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Oscar’s Ten Best Picture Nominees Has Many Naysayers

Posted by Sasha Stone On June - 29 - 2009

It is still surprising to me that so many see the ten best picture nominees change as a negative.  In any given year, there are at least twenty “best pictures.”  Ten of them is better than five.  Five never does justice to a year and, in fact, rewards the best campaigns and the “Oscar” movies, now becoming more and more marginalized and obscure.  The only way I see the change as a negative is in terms of the way Oscar predictions work.  In that way, chances are, it’s going to be all over the map.  But who really cares about that?  In the final analysis, we look at the films chosen in any given year and most of the time conclude that, in fact, the Academy has chosen not the best five in any way, shape or form.  This change makes it possible to recognize a wider range, and a much more interesting range, of films.

I disagree strongly with the notion that a wider net means that it is only in place to boost ratings (they obviously don’t care about that) and I disagree that it will amount to mainstream, less worthy (but more audience-friendly) fare.  When it comes down to it they are still choosing the ten best.  Best means best, whether it is in the Oscar genre or not.  This is a way for the Academy to mature and evolve, and thank god they have the good sense to do that.  The other option is digging their heels in to prove they’ve been right all along (it’s the pictures that got small).  A new world of media means a new Academy; a new audience could mean that we are not honoring “Oscar movies,” but great films, plain and simply.

David Carr in the NY Times:

Let’s be honest: Some Americans have tuned out the Oscars not because “The Dark Knight” didn’t get a nomination, but because the telecast is jammed with obscure awards that they have no say over — this isn’t “American Idol” — and no rooting interest in. What the Oscars need is fewer awards, not more nominees. As long as we are doing the math, does the academy really need three awards for short films and two separate awards for sound?

If the academy is serious about making a broadcast that will thrive for years to come, Oscar needs a haircut.

Kris Tapley at Incontention:

And so at the end of the day, I think the case is plainly made that a 10-nominee structure for the Best Picture category waters down not only the meaning of the award, but the thrill of hunting it and, perhaps most unfortunately, the payoff of being in the mix.

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52 Responses for "Oscar’s Ten Best Picture Nominees Has Many Naysayers"

  1. Pablo June 29th, 2009 at 2:09 pm 1

    Is David Carr an idiot ? Eliminating the short categories as well as the sound ones would diminish the importance of the awards. It would be like eliminating foreign film.

    The world sees the Oscars as a United States ceremony. Mr Ganis said they want to be global. Eliminating categories would only make the show lose even more fans and viewers

  2. Anthony June 29th, 2009 at 2:15 pm 2

    The Academy Awards is unique in that they award excellence (as well as they can) in every category. I’ve beensaying for years that a few more categories should be added… though a valid argument against that idea has been made (aka – turning the Oscars into the MTV movie awards… *shudder*).

    It is the only time in the entire fucking year that I ask to be left alone so I can watch television. It is my Super Bowl. All you naysayers leave it the fuck alone. I’m now cool with the 10 Best Picture nominees. It’ll be like the AFI Top Ten List (which I respect… most of the time). I honestly think we’re spending too much time on this topic.

    Dammit James Cameron!!

  3. Hans June 29th, 2009 at 2:25 pm 3

    I am vehemently against eliminating the “lesser” awards. It’s always fun to recognize, yeah, this movie did have really good costumes, or that movie had awesome special effects. If there is one thing this year’s ceremony got right (and there wasn’t just one thing), it was making these awards relevant and exciting again. I liked the whole concept of going through the process of the making of a film, from script to post-production. Sure, there are 5 awards that all include films that less than 5% of the viewing audience has probably seen (animated short, live short, docu short, docu, and foreign film), but if anything these awards are making an effort to educate Americans on maybe expanding their horizons ever in the slightest.

  4. Craig June 29th, 2009 at 2:28 pm 4

    I can’t for the life of me understand all the negative attention this 10 nominees thing is getting. I try to see as many movies as I can in a given year, but some movies I would probably overlook without the best picture nominee. Once it gets nominated, it’s on my must see list, so I’m excited about the possibility of this bringing my attention to more films. I really liked 4/5 of the nominees last year (unlike most people, it seems), and although I disliked The Reader quite a lot, it still had it’s moments of brilliance. I’m hoping this will just bring more great films to more people, as well as honoring films that would be snubbed in the past (I still think it’s ridiculous that The Wrestler didn’t get a nomination).

    I also think this will make it more fun to guess, or at least to decide for myself what I think should be the winner. I had a lot of fun last year weighing what I loved about each film and deciding “my winner”, even though we all knew Slumdog had it in the bag fairly early on.

  5. Robert June 29th, 2009 at 2:39 pm 5

    I think nominating 10 movies is a good idea. I originally thought moving the lifetime achievement etc awards to another ceremony was a bad idea…. but if they end up airing that ceremony as well, I think it would be good television.

    But Carr is right, the short categories need to go. Im a big old movie lover and I still don’t care about the short categories. No one watches them, no one cares. If anything they can still give Oscars to those folks, but some other time. Best Song should be eliminated as well. One of the sound categories and now that we have 10 Best Picture nom’s we don’t need Best Animated Film anymore

  6. Ryan Adams June 29th, 2009 at 2:42 pm 6

    Another bit of nonsense from Kris Tapley (yes, you made me go and read his damn thoughts.)

    Additionally, and perhaps more self-serving, given that everyone seems to have the race narrowed down to seven or eight titles by the time the Academy announces its nominees every year, the excitement of the Best Picture race as we knew it could be gone forever.

    Is Kris saying we’re we all so unable to adapt that we’ll hit a roadblock at 7 or 8 titles this year? Sit around dumbfounded with a bad case of guesser’s block, stuck at 8 favorites?

    Or by some miracle of human evolution will we suddenly start narrowing the race down to 12 or 15 titles (and still miss predicting at least 2).

    I’ll be studying real hard all year, so I hope to know more than 8 movies I like by the time we have to take the test in December.

    “…the excitement of the Best Picture race as we knew it could be gone forever.”

    *sniff* yes, just like the excitement of dialing a rotary phone is gone forever. Times change. Learn to have fun with your friggen iPhone.

  7. Pete Gordon June 29th, 2009 at 2:45 pm 7

    The 10 BP nominees will be more like NBR’s Top 10 then say AFI’s, meaning its likely will see smaller niche films versus commercial fare (especially if the current voting system isn’t changed).

    So instead of just one The Reader or Capote per year, we’ll get four or five. I guess its a fair trade for one WALL-E or TDK.

    Yippee!

  8. Kristopher Tapley June 29th, 2009 at 2:56 pm 8

    As usual, Ryan Adams can’t mask an odd distaste for me and my work and simply offer a level-headed rebuttal. Petty.

    (By the way, who said anything about liking the films that are in the race? My comment has nothing to do with that.)

  9. 1eyedjoker June 29th, 2009 at 2:58 pm 9

    Kinda diminishes what makes getting a Best Pic nom special. Rarely have I seen a year where 10 films deserved a nom for Best Pic. Some crap will surely slip through. If not this year, then the next or the one after that.

  10. Sasha Stone June 29th, 2009 at 3:06 pm 10

    I thought both David’s and Kris’ articles were well thought out – I guess I disagree, though, that it’s a negative. For me, it’s a huge positive.

  11. Bob Burns June 29th, 2009 at 3:07 pm 11

    “In any given year, there are at least twenty “best pictures.” Ten of them is better than five. Five never does justice to a year and, in fact, rewards the best campaigns and the “Oscar” movies, now becoming more and more marginalized and obscure.”

    agree entirely.

  12. Armando June 29th, 2009 at 3:11 pm 12

    5, 10, 20…. It’s the same. The winner will hardly be a surprise. Foreign language and animated features may get a nomination but they will never win best picture.

  13. Jen1 June 29th, 2009 at 3:14 pm 13

    I think too, the negative reaction is because it seems it’s being done for ratings and therefore money. That’s not the reason to open it up. I think it’s OK to make it 10 if it’s because the Academy was so distraught over the exclusion of deserving films year after year, but that wasn’t the case. The reason for the expansion was because they were losing viewers and this would conceivably bring more “favorites” into the mix. Do these films have any legitimate shot at winning?

    I think it’s still going to be as any year: a few, maybe three, will have a real shot at winning Best Picture. The rest — now 7 or 8 films — will just be happy to be nominated and unfortunately, may take votes away. Each year, there’s talk of a how the votes will eventually stack up and if certain nods will cancel each other out, allowing a less deserving winner in the process. Now, with 10, that’s even more of a possibility.

    And think about it. If it is for ratings, does that mean the Academy will feel pressure to include a blockbuster, a comedy, an action movie, an animated movie, a musical, etc.?

    I just wonder how this will all shake out. Of course, we hope that it turns out the 10 nominated films will more closely resemble “our” personal Top 10 now, but will it? I’m not convinced. Especially since the motivating factor seems to be dwindling ratings and popular relevance.

    This said, I do hope it will be the case. Right now, I just want “Up” to be nominated. That film must be! If it’s not, with 10 now, I will be really, really disappointed. And also, we were talking about this: If an animated movie gets a Best Picture nomination, doesn’t that mean that the Best Animated Film is a done deal? How can the Best Picture nominee not be the best animated? Imagine!

  14. Armando June 29th, 2009 at 3:26 pm 14

    Jen1:
    “If an animated movie gets a Best Picture nomination, doesn’t that mean that the Best Animated Film is a done deal? How can the Best Picture nominee not be the best animated?”

    It has always been that way when a foreign language film is nominated for best picture.

  15. Alfredo - Year One June 29th, 2009 at 3:39 pm 15

    So maybe if Up gets into the top 10 then maybe it’s not going to be nominated for animated film so it could end empty handed.

  16. Kay June 29th, 2009 at 4:00 pm 16

    This is all subjective.

  17. Ryan Adams June 29th, 2009 at 4:03 pm 17

    It’s not an “odd distaste” for you or your work, Kris. But that’s a good example of your odd way of phrasing flimsy ideas.

    “the excitement of the Best Picture race as we knew it could be gone forever.”

    Yikes. I mean, if that’s how you really feel, maybe I should feel sorry for you instead of poking fun at the histrionics.

  18. Anthony June 29th, 2009 at 4:06 pm 18

    I’m selling pedestals for dirt cheap on EBAY. Anyone else need one? So much drama I can almost taste it.

    And Ryan – you make my heart smile. But hey, don’t knock the rotary phone. I take offence to that!

  19. Lev Lewis June 29th, 2009 at 4:18 pm 19

    I think Kris was making a valid point. It’s true that each year there seem to be about seven or eight films in the running, and by nominating ten, some of the excitement of wondering what’s gonna show up on Oscar morning could be diminished. Obviously, this year could turn out to be a whole different beast than years past, but going on what information we have that’s a perfectly reasonable worry.

    (By the way, I’m not opposed to adding ten nominees, and I think both sides have a point).

  20. Someone June 29th, 2009 at 4:34 pm 20

    Carr is an idiot. How you can compare short animations, short documentaries and short live action movies in one category? And if we need just one category for short movies – we might also have one for longer ones. Let’s cut such categories as foreign language film, animated feature film and documentary (feature). We don’t need them because we have best picture!!! :P

  21. John June 29th, 2009 at 4:36 pm 21

    Every year, no matter what year, I see movies that I’d give 10/10. And I see a lot that I’d give 8 or 9 out of 10.

    How can anyone say that on any given year there may not be “10″ movies around WORTHY of being a Top 10 nominee?

    Or is this argument/commentary based solely on what WILL be nominated, not what SHOULD/COULD be nominated?

    It may not last long. It’s a test. The Oscars are ONE night year. Let’s all just enjoy it. That’s the whole reason were here 365 days per year, right?

  22. Kristopher Tapley June 29th, 2009 at 4:37 pm 22

    No, Ryan, maybe you should realize how tired your shtick is, grow up and try to have a conversation…for once.

  23. Kay June 29th, 2009 at 4:39 pm 23

    Ryan got owned.

  24. dela June 29th, 2009 at 4:47 pm 24

    I think it is all about the ratings and, as Carr points out, not losing that ad revenue. We may be in for more aggressive campaigns because studios know they have a better shot at getting a nomination and in the end that might marginalize some amazing foreign language films and true indys.

    But, I do sincerely hope this works out well and we get a wide variety of nominees.

  25. Ryan Adams June 29th, 2009 at 5:00 pm 25

    Thing is, Kris, when I visit In Contention and try to play nice, kid around, be friendly, you crawl right up my ass.

  26. Kristopher Tapley June 29th, 2009 at 5:21 pm 26

    How am I supposed to consider your correspondence at IC “playing nice” when stuff like this is your modus operandi? You’ve always come across as someone with a personal disregard, not a playful disposition.

    In a nutshell, if I’ve hurt your feelings by mistakenly considering you unnecessarily coarse in our interactions elsewhere, I apologize. And I sincerely hope that’s good enough for you.

  27. Jilda June 29th, 2009 at 5:23 pm 27

    Well, the thing is that there are 7 or 8 films that we can narrow it down to when there are 5 nominees…now they may all get in but what about those other 3 films? Are we not suppose to predict them? Does it really make it less fun because we have a couple more “locks” each year?

  28. moviefan June 29th, 2009 at 5:32 pm 28

    Kris, Ryan, all right you two, you’re both nice boys and I’m old enough to be your momma, so listen to me when I tell you to play nice. :)

    Sasha, best column I’ve read about ‘the 10′. I love movies and every year I get upset because 2 or 3 or more ‘best’ movies get left off.

    This says it all for me:

    “A new world of media means a new Academy; a new audience could mean that we are not honoring “Oscar movies,” but great films, plain and simply.”

  29. Ryan Adams June 29th, 2009 at 5:32 pm 29

    I don’t understand your tone any better than you understand mine, Kris. I’d rather see this as a recurring friendly misunderstanding, since neither one of us is likely to change how we write to please the other one.

    I’ll offer my apologies, too.

  30. Jilda June 29th, 2009 at 5:33 pm 30

    YAY! Now back to the race.

  31. Julian D. June 29th, 2009 at 6:14 pm 31

    Unfortunately, when it comes to Best Picture, Oscar has not been kind to comedies. A few musicals have snuck in the mix here and there. Hopefully the ten will give some cred to comedies and maybe studios will start making better comedies.

    Although I would love it if foreign language films could be nominated for best picture, the fact that there is a foreign language category means that in effect 15 best films will be nominated.

    Finally, I don’t have a problem with the 10 for best picture, but don’t all the arguments for this change also hold true for best actor/actress/director etc. I would have liked a floating number say 5 – 7 for some of the other major awards. Wouldn’t it have been great if there had been 6 best actress noms last year including Kristen Scott Thomas? I’m sure Thomas was a hairline away from actress with the fifth highest votes.

    The good thing is that the Academy recognizes some change is needed. Next they need to clean up the mess they’ve made in the foreign language category.

  32. Tufas Sad Panda June 29th, 2009 at 6:23 pm 32

    I actually agree. Move the shorts (live and animated) / both sound awards to another event, and then announced aka the tech awards; Sincerely, I never gave a crap about these. Not very much into song either. Leave that for the grammy’s. Also… Is there really a need for SO MANY MUSICAL ACTS…. even last year’s telecast, which I enjoyed even considering the overall winner, was one of the best of the decade (if not the best).. but did we need the music number to honor the musicals….?

    I agree 100% about the idiocy of the 10 Picture nominees. The Academy is growing desperate in these times of user-content; Quite franky, and for at least 3 years, I have been following the telecast live and refreshing AwardsDaily.com (aaah… remember OscarWatch? good times) every 4 minutes. I much prefer the comments here, than the ones made by the awful portuguese media during the commercial breaks.

    Booooooooo for the 10 Picture decision. Booooooooooo

    But to be honest.. not caring anymore, at least, not that much.

    T.

  33. John June 29th, 2009 at 6:27 pm 33

    Yes, I said this before.

    It’s highly possible that Kristin Scott Thomas and Sally Hawkins were 6th & 7th.

    And since the caliber was so great among those 7 women. Why not have 7?

    Hypothetically, let’s say that last year only gave us a quality consisting of Kate, Meryl, Melissa Leo, & Anne Hathaway (as far as votes goes) … why couldn’t there have been only 4 nominees? Why have more than 3 or 4 if the vote totals weren’t close for 5th?

    And vice-versa, if the totals were tight for 6,7, or 8 women, why cut it off?

    I think it should be that way for most, if not all categries.

    We’ve seen this in many critics awards, as well as the Globes and SAGs. Heck, song last year only had 3. Some years only 4 noms made it in particular categories. And I could see arguments for 6,7 or 8 noms, etc.

  34. Rob Y June 29th, 2009 at 6:58 pm 34

    Kris: But I have the Ruby Slippers

    Ryan: But I have the magic wand

    Kris: But I HAVE the Ruby Slippers

    Ryan: But I HAVE the magic wand

    Kris: But I HAVE THE RUBY SLIPPERS DAMN IT!

    Ryan: But I HAVE THE F-ING MAGIC WAND

    Kris: That wand is just a Harry Potter replica.

    Ryan: Those rubies are just CZ’s.

  35. Ryan Adams June 29th, 2009 at 7:01 pm 35

    Rob, haha!
    & Kris wasn’t even looking at my most magic wand of all.

  36. John Oliver June 29th, 2009 at 7:07 pm 36

    I looked at changing the best picture nominees to 10 was to increase ticket sales and tv ratings.
    However, I am excited about it because it opens the door for some small independent films, comedies, musicals, foreign, and racial driven fare.
    It may make money for these films and entice studios to make more.
    And who knows once the race is wide open which film might come out the winner.
    Hey, it worked in the 30’s and 40’s so give it a shot.
    Another thing, about the technical categories, maybe they should move that to the same night that they give the humanitarian awards, though they can’t do that this year since they’ve already set the date which is prior to nominations. But definitely those categories should be kept. Those artists worked just as hard as anyone else.

  37. Erik Beck June 29th, 2009 at 7:12 pm 37

    I first wasn’t so thrilled with the change to 10 – but when I wrote my post about what the “likely other 5 nominees” was, I realized that all of the following directors would have gotten Best Picture nominations who never did:

    Akira Kurosawa
    Frederico Fellini
    Luis Bunuel
    Francois Truffaut

    And that’s just the start. So, if expanding it finally gets some love to people who deserve it, especially foreign directors, I’m all for it.

  38. Ryan Adams June 29th, 2009 at 7:13 pm 38

    “Another thing, about the technical categories, maybe they should move that to the same night that they give the humanitarian awards,”

    Have everything on the same night, and have the technical/humanitarian awards on PBS, like the Tonys split the broadcast a few times. Or have the humanitarian awards broadcast on PPV. (heh-heh, that’s a little joke.)

  39. Rob Y June 29th, 2009 at 7:18 pm 39

    Ryan,

    Splitting the broadcasts is done with the BAFTAs, between BBC4 and BBC1 (if I remember my BBCs).

  40. Godfather June 29th, 2009 at 7:21 pm 40

    “Best” is a construct, not a guarantee. Choosing five more films does not guarantee that the 10 best films will be selected; rather, the 10 films chosen by an organization with members of multiple agendas will be the likely contenders.

  41. bambi June 29th, 2009 at 7:23 pm 41

    Ok, I have a question. How do we know that 10 nominations will go to the right movies (5 that wouldn`t have been there under the old policy)? Like, assumption is that 10 nominations would`ve put TDK and ________(insert other worthy snubee) in the race, but how do we know something like Defiance wouldn`t have got in instead? It`s, after all, the same demographics that votes every year and these guys vote the way they vote (Crash, The Reader, you know the drill). They promise change in that there will be 10 nominees but will their mindset change accordingly so that 10 nominees have deserving movies from genres that AMPAS usually dismisses(comedy, sci fi, superhero, fantasy,horror)?

    We`ll have to wait and see which is kinda exciting,no? Hoping that 10 noms means open-minded choices.

  42. Jilda June 29th, 2009 at 8:35 pm 42

    I just hope 10 noms means Precious is in. :)

  43. daveylow June 29th, 2009 at 9:28 pm 43

    Though I’d like to think 10 slots will allow more good films to get nominated, who’s to say the Academy will nominate at least 6 out of 10 lousy movies instead of 3 out of 5? It’s not as if the taste of the members is going to improve overnight.

  44. The Natural June 30th, 2009 at 12:31 am 44

    Hey, kinda unrelated, but Ebert just gave “Public Enemies” 3.5 stars. He also gave the new “Ice Age” film the same score.

  45. George June 30th, 2009 at 1:22 am 45

    We obviously have to wait until the next award show to see if they really branch out with the 10 or just add 5 more oscar bait films.

    ^ Yeah Ebert has been throwing around a lot of ***1/2 ratings lately :/

  46. Ross June 30th, 2009 at 2:58 am 46

    Mr. Carr simply shows NO RESPECT FOR FILMMAKERS and we should show no respect for his opinion.

    The SHORT AWARDS are a crucial part of filmmaking. Many filmmakers start there and it’s a form that should be respected, mostly because filmmakers try to tell interesting, original, engaging and COMPLEX stories in such a short time. It’s something that often is ignored, but it’s a hard thing to achieve.

    And there is a difference between sound mixing and sound editing.

    I’M TIRED OF ALL THE LACK OF RESPECT THESE PEOPLE ARE SHOWING.

    OK, Academy, if you don’t want to present an Oscar in the original song category if there isn’t one song that surpasses the barrier, then why not showing this disrespect in other categories??????? FOR EXAMPLE BEST ACTRESS! Just take a look at the 2005 nominees! None of these would surpass 5 points, if you ask me! They are all terribly mediocre performances, but of course, stars are stars. And you wouldn’t do it.

  47. max June 30th, 2009 at 3:01 am 47

    I don’t disagree completely with the shift from 5 to 10 best picture nominees but I have to say it could be tricky, more than we are realizing now.

    -wide the selection will result surely in a less powerful push at the box office for the nominees.
    -Previous awards are still there, all the Guilds Awards, Golden globes, etc…, they will give much more the tone of the season. If 5 pictures are on the lists of most of those awards, at the Oscars nomination announcement the other 5 that will come up, will seam just runners up… it is true it will be a recognition for more excellent moviemaking, but nonetheless an award is due to give a statement on what is that season best, even getting it wrong sometimes.
    - 10 pics could be a statement that gets it wrong less easily, just because it says nothing in particular. I don’t think that having Wall-E in a 10 movies list would give us a statement from the Academy as meaningful as Wall-E not being there last year. The question from this season on will always be: would a great animation movie find its place in a five pics run? We don’t know, we are going to get a weaker pulse on the Academy wrist. Everybody happy is not what an important Award, the most important in the movie business, should set as standard of its choices.
    -Do you think that members, in a month, will watch 10 movies?
    We have to realize that with a 10 pics list the margin of votes to win the Prize becomes shorter: the votes are spread on a bigger cake. Expect to see a two pictures win in the next couple of years. Is that better to have Pulp fiction and Forrest Gump both winning the race? What does it tell us?

    I’m not sure, will see, but I’m not that all happy to have an Academy more sympathetic but less meaningful.

  48. RRA says Eat It June 30th, 2009 at 7:21 am 48

    “wide the selection will result surely in a less powerful push at the box office for the nominees.”

    Why?

    ” If 5 pictures are on the lists of most of those awards, at the Oscars nomination announcement the other 5 that will come up, will seam just runners up… it is true it will be a recognition for more excellent moviemaking, but nonetheless an award is due to give a statement on what is that season best, even getting it wrong sometimes.”

    Not all 5 BP noms are recognized at all awards. Remember THE WRESTLER winning at Venice? Or TDK several of those People’s Choice-type programs?

    “The question from this season on will always be: would a great animation movie find its place in a five pics run? We don’t know, we are going to get a weaker pulse on the Academy wrist.”

    Well why should the AMPAS do so? There’s that ghetto animation Oscar. With the old 5 rule after the Animation Oscar got installed, how many got nominated? Oh that’s right, NONE. Only BEAUTY & THE BEAST ever broke through….but that was before the cartoon Oscar.

    “Everybody happy is not what an important Award, the most important in the movie business, should set as standard of its choices.”

    Yes because ORDINARY PEOPLE, DANCES WITH WOLVES, and CRASH are so much more better movies than RAGING BULL, GOODFELLAS, and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. yes I’m being sarcastic.

    “Do you think that members, in a month, will watch 10 movies?”

    They don’t watch the 5 as it is.

    EDIT – And for the record, I remember 2001 when A.I. came out and was dismissed. A few, like me, quite liked it…and while the Oscars basically ignoring it like the Swine Flu was expected, I was pleased when the short-lived AFI Awards television program nominated it. I knew it wouldn’t win, but that it was invited to the dance with FOTR and A BEAUTIFUL MIND…that was cool.

  49. Aaron Leggo June 30th, 2009 at 5:16 pm 49

    I like that Carpetbagger guy, but I completely and passionately disagree with his notion that what the Oscars really need is less awards. One of the things I love so much about the Oscars is that actually give out awards for stuff other than directing, writing and acting. I love that the effects work is recognized and that makeup gets some attention and that cinematography is showcased along with editing.

    That’s awesome and there’s absolutely no reason that should be changed because Joe Shmoe doesn’t know what the hell Art Direction is. If anyone actually gives a shit, they can Google the damn thing. If they don’t, then I think it’s silly to tailor the Oscar telecast to their desires.

    I’m all for this 10 Best Pic nominees plan and I have no doubt at all that we will have many movies to choose from when it comes to making our predictions.

  50. Ryan Adams June 30th, 2009 at 5:26 pm 50

    One thing this announcement has already succeeded in achieving is jump-starting the Oscar chatter months earlier than we normally see. It also gives bloggers a chance to make all kinds of controversial proclamations, churning up page hits like chum thrown in the water for the hungrier sharks among us (myself included).

    Suggesting that the Academy slash and burn categories that have deep roots dug in for decades is about as viable as requiring AMPAS members prove they’ve seen all the movies they’re voting for.

  51. head_wizard July 2nd, 2009 at 10:23 pm 51

    “Suggesting that the Academy slash and burn categories that have deep roots dug in for decades is about as viable as requiring AMPAS members prove they’ve seen all the movies they’re voting for.”

    You mean like the deep roots that five nominees for best picture was?

  52. Ryan Adams July 2nd, 2009 at 10:34 pm 52

    Not what I mean at all, head_wizard. There’s a difference between yanking something up by the roots to throw it in the compost heap, and re-potting a root-bound root-rot category in a roomier container so those roots can tap into new energy.


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  • Contender Tracker

    Best Picture
    Up in the Air
    Nine
    The Hurt Locker
    An Education
    Precious: Based on the Novel
    Push by Sapphire

    A Serious Man
    Inglourious Basterds
    Up

    Julie & Julia
    Star Trek
    District 9
    Bright Star
    Where the Wild Things Are
    A Single Man

    Best Actor
    Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
    Colin Firth, A Single Man
    George Clooney, Up in the Air
    Matt Damon, The Informant!
    Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
    Viggo Mortensen, The Road
    Ben Foster, The Messenger
    Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man
    Michael Sheen, The Damned United

    Best Actress
    Gabby Sidibe, Precious
    Carey Mulligan, An Education
    Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
    Abbie Cornish, Bright Star
    Helen Mirren, The Last Station
    Michelle Monaghan, Trucker

    Best Supporting Actor
    Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
    Alfred Molina, An Education
    Stanley Tucci, Julie & Julia
    Peter Sarsgaard, An Education
    Robert Duvall, Crazy Heart
    Peter Capaldi, In the Loop
    Zach Galifianakis, The Hangover
    Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker
    Brian Geraghty, The Hurt Locker

    Best Supporting Actress
    Mo'Nique,Precious
    Anna Kendrick,Up in the Air
    Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
    Julianne Moore, A Single Man
    Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds
    Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
    Samantha Morton, The Messenger
    Emma Thompson, An Education
    Cara Seymour, An Education

    Best Director
    Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
    Lee Daniels, Precious
    Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
    Lone Scherfig, An Education
    Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
    Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
    Neill Blomkamp, District 9
    Spike Jonze, Where the Wild Things Are
    Tom Ford, A Single Man
    Jane Campion, Bright Star

    Best Original Screenplay
    Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
    Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
    Jane Campion, Bright Star
    Quentin Tarantino,Inglourious Basterds
    Michael Haneke,White Ribbon
    Bob Peterson, Pete Docter,Up
    Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, 500 Days of Summer

    Best Adapted Screenplay
    Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
    Nick Hornby, An Education
    Spike Jonze, Dave Eggars, Where the Wild Things Are
    Peter Morgan, The Damned United
    Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
    Scott Burns, The Informant!
    Tom Ford, A Single Man

    Best Editing

    Chris Innis, Bob Murawski, The Hurt Locker
    Sally Menke, Inglourious Basterds
    Dana E. Glauberman,, Up in the Air
    Joel and Ethan Coen,, A Serious Man

    Best Cinematography
    Greig Fraser,Bright Star
    Robert Richardson,Inglourious Basterds
    Roger Deakins, A Serious Man
    Christian Berger, White Ribbon
    Bruno Delbonnel,Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    Barry Ackroyd, The Hurt Locker

    Best Art Direction

    Where the Wild Things Are
    Julie & Julia
    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    Bright Star
    Inglourious Basterds
    White Ribbon
    District 9
    A Serious Man

    Best Sound Mixing

    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    District 9
    Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
    The Hurt Locker
    Star Trek

    Best Sound Editing

    District 9
    Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
    Star Trek
    Up

    Best Costume Design
    Janet Patterson, Bright Star
    Jany Temime,Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
    Anna B. Sheppard,Inglourious Basterds
    Mary Zophre, A Serious Man
    Colleen Atwood, Public Enemies
    Consolata Boyle,Cheri

    Best Original Score
    Carter Burwell, Karen O,Where the Wild Things Are
    Carter Burwell,A Serious Man
    Michael Giacchino,Up
    Alexandre Desplat, Cheri
    Elliot Goldenthal, Public Enemies

    Best Foreign Language Film (submissions)

    Letters from Father Jacob, Finland
    White Wedding, South Africa
    A Prophet, France
    Dawson, Isla 10, Chile
    Nobody to Watch Over Me, Japan
    Prince of Tears, Hong Kong
    No puedo vivir sin ti, Taiwan
    Kelin, Kazakhstan
    Mother, Korea
    The White Ribbon, Germany
    Silent Army, The Netherlands


    Best Documentary Feature

    The Beaches of Agnes
    Burma VJ
    The Cove
    Every Little Step
    Facing Ali
    Food, Inc.
    Garbage Dreams
    Living in Emergency
    The Most Dangerous Man in America
    Mugabe and the White African
    Sergio
    Soundtrack for a Revolution
    Under Our Skin
    Valentino
    Which Way Home


    Best Animated Feature
    Up
    The Princess and the Frog
    Coraline
    The Fantastic Mr. Fox
    A Christmas Carol
    Mary and Max
    Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
    Ponyo


    Best Visual Effects
    Star Trek
    District 9
    A Christmas Carol
    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    Transformers


    Best Makeup

    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    District 9

    Best Song

    Best Live Action Short

    Best Animated Short

    Best Documentary Short

    China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
    The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
    The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
    Lt. Watada
    Music by Prudence
    Rabbit a la Berlin
    Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak
    Woman Rebel

  • Ampas Breakdown

    Actors-1,222
    Producers-462
    Executives-436
    Sound-411
    Writers-388
    Art Directors-373
    Directors-375
    Public Relations-370
    Members at Large-254
    Shorts/Feature Ani-335
    Visual Effects-272
    Music-233
    Editors-227
    Cinematographers-197
    Documentary-145
    Makeup-115
    Total Voting Members -approx 6,000
  • Tuesday, December 1, 2009: Official Screen Credits forms due

    Monday, December 28, 2009: Nominations ballots mailed

    Saturday, January 23, 2010: Nominations polls close 5 p.m. PT

    Tuesday, February 2, 2010: Nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PT, Samuel Goldwyn Theater

    Wednesday, February 10, 2010: Final ballots mailed

    Monday, February 15, 2010: Nominees Luncheon

    Saturday, February 20, 2010: Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards presentation

    Tuesday, March 2, 2010: Final polls close 5 p.m. PT

    Sunday, March 7, 2010: 82nd Annual Academy Awards presentation