It's the talk of the Academy Awards this year.
With 10 best-picture nominees, instead of the limit of five that's existed since 1944, questions hang in the air.
Oscar fans wonder how the larger field will change Sunday's ceremony. Will the extra nominees draw more eyeballs? Will it (shudder) make the three-hour-plus show even longer?
Studio campaigners are speculating how the new best-picture voting method will affect the outcome.
This year academy voters had to rank best-picture contenders, rather than vote for just one. Rankings, combined with the number of No. 1 votes each movie receives, will determine the winner.
The television and movie industries both hope a wider field of contenders that includes more box-office hits will boost interest and viewership. In recent years, the academy has been criticized for favoring heavy dramas and small independent films that have not sold many tickets. The award show's ratings have been in general decline since megahit “Titanic” swept the awards in 1998, when it drew 55 million viewers.
But we'll have to wait for another year to know with any clarity whether 10 best-pic nominees boost ratings.
That's because, had the best-picture nominees been limited to the usual five this year, most Oscar watchers agree the slate would have included three box-office hits anyway: “Avatar,” “Inglourious Basterds” and “Up in the Air.” It would have been the first time since 2003 that three of the five best-picture nominees were hits.
Two other nominated movies that probably would have made a five-picture cut, given Oscar's recent history: “Precious,” an inner-city story of incest and abuse; and “The Hurt Locker,” the story of an Army bomb squad in Iraq and its adrenaline-addicted leader. This year, directors of these five films also are nominated for best director.
Most handicappers predict the best picture winner will be the movie the fewest people saw from among those five: “The Hurt Locker.” Academy voters could be drawn to director Kathryn Bigelow's innovative storytelling, which has the feel of a documentary, as well as its strong acting and cinematography. The topic is also a selling point with the serious-minded academy.
But though “The Hurt Locker” has won most postseason awards, nobody's totally counting out two other movies. “Avatar,” a visually dazzling story of an earthling-alien war on a distant moon, or dark horse “Inglourious Basterds,” Quentin Tarantino's stylized World War II yarn about Jewish Nazi hunters, could win. Both are cutting-edge in their own way, but both had more mixed critical response than “The Hurt Locker.”
Adding more hits to the best-picture field like the sports weeper “The Blind Side,” Pixar's animated adventure “Up” and the sci-fi shoot-em-up “District 9” can't hurt TV ratings, though almost no one expects them to win. “Up in the Air,” in which George Clooney racks up frequent-flier miles and lessons in romance, got the most acting nominations (three), but it too is considered an also-ran.
Two more best-picture nominees sold few tickets and seem out of the race: “An Education,” a 1960s tale of a schoolgirl's affair with an older man; and “A Serious Man,” the Coen brothers' dark comedy about a besieged college professor.
As for what to expect from the show: Don't totally count out big dance numbers. Co-producer Adam Shankman directed the movie musical “Hairspray” and once was a dancer at the Academy Awards.
But best-song nominees won't be performed live this year. In an attempt to shorten the show, film clips will accompany brief portions of the songs.
Another attempt at saving time is a 45-second cap on acceptance speeches. Traditionally, many winners have ignored such limits, but producers say they'll be strictly enforced this time. Winners can use a Web cam backstage to thank all the little people at length.
A popular innovation from last year will return. Past winners in each acting category will salute the performances of this year's nominees. As always, last year's winning actors (except Heath Ledger, obviously) will present the awards.
Steve Martin, a popular past Oscars host, returns this year to co-host the show with actor Alec Baldwin. Expect the usual mix of funny business amid the pomp and circumstance.
Contact the writer:
444-1269, bob.fischbach@owh.com
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