The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that the number of the nominated films in the category of Best Picture will change to 10 in the next Academy Awards, scheduled for March 7. This way, president Sid Ganis said, more genres will be included. This is a past academy tradition, since in 1939, in the first Academy Awards, 10 films were nominated for Best Picture (Wuthering Heights, Gone With The Wind, The Wizard Of Oz, Dark Victory, Of Mice And Men, Ninotchka, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Love Affair, Mr Smith Goes To Washington, Stagecoach).
The press announcement can be viewed in the following link, http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2009/20090624.html, where expectedly, The Dark Knight was mentioned (its exclusion from the past 5-film list was widely discussed, in a way it did propel this change, I believe).
Furthermore, we have an addition of new members to the Academy; actors Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, Casey Affleck, Amy Ryan, Viola Davis, Taraji P.Henson, Michael Shannon, Melissa Leo, Brendan Gleeson, James Franco, Emily Blunt, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen and director Danny Boyle are a few of the 134 artists invited to join the Academy.
