Umm, we hate to use the loathsome phrase, game changer, but uhh, game changer? Way to devalue your brand, guys.
The Academy Awards have decided, perhaps in a big shakeup move to get audiences reinvested in the show, that there will now be TEN nominees for Best Picture starting next year when the annual 82nd Oscar ceremony hits next year on March 7, at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. The nominations will hit on Feb. 2. Is this because Academy prez, Sid Ganis is stepping down and now they’re getting all crazy with the free-form ideas? It’s certainly a change of pace, but god, what a turn for the worse.
Look we understand times are tight, every one’s lowering their standards to get noticed, posting “discuss this!”non-stories for traffic bait and there’s a general whoring-yourself-out at every turn, but isn’t this just a tad fucking drastic? World is going to hell in a hand basket, people. It’s not about quality anymore, it’s about quantity. No word if the other categories will increase their number of nominations yet. Pardon us, while we weep for Oscar’s past. At least any “Dark Knight’s” going forward have a shot at Best Picture, hell, maybe even “Wolverine” does now! [Variety]
I guess they feel really sad about snubbing defiance last year or something. This way they can make sure to nominate every period piece.
You know that this means at least one piece of pure crap will be nominated. And you know what then? The Academy will lose all credibility. Maybe add one or two, but doubling it?? I wouldn't even expect this from the MTV Movie Awards.
The MTV Movie Awards comment is fair. I don't know what they're thinking, it's ludicrous. Bit of sad day even. I honestly feel like, everyone's dumbing down beyond belief and it's all happening at once.
Possible backlash for Dark Knight not getting a best picture nod? Maybe the nerds finally took over.
Seriously, it feels like a reaction to that and if the nerds win, we lose.
This has seriously been the most depressing news of the last few weeks. Maybe it's also because i see terrible change all around. I'm all for evolution, but this is a little much.
Category that originally had ten-ish nominees to have ten nominees again. News at 11.
in the 1930s, you dork.
New categories have been introduced since the Oscar's inception, but if they're gonna do shit like this they should at least think about best first feature.
God, can you imagine all that crap that's going to get nominated this year for best pic? The Oscar picks bubble on every Oscar site just exploded.
If they're going to expand to ten nominations, they should get rid of best foreign picture and try to include more 'international' selections for best picture.
I realize this is an American production, but some international flair wouldn't hurt.
Why stop there? They should expand the "In Memoriam" to "People we keep thinking are already dead." Imagine the nationwide gasps when people realize, "Holy shit, Karl Malden is still fucking alive?"
"the most depressing news of the last few weeks."
You're that upset over an award show? Give me a break, anyone who actually looks up to the academy in the least bit (especially recently) needs to learn that even with 5 nominees the couldn't even get the nomination correct. At least this way a good movie might actually have a chance of fitting in.
True they probably didn't it as a reaction for fans of films like Batman not getting nominated but who cares in the end. It's just an award show!
Agree with James, that would be wonderful.
If this extension allows for the really smaller beautiful ones to get through, that would be fantastic and the change would be justified. But that's probably not how it's going to work out — it will probably be really mediocre crappy films – as usual – and not the truly deserving ones. I would love to be proven wrong.
Depresses is a big exaggeration, but it bums me out. If it opens up room for things like The Hurt Locker, awesome. But Up is now almost guaranteed a Best Picture nom as an apology for overlooking Wall-E, but neither were Best Picture films.
It's just a dumb reaction to satisfy the fan outrage over the TDK and Wall-E snub, and it's a bit sad to see them pandering like that.
But yeah, that said, it'll make things pretty interesting this year if they don't open up the floodgates to crap. It remains to be seen though.
It still does feel like an MTV Movies Award move, not the Oscars. Yeah, it is a dumb meat parade awards show, but if you love movies a lot, you do care about it on some level, especially when they occasionally do the right thing.
"You know that this means at least one piece of pure crap will be nominated."
As opposed to usual 4 or 5?
"And you know what then? The Academy will lose all credibility."
In related news, Dick Cheney may also be losing his credibility. Sure he was awesomel as VP, but now I don't know what to think!
Really, you're going to pull the old juvenile move of dissecting/quoting my comment to tear it down? And you're going to do it anonymously? Grow some balls.
1. I'm talking REAL crap. Not mediocre movies. The Academy doesn't usually nominate 5 pieces of crap. They nominate 3 good (not necessarily great) films and maybe 2 mediocre films at the worst. If new development happened last year, I'm talking like "Mamma Mia" getting a nomination. That bad.
2. The Academy doesn't usually get it right, I totally agree with that. But they do have a SHRED of credibility; otherwise, you wouldn't be on here even commenting. Admit it.
It's a cynical decision, but good things will come of it. The critical community needs to widen the discussion of what constitutes "the best film of the year," so foreign, animated, and even action pictures should be welcome. Plus, more suspense, which is nice.
I'm not sure we should get excited and assume they're going to include animated, foreign and documentaries in the category. I'm not sure they think like that. I'll be surprised if "Up" gets nominated. But I hope I'm wrong.
maybe they just want to increase viewership.
And if that means Where the Wild Things Are gets a best picture nomination, it's fine by me.