Sure, you know about Jamie Foxx's double nomination — for "Ray" and "Collateral" — (for the record, he's the 10th performer in academy history to be twice nominated in one year), but how about Randy Thom? He's a four-time nominee this year — and the reason you've never heard of him is because he's competing in the categories of sound mixing and sound editing, with two nominations in each category — for "The Polar Express" and "The Incredibles."

(For those of you profoundly in love with Oscar minutiae, note that "sound mixing" is a relatively new category. In 2003 it replaced the more vague category "sound," which itself replaced "sound recording" in 1958. "Sound editing" was born as "sound effects" in 1964, dropped from the Oscar roster for some years, revived as "sound-effects editing" in 1982, and rechristened "sound editing" in 2000. If that doesn't help you with your next Oscar-trivia quiz, I don't know what will.)

Most of us head for the refrigerator during the sound categories, as many of you probably did during the preceding paragraph, because these winners rarely wear an interesting gown and because we've never heard of them. But it's a chance for the academy to recognize the top professionals in this technical field, rather than shunt them off to the Scientific and Technical Awards, held weeks before the Oscars and presided over by some ravishing starlet (this year, Scarlett Johansson) as a sort of consolation prize.

And, lurking within the sound categories are tales of Oscar heartbreak that would rival any movie star's. Consider Kevin O'Connell, for example. Never heard of him? Well, he's a sound guy, and apparently a damned good one, seeing as he's been nominated for an Academy Award in a sound category no fewer than 17 times. But he's never won — not once. In fact, he's the individual who holds the all-time academy record, in all categories, for losing, batting 0-for-16. He's nominated this year, for sound mixing for "Spider-Man 2." You're going to root for him, aren't you?

Oscar trivia

Was everybody stumped by last week's trivia question, about which of this year's acting nominees has been in the most films with fellow nominees? Or were you all too busy thinking about sound editing? Anyway, the answer is best-actress nominee Kate Winslet ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), who has co-starred in four films with other 2005 nominees: "Titanic" (with Leonardo DiCaprio), "Finding Neverland" (with Johnny Depp), "Sense and Sensibility" (with Imelda Staunton) and "The Life of David Gale" (with Laura Linney).

Now, here's another one. Three of this year's writing nominees have Northwest roots: One grew up in Corvallis, Ore., one comes from Portland, and a third grew up in Bellevue. Name them.

Moira Macdonald: mmacdonald@seattletimes.com