With the new rule, the 2013 Oscars will have five nominees in the category, not just two or three as happened in recent years.
- August 31, 2012
AceShowbiz -
Another rule has been readjusted for the 2013 Academy Awards. This time around, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has agreed to change the regulation for the Original Song, announcing that next year, there will be five nominees in the category.
The AMPAS explains that during the nomination process, the Music Branch voting members "will receive a Reminder List of works submitted in the category and a DVD copy of the song clips."
The voting members must watch those clips and vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements in the category. The ones with the highest number of votes will later become the Oscar nominees.
Since 2009, the Oscars never saw five nominees for the Original Song. In 2012, for example, the nominees for the category were only two ("Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" and "Real in Rio" from "Rio").
Oscar-winning songwriter Diane Warren is satisfied with the newly-approved rule. "I'm glad," she says. "The old system made no sense, but the new one lets songs be chosen on their merit."
The Oscars rules are reviewed annually by individual branch and category committees. The Awards Rules Committee reviews all proposed changes before delivering its recommendations to the AMPAS' Board of Governors for approval.
The 85th Annual Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood & Highland Center on February 24, 2013. It will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide by the ABC Television Network.
