The 10 Weirdest Honorary Oscars of All Time

Posted on June 20, 2025 by Phil Hall

Earlier this week, Variety reported that Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, was lobbying members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to bestow an Honorary Oscar on Bob Iger, chief executive of the Walt Disney Company and Kennedy’s boss. This created a major conflict of interest problem, since Disney’s broadcast division ABC is the broadcast partner of the Academy Awards, and the two are now in negotiations to renew the Academy’s licensing agreement beyond 2028.
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The Bootleg Files: The Great Radio Comedians

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 719: “The Great Radio Comedians” (1972 documentary featuring George Burns, Jack Benny and Edgar Bergen).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It seems to have fallen through the proverbial cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely.

From the late 1920s into the late 1940s, Americans relied on radio for their home entertainment. There was a wide variety of original programming to choose from, but many listeners gravitated to the weekly comedy series. Considering the heyday of the medium coincided with the grim years of the Great Depression and World War II, the comedy shows offered much-needed happy distraction from the problems and crises taking place across the country and around the world.
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