Oscar.com launches for 2012

With 12 days until the Oscars nominations announcement and 46 days until the 84th Academy Awards, OSCAR.com has officially launched.

The site, which launched Wednesday, features videos and photos of Oscar moments old and new, along with blog posts of "Did You Know" facts and other news. There is also an interactive timeline where fans can scroll through Oscar history all the way back to 1929.

Part of OSCAR.com's "Oscar History" timeline feature.

The photography section features full Red Carpet galleries dating back to 2003. "Hottest Couples," "Fashion Forward," "Sexiest Dresses" and "Rising Stars" are a few of the galleries featured. Others include classic black-and-white photos from the Academy archive.

Note, visitors will need a large monitor to fully appreciate the site, which measures around 1200 by 1600 pixels.

Every year, the Academy works with ABC.com to create OSCAR.com. Last year, the team put interactivity to the test and allowed fans to view backstage cameras and videos, along with playing along with the show and predicting the wins. New bells and whistles are added every year.

"There is a lot more to come," said Mark Dienger, product manager at ABC Digital Media, tweeting to The Gold Knight.

The site typically launches in full after the nominations announcement. They will be Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Fans have been able to track the #OscarBuzz since September on the teaser homepage. The aggregation of Tweets is still available on a separate page.

UPDATE:
Take a look at a behind-the-scenes video with Billy Crystal, released Tuesday, Jan. 17.