From five nominees to ten...as if they needed an excuse to make the Oscar telecast even longer.
Next February's Academy Awards will pit ten movies against each other in the final category, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Is it an attempt to make the Oscars more inclusive of viewers at home? An effort to honor a wider array of films? Or maybe it's simply a marketing ploy ("10 Best Picture Nominees in 2010")?
The Academy will surely claim that this is a return to Oscar's roots. After all, Casablanca faced off against nine competitors in 1943, the last year that ten movies were nominated in the"Best Picture category. But my money's on the "inclusivity" rationale. How many times have you seen more than two of the five Best Picture nominees prior to the Oscars? Two years ago I saw all five for the first time ever...but only because of an Atonement/There Will Be Blood double feature the day before the Oscars. Last year, in contrast, I saw only one -- Slumdog Millionaire -- prior to the big night. Much more typical for me -- and probably for the general TV viewing public who ABC and the Academy hope to attract.
Whatever the reason for the switch, I do think this move will increase John Q. Public's investment in the Oscars. Whether he'll tune in for the entire 4-plus-hour marathon of movie montages and musical numbers is another story.
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