Three weeks left til the big night and as this year’s poster says, “You’ve Never Seen Oscar Like This!” Without a doubt, AMPAS has made huge steps this Oscar season in broadening their appeal and inviting everyday people into their inner workings like never before. In doing so, a few internet film bloggers, including We Are Movie Geeks.com, were allowed to attend the nomination announcement at the Academy. From the moment I arrived on Monday to pick up my credentials badge right through to early Tuesday morning, I was welcomed \ as a Movie Geek with a new found respect that I found surprising and refreshing. It was very apparent that the tv, print and radio journalists weren’t the only ones being given the royal treatment, even as I showed up at 3:30 in the morning for the media breakfast, proudly flying the WAMG flags (ie t-shirt). I was heartilychecked in and reminded that I was surrounded by movie geeks at AMPAS. I’m a year-round Oscar Obsessiva, who loves the award season, the guessing game, and, yes, a long Academy Awards show. Hey, fine by me if it, and my annual party, goes 4+ hours. I even admitted as much back in October when I said that we die-hards will stay tuned to the conclusion, especially this year, to see who wins Best Picture. In the end, I truly had a “pinch me, I must dreaming” moment while sitting in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theatre, simply as a fan, waiting for the momentous announcement of the 10 Best Picture Category.
Needless to say I was thrilled when this year’s telecast producers, Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic, took some time after the nominations to discuss their plans for the show. They’re understandably trying to make it more appealing to the mainstream audience and were extremely pleased with the 10 Best Picture nominees. In the hope that their show will attract the desirable college viewing audience, Shankman and Mechanic spoke a little about this year’s hosts, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, including the possibility of Tina Fey as a third host, along with an Academy Awards Twitter contest and interactive, online Oscar viewing parties.
Just last week, AMPAS announced that on Monday 14 of the 20 nominees in the acting categories will be among more than 120 Academy Award nominees who will gather at Noon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honors this year’s Oscar contenders at its annual Nominees Luncheon. From the Leading Actor and Actress categories, Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth, Morgan Freeman, Jeremy Renner, Sandra Bullock, Carey Mulligan, Gabourey Sidibe and Meryl Streep are expected to attend. Vera Farmiga, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Anna Kendrick, Woody Harrelson and Christoph Waltz will represent the Supporting Actress and Actor categories. All five nominees from the Directing category “Kathryn Bigelow, James Cameron, Lee Daniels, Jason Reitman and Quentin Tarantino“ are expected to attend.
In a funny sidenote, Steve Pond over at The Wrap wrote:
….the best thing about the Nominee lunch is the AMPAS gift, the Academy’s official Oscar nominee sweatshirt that sports a little Oscar statuette with “NOMINEE” discreetly emblazoned below.
Who knew?
In a gesture to include the public, AMPAS will be LIVE streaming the Nominee Luncheon as well and everyone will be able to watch it on their site, on LIVESTREAM, or over on the Academy’s Facebook page. For the first time, you can also ask the nominees questions in the Nominees Interview Room on Monday at 11:30 AM PST. Just go to the Academy’s official Facebook page, HERE, enter the nominees name and your question and it could be asked LIVE!
Check out the Oscar promo running on ABC…
Academy Awards ® for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/ 8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
