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And the Academy Award nominees for Best Picture are …

By Kevin Hopp on Wed, Jun 24, 2009 at 5:03 pm

So, now the Academy may start to recognize a movie not directed by Clint Eastwood. Can you think of any movies so far that deserve a nod? I realize it is hardly Oscar season, but will a nominee go to a movie that has already come out, or will the Oscar fodder at the end of the year take the now 10 votes? What about Up, Watchmen? Does Star Trek deserve a nod? In this new world of possibilities, you have to consider The Hangover, the smash hit that surprised everyone. In this new paradigm, anything can happen. So what would your surprise candidate be?

My vote would have to be for Up; mainly because I want to see animated movies be counted with the big-boy movies and get the credit they deserve. I think it was a shame Wall-E didn't get a nomination, and Up should not get the same treatment. Up is clearly worthy of such a nomination. I mean, did you see the movie? I don't expect to see my favorite movie of the year, Star Trek on there, despite the very high level of critical praise (a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes) and the surprise box office take. But one can dream, right?

It was announced today that instead of the normal five nominations for best picture, the biggest award ceremony in all of cinema, the Academy Awards, will now feature 10 nominees for the highest honor.

The awards, which will take place on March 7th, will now offer double the choices, apparently due to the number of award-worthy Blockbusters last year — especially The Dark Knight. Most critics and fans were upset the highest grossing movie of the year, and one of the most acclaimed, didn't even receive a nomination.

The Academy also said they wanted to start recognizing some foreign films, animated films, and even comedies, which tend not to fare well at the awards ceremony.

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