The Academy Awards people announced today they were going to expand the field of Best Picture nominees from the current five all the way to ten. I think the reason for doing it is so more people will watch the show. By my calculations it will also increase the length of the show from 6 hours to about 3 days.
There are years where I think a movie should have been nominated and wasn't, but there are also years where I am stunned they could even find five nominees to put into the category. I think the Academy is hoping that by diluting the nominees to such an extent that a movie like Hannah Montana has a chance. No, I'm serious. Awful movie, but I know that is what they are hoping. That way they can invite someone like Miley Cyrus and that attracts a bunch of 12 year olds who are now suddenly wanting to watch the show with mom and dad and attracts new advertisers and gets people discussing why it is such an awful idea to make the Academy Awards look like the MTV Movie Awards.
Last year if they had expanded the field, Dark Knight probably would have made the list. It sucks that it didn't make the field, but if it had, what difference would it have made, right? Well, here is the thing. When you are voting in that first round you are just coming up with the five that get the most votes and those are your nominees. Then there is another round of voting where the winner is determined. So, all of the people who voted for something in the first round who didn't get one of their picks nominated pick something else. They may or may not have seen any of the five movies and so get influenced by the screeners they receive or ads in the trade magazines. But, if there are ten movies, the chances they have seen a movie like Dark Knight already is going to influence their choice and might not be as influenced by screeners and ads and just vote for Dark Knight.
I do know that ten movies is going to lead to some upsets and some movies which clearly don't belong. I would not be shocked at all if one of the ten movies nominated is also nominated for a Razzie.
the oscars org has officially jumped the shark.
ReplyDelete*sigh*
btw, lol @ "it will also increase the length of the show from 6 hours to about 3 days."!
Hannah Montana as an Oscar nominee?? First sign of the Apocalypse!
ReplyDeleteI have trouble finding more than three movies in a whole year that I think are worth schlepping to a theater and paying $11.00 (plus $27 for a bag of Red Vines and a small Coke) to see. Good luck, old Oscar voters. I guess whoever has the biggest promotion budget wins from now on.
ReplyDeleteActually if you go back, there didn't used to be a 5-film limit.
ReplyDeleteIn 1934, for example, 11 films were nominated. Not sure when the field was limited to 5.
http://www.filmsite.org/aa34.html
not a good idea.
ReplyDeletedoes this mean they will also lower the academy membership dues?
ReplyDelete'cuz we really, REALLY want to be members!
I'm sure the movie studios are all for it. Now even more movies can be billed as "Academy Award Nominated..."
ReplyDeleteAudrey nailed it. That's why their doing it, and unfortunately it will only water down the impact of "Academy Award Nominee".
ReplyDeleteLame, but I get it. Most years I have seen very few of the nominated movies. I stopped watching years ago because I can get a wrap-up on the internet.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be a better idea to have more than one Best Picture category? I just don't think putting a serious drama and a comedy in the same category is a fair contest for "best". They could both be best pictures in their own right. There are so many movies anymore and we are still trying to squeeze them all into the same categories that have been around forever. Expanding the quantity isn't evolving if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteAdding one more is ok, but doubling it to 10? No.
ReplyDeleteThis makes no sense at all to me, except in the marketing sense. I rarely agree with the Academy as it is, I doubt adding 5 more nominees is going to help.
ReplyDeletethe movie biz is dead. they make shitty movies. they can't even come up with 5 good enough to nominate so why not make it 10 and just throw in every damn remake and sequel and see what sticks?
ReplyDeleteBy my calculations it will also increase the length of the show from 6 hours to about 3 days.
ReplyDeletelol and we fools wil be sitting through all freakin 3 days.
I agree with notachance. More catagories.
ReplyDeleteMore categories could work, but we'd still be seeing bad movies nominated. Could you imagine if Norbit was nominated as Best Comedy? I think not.
ReplyDeleteCan you think of 10 movies that deserved an Oscar?
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that having 10 movies up for best is a plus.
Next it will expand to 10 actor/actresses etc...
No thanks.
Every year people complain that their favorite film wasn't even Oscar nominated because it was animated, an actioner, a docu, a comedy, etc. Maybe this slight change will open up the Best Picture category to more popular and possibly less/more serious films.
ReplyDeleteRE: Little Miss Smoke and Mirrors... From the Academy's press release announcing this BRAND DIMINISHING EFING STUPID CHANGE:
ReplyDeleteFor more than a decade during the Academy’s earlier years, the Best Picture category welcomed more than five films; for nine years there were 10 nominees. The 16th Academy Awards (1943) was the last year to include a field of that size; “Casablanca” was named Best Picture. (In 1931/32, there were eight nominees and in 1934 and 1935 there were 12 nominees.)
pookie NFS!
ReplyDeleteI have no interest in watching idiots make millions of dollars while people who rely on foodbanks work 50-60 hours a week.
why I'm on this site & donated suddenly makes no sense to me.
Audrey is right. Another motive is that there are plenty of people who will break their necks to make sure they see all the nominated films. More revenue for the film companies.
ReplyDelete*scuffs toe, looks around nervously* um, i kinda like the idea. lol. *runs like hell*
ReplyDelete