Richie, became the pioneer of the 'boho chic' look. This look consists of oversized jewelry, loose-fitting dresses and shirts, paired with a slim frame.

Oscar Nunez (born November 18, 1958), sometimes credited as Oscar Núñez, is a Cuban American actor and comedian. He currently appears as Dunder Mifflin's paper supply accountant, Oscar Martinez, on NBC's The Office.

Born in Cuba, Nunez moved to Union City, New Jersey when he was fourteen years old. He is bilingual in English and Spanish. Having attended various colleges in New York, including Fashion Institute of Technology and the Parsons School of Design for writing, Nunez became a certified dental technician from Magna Institute of Dental Technology.

Nunez started his comedy career in New York, founding and performing over 300 shows with The Shock of the Funny theater company. The troupe was active in the East Village for several years. In addition to his work with Shock, Nunez appeared in theater in New York and Washington, D.C. before moving to Los Angeles in the mid 1990s. In LA, he joined The Groundlings and performed in their Sunday Company. While with the Groundlings, he wrote and starred in a production called "Smooth Down There."