Putting an emphasis on quality rather than quantity, the Academy Awards shook up the best picture category again.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced late Tuesday night that it had approved a change in the nomination process that will allow between five and 10 best picture nominees. On the recommendation of its Board of Governors, the number of the category’s nominees will be dictated by the voting.
A film will need a minimum of 5 percent first-place votes to be nominated for best picture.
The Academy said the change came after analyzing the voting from the last two years. In 2009, the Oscars expanded the best picture field from five nominees to 10.
Academy President Tom Sherak said the board also analyzed what might have happened in the last decade, had voting rules been different. Retiring Academy executive director Bruce Davis recommended the change to Sherak and incoming CEO Dawn Hudson.
“In studying the data, what stood out was that Academy members had regularly shown a strong admiration for more than five movies,” said Davis. “A best picture nomination should be an indication of extraordinary merit. If there are only eight pictures that truly earn that honor in a given year, we shouldn’t feel an obligation to round out the number.”
A study by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers found that if this system had been in place from 2001 to 2008, there would have been years that yielded five, six, seven, eight and nine nominees.
The Academy believes the new voting system will add a layer of intrigue to the Oscars. As films vie for the honor in the much-watched Oscar race, they won’t know exactly how many slots they’re squeezing into until nominees are announced in January.
For most of the Academy Awards’ history, there have been five best picture nominees. In 1932, the field was increased to eight, and from 1936-1943, there were 10 nominees.
The academy returned to that number in 2009 for the 2010 Oscars with the hope of broadening appeal. Some felt that the best picture category had become too limiting in its selections to critical darlings. The omission of acclaimed blockbusters like “The Dark Knight” was particularly egregious to some in the industry.
Adding nominees brought in films like the atypical sci-fi film “District 9,” the popular Sandra Bullock movie “The Blind Side” and the Pixar-animated “Up.”
In 2010, the field was generally praised for its depth: “Black Swan,” ”The Fighter,” ”Inception,” ”The Kids Are All Right,” ”127 Hours,” ”The Social Network,” ”Toy Story 3,” ”True Grit,” ”Winter’s Bone” and the winner, “The King’s Speech.”
The final voting on the best picture winner will still be preferential, with voters numbering their selections.
The nominations for the 84th annual Academy Awards will be announced Jan. 24.
Actor Steve Guttenberg Returns To L.A. Neighborhood Now Charred By Devastating Wildfire
Steve Guttenberg awoke Thursday morning to a grim reality: The treacherous wildfire that tore through the Pacific Palisades had left his once-lush neighborhood charred and unrecognizable.
With homes smoldered, streets emptied and friends scattered by evacuation orders, Guttenberg counted himself among the fortunate. His property was miraculously spared. But the actor-producer still struggled to reconcile his relief with the haunting sight of his ravaged, once lavish community.
"Just this morning, I woke up and I was really conscious of my mental state and my mental health, because the last three days, I've seen so much tragedy," said Guttenberg, pacing through the ruins of his neighborhood. He said his home has electricity but no running water.
Guttenberg thanked God that his block was safe, but he said about 20 homes were burned "pretty bad" in his 80-home community after wind-whipped fires tore across Los Angeles, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled as the fires burned uncontained Wednesday. He said the fires are the worst he's ever seen in his 66-years.
The wildfires have burned the homes of several celebrities including Billy Crystal, Carey Elwes and Paris Hilton.
Guttenberg said he never expected all of this to happen.
"It's like when someone dies suddenly," he said. "It's like when someone gets hit by a car. You never expect that to happen. That's how shocking it was."
During Guttenberg's stroll, it was an eerie scene with scorched palm trees, homes reduced to ash and rubble, and the daytime skies casted an ominous twilight over the devastation.
"I've seen people scared, people in wheelchairs, mothers and fathers trying to find their kids, people having anxiety and panic... Read More