Academy may silence original-song Oscar
Trophy will only be awarded if at least one song rates above new threshhold
Another shakeup in the Oscar rules makes it possible there will be no original song category in any given Academy Awards year.
The new rules, announced by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in a news release Friday, stipulate that at least one of the songs nominated for an Oscar in the original song category achieve a minimum score of 8.25 on a scale of six to 10 in nominations voting.
If no song ranks at least an 8.25, no Oscar will be presented in the category that year. If only one song scores that high, it and the next-highest-rated tune will be the finalists in the category. If two or more songs score above the threshhold, they will all receive nominations, up to a maximum of five tunes.
Bruce Broughton, head of the academy’s music branch, said it is trying to improve the quality of songs that receive the award.
“There’s been a lot of talk about the songs in films, the lack of memorability compared to songs in the past,” he said. “This is an attempt to really make the songs as good as possible.”
Last year, the academy limited Oscar song nominations to two per film.
The academy will also move its honorary Oscars, such as the Thalberg and Humanitarian awards, out the Academy Award ceremony and present them at a separate event.
Earlier in the week, the academy announced it will double the number of nominees for the best picture category to 10.
Nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards will be announced Feb. 2, with the ceremony to follow on March 7.
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