The 80th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony was broadcast this past Sunday, and although much has been made about the low ratings, the Oscars are still the pinnacle of the entertainment industry's awards shows. Of course, we're only to eager to scan the nominations/winners list for anything 80's related that can inspire some trivia.

This year its easy: the Oscar for Best Picture went to "No Country For Old Men," along with the Oscars for Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor. "No Country For Old Men" is a film by Joel and Ethan Coen, and is the latest inclusion in an influential and acclaimed body of work that the brothers have been responsible for both writing and directing over the last 24 years. Some of their best works include "Fargo" (which also won an Oscar for Best Screenplay), "The Big Lebowski," "Barton Fink," and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

Here's where the 80's connection comes in: The Coen Brothers debut feature film came out in 1984. What was the title?

Bonus Question: The 50th Annual Grammy Awards hit the airwaves a couple of weeks ago, and there's a few names from the 80's on their nominations/winners list as well. Some of the artists on the Grammies list who got their start in the 80's include Bon Jovi, The Beastie Boys, Sly & Robbie, Suzanne Vega, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Brave Combo, Metallica, King Diamond, Slayer, and Bjork. It's almost a foregone conclusion that U2 will show up on the list somewhere (this year was no exception), and both Prince and Madonna scored Grammies (Madonna's was way down the list, "Best Longform Video," but its there). And then there was the numerous artists who were around before the 80's, but had their biggest hits in the 80's. This group includes Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Patti Austin, and the winner for Album Of The Year, Herbie Hancock.

Hancock has had a long history in the jazz world, but has also received recognition (as well as some criticism) for lending his considerable talent to other genres. The song "Rockit" is probably the best example, a synth heavy dance track that became the signature tune of the break dance scene. The video was all over MTV, and won Best Video at the first MTV awards. And the song won Herbie Hancock his first Grammy Award. Hancock performed a synth medly that included "Rockit" at the 1985 Grammy awards ceremony with three other noted keyboardists. Who were they?

The 80's nostalgic moment is when you get that blast from the past, that moment of familiarity with something long forgotten. "Where have I heard that?" "Who did that song?" "Where have I seen that before?" Being able to put your finger on that moment is one of the things that makes 80's trivia so much fun. There's a commercial on the television right now that gave me such a moment.

The commercial is an ad for Honda's latest model of fuel efficient car, and it features a song from 1981 with the line "Hold on tight to your dreams." The song was the last top 10 hit for a group that formed in the 70's with the intention to "pick up where 'I Am The Walrus' left off." The singer from this group would go on to be an influential producer and a member of the Traveling Wilburys. So what was the name of the band that recorded "Hold On Tight?"

Bonus Question: When I heard "Hold On Tight" being used by Honda, I was struggling to remember the TV commercial from back in the 80's that also used this song. There was a Cutlass commercial featuring Precilla Presley that used the tune, but the ad I was thinking about was for one of the staples modern living. Just as there are commercials for milk and cheese and beef and "the other white meat" that promote a general product without touting a specific brand, this one promoted the use of the food product being advertised for its stimulating effects. The commercial featured rock stars, football players, author Kurt Vonnegut, and a voice over by actress Cicely Tyson. And much like ads for cigarettes in the 60's, this ad is somewhat ironic in these health conscious times. So what was the group, identified in the commercial, that this advertising campaign was designed to target?

Prince had a song back in the 80's (a B-side, actually) that had Christmas in the title. And while the sombre mood of the song bears no resemblance to a party mood, it seems most appropriate to include a mention of it in our trivia challenge. So what was the name of the Prince B-side from the 80's that mentions Christmas in the title?

Bonus Question: Back in 1988, Bill Murray starred in a retelling of the familiar Christmas Carol story called "Scrooged." The big musical number at the end is a cover of "Put A Little Love In Your Heart," which is sung by Al Green and a famous star from the 80's (as well as the cast of the film). What's the name of the 80's popstar who duets with Al Green on this version of "Put A Little Love In Your Heart?"

References to Heaven and Angels are numerous in the songs of the 80's. The Psychedelic Furs sang about "Heaven," Qfeel were "Dancing In Heaven," Belinda Carlisle declared that "Heaven Is A Place On Earth," the list goes on and on. And there's no shortage of references to Angels, either. Juice Newton was the "Angel Of The Morning," U2 sang of the "Angel Of Harlem," The Eurythmics felt "There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)."

For tonight's Trivia Challenge, what's the name of the 80's hit that includes the lyrics "You're like an angel and you give me your love?"

Bonus Question: Before the band Ministry transformed into motorcycle riding tattooed love gods, they were somewhere between a synthpop band and an industrial band. They had a great tune on one of their early albums called "The Angel." What was the name of the early Ministry album that included this song?

Happy Chinese New Year! That's right, Thursday February 7th is the beginning of the first lunar month on the Chinese calendar. So how about some 80's Trivia related to China: Back in 1983, a post punk band from New Orleans released an irresistibly catchy song called "China" that made it to 53 on the Billboard Pop Charts. What was the name of this band?

Bonus Question: Those who follow Chines astrology know that 2008 will be the year of the rat. So how about some 80's Trivia related to Ratt: What was the name of the model and well known video vixen who appeared on the cover of Ratt's first album "Out Of The Cellar?"