Expansion of Best Picture Nominations at Next Year's Academy Awards

[Mattdotcom]

http://www.avclub.com/articles/next-years-oscars-to-double-the-best-picture-field,29613/

Pretty obvious that this reeks of desperation. I can't fathom what will be nominated next time.

 

[Incandenza]

Total ratings ploy for sure, but it's not as if this award could be devalued anymore than it already has.

 

[Black Lushus]

Probably so they can say "here you go dorks, we'll nominate your fuckin Dark Knight movie"

 

[Epic for the Summer]

Because Five Movies is not enough...

IMDB:

The organisers of the Oscars have doubled up the Best Film category for next year's Academy Awards.

Ten movies will be shortlisted for the big prize at the 82nd Oscars in March.

Explaining the shift, Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis says, "After more than six decades, the Academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year.

"The final outcome, of course, will be the same - one Best Picture winner - but the race to the finish line will feature 10, not just five, great movies from 2009."

An average of 10 films competed annually for the top prize for the first 16 years of the Oscars and the last classic to win gold after beating out nine other movies was Casablanca in 1943.

Ganis adds, "Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going allow Academy voters to recognise and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories, but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize."

Maybe Bruno has a shot at winning next year...

 

[devo]

Because Five Movies is not enough...

Can't say I see the point. There's rarely more than two or three films that deserve the honor in the first place.

 

[Incandenza]

Because Five Movies is not enough...

Never mind the thread about this near the top of this page.

Edit: Good thread merging, guys!

 

[KOAB]

Once fucking Up wins this year; they'll go back to 5.

 

[Smues]

Really I think all this move will do is give 5 more movies the chance to put 'best picture nominee' on the DVD case. Most likely 5 undeserving movies, but hey what can you do?

 

[CBright7831]

So the Twilight sequel has a shot at being a BP nom?

Spoiler

I know I shouldn't even joke like that.

 

[LPM]

Probably so they can say "here you go dorks, we'll nominate your fuckin Dark Knight movie"

This.

 

[Jingus]

Why would they need more categories? The issue wasn't the number of choices, it was which movies were chosen. Find me a human being who genuinely liked The Reader more than The Dark Knight and whose name is not Armond White, I dare you. This improvement reeks of "new & improved!" desperation from which no good will come.

 

[KOAB]

I give it a few more years before they add best comic book movie to go along with best animated movie.

 

[treble]

Probably want to nominate more comedies. 'Funny People' is getting a nod this year.

 

[Tawren]

Now all those overlooked and deserving Holocaust/dying of cancer/gay rights/retard movies can also be nominated

thank god

 

[Mattdotcom]

I can see it now. The 2010 Academy Awards hosted by Ryan Seacrest. They announce two runners-up before going to commercial and then giving out the trophy to the winning film.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

Instead of adding 5 movies to Best Picture, why not do it the way the Golden Globes do it. 5 movies for Best Drama and 5 for Best Comedy.

 

[bps21]

I would hate that. For better or (usually) worse...I like that they have to pick something as Best Picture...even if certain genres are overlooked way too often.

 

[Jingus]

They could do a "Best Genre Picture that made a lot of money and everyone loved it but we ain't letting it play in the same category as the Serious Artworks" award. There's gotta be five of those every year.

 

[bps21]

Rather than adding movies I'd much prefer seeing the voting totals after the ceremony.

I want to know how many people voted for the Reader.

 

[strummer]

Probably want to nominate more comedies. 'Funny People' is getting a nod this year.

Ha! This was the first thought that came into my mind reading this. Apatow and Sandler getting nods!

 

[DMann1979]

This is just gonna piss more directors off. Every year there seems to be one Bes Director slot that doesn't match up with a Best Picture nominee. Now there's gonna be 5-6 directors shut out?

 

[Anakin Flair]

A point that was made today on Morning Joe: how LONG will this show be now? It already always goes over three hours; throw in 5 more best picture nominees, it'll go over four.

 

[Mattdotcom]

Here's another interesting point: the winning film needs only 10% + 1 of the votes.

 

[foleyfanforever88]

Here's another interesting point: the winning film needs only 10% + 1 of the votes.

How does that work? There could be up to 9 films that get 10% +1 votes.

 

[Incandenza]

While expanding to 10 does increase the chances of a popular, well-regarded film in getting a nod, it also increases the chances of even more middlebrow, Oscar-pandering mediocrities like Crash or The Reader taking up space.

 

[Mattdotcom]

Here's another interesting point: the winning film needs only 10% + 1 of the votes.

How does that work? There could be up to 9 films that get 10% +1 votes.

It might be helpful if I knew how many votes there were before I started doing algebra.

 

[Jingus]

You're kinda right, if the votes somehow got split evenly enough you could theoretically win with only 10.1% of the votes. I do wonder if having more nominees could increase the chances of more unusual upsets for best picture winners, since the votes would be split more widely over more movies.

 

[DMann1979]

I disagree with the worry that an extra 5 nominees makes the show run longer. I mean, they did away with the Best Pic clips this year, so is 5 more names being read really gonna make the show longer?

 

[KOAB]

Did the best picture nominees get one actor listing how great they were before the award was handed out like the actor/ress awards had?