Photo: Everett Collection/Getty Images

Look up Dolores Hart on IMDB -- and prepare to be wowed. Hart, a Hollywood brat discovered while attending Marymount College, starred opposite Elvis in "Loving You" (1957). George Cukor directed her and Anna Magnani in "Wild is the Wind" (1957). The future prioress starred in the cult favorite "Where the Boys Are" (1960) -- and even played a nun in Michael Curtiz's "Francis of Assisi" (1961). And then, in 1963, at age 24 on the verge of marriage and following the premiere of her final feature, "Come Fly With Me," this leading lady who had been compared to Grace Kelly and kissed "the King" on screen, entered the Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis in Connecticut.

Yes, the Hollywood star gave up the spotlight for God. According to the Oscar-nominated documentary short, "God is the Bigger Elvis," Hart discovered an inner peace and contentment in the cloister that had been absent on stage and screen, and in her engagement to California businessman Don Robinson. Hart has confessed it's tough explaining the change in vocation, but has described it as:  "Falling in love. One falls in love with the Lord." Now, the feisty 73-year-old Prioress, Mother Dolores Hart, will not only attend the Oscars this weekend, she voted for them.  She's the only nun currently a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

What do Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman), Steve Guttenberg, and Cheech Marin all have in common? According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, they're members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Membership gives these three minor actors from the '80s a say on who receives the prized Oscar statuettes. Here are more surprising facts about Oscar voting.

1. Membership is exclusive and (mostly) a secret. There are 5,765 voting members of the academy, whose membership can range to about 6,500. A Los Angeles Times study of 89% of the voters found that the majority are white and male. How they're chosen: The academy sends out a limited number of invitations once a year. Candidates are proposed and voted on by current members. The Oscar website explains that membership is "limited to those who have achieved distinction in the arts and sciences of motion pictures." (See: Steve Guttenberg.)

Join us Sunday for full coverage of the 2012 Oscars, starting with the red carpet arrivals at 6pm ET/3pm PT and continuing through the show. Escorting you through the evening will Yahoo! editor Vera H-C Chan, Yahoo! editor Jason Sickles, and some special guests, including Daniel Musto of the upcoming "Fashion Star" on NBC.

Your escorts:

• Vera H-C Chan, fresh from tracking cultural and news trends for the Yahoo! Year in Review and hosting Yahoo!'s Golden Globes live blog;
• Jason Sickles, who has covered everything from hurricanes to the Super Bowl, which pretty much prepares him for liveblogging celebrity madness;
• Daniel Musto is a leading Hollywood wardrobe stylist. He is currently the on-camera stylist

Joan Rivers and her daughter, Melissa, are used to sharing space on the show that brings them together as roommates, "Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best," and used to sharing opinions on the show that takes them to the red carpet, "Fashion Police." In preparation for the Oscars, the duo who invented the phrase "Who are you wearing?" open up about their best memories as well as the ones that make them cringe with regret.

[ Photos: Most embarrassing roles of Oscar stars ]

Bjork's swan gown at the Oscars in 2001 was a showstopper, and not in a good way. But one Oscar nominee can take credit (pun intended) for the most bizarre look on the red carpet: the American Express dress.

Here's the story. The woman in the golden gown of plastic, Lizzy Gardiner, was nominated for best costume design back in 1994. The dress was an idea she had dreamed up for the movie "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert."

According to the Credit Card Forum blog, the credit card company had passed on the "Priscilla" dress concept for the film but liked the idea of the nominee wearing it to the Academy Awards ceremony so much that it sent her 300 custom platinum cards with her name embossed on them.

The dress was a success: Gardiner won the award and was then featured in American Express ads.

No question about it, the gown may have been a play for corporate sponsorship, but it certainly did not win its maker any marks for fashion sense. Cosmopolitan rated it as one of the

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

A year has passed since scrappy actress Melissa Leo won a best-supporting Academy Award alongside Christian Bale for "The Fighter." That 2011 Oscar race crystalized the moment when the journeyman actress went from dark-horse nominee ("Frozen River") to front-runner. And while it's been only a few years since the general public asked "Melissa Leo, who?" the slim redhead still found herself in the awkward situation at the Berlinale this week of standing at the Berlin Grand Hyatt front desk beside a stranger who asked the receptionist, "Are there any movie stars staying here?"

Film Independent
Yahoo! Movies is the only place to watch all the red carpet magic going down at the 27th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony, live from the beach in Santa Monica. We'll be live-streaming the star-studded affair and talking to the arriving celebs on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 2pm ET/ 11am PT.

[ Related: RSVP to watch the red carpet live on Yahoo! ]

The Spirit Awards honor artist-driven films that are made outside of the studio system. That these awards are presented at the beach makes for a red carpet that's ripe with fun and surprises. Funnyman Seth Rogen will host the glamorous gala, which features nominees like Jessica Chastain, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ryan Gosling, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Olsen, and Michelle Williams, among many others. Confirmed presenters include Elizabeth Banks, Kate Beckinsale, Bryan Cranston, Anne Heche, Ed Helms, Ewan McGregor, and Zoe Saldana.

Be sure to check in next Saturday, Feb. 25, at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET to come hang out at the beach with us and all