In the realm of modern entertainment, there is no movie-centric affair more well-known or loved than The Academy Awards. It's the Super Bowl for film lovers. With that in mind, the 2017 Oscar ceremony is already shaping up to be an intense affair, as many different and eclectic films will vie for those coveted statues this year. We're on pins and needles waiting for this year's nomination announcements, and it seems that The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is making some significant changes to the nominations process by switching to a digital-based live Webcast for the upcoming event.
A recent report from Deadline indicates that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is about to seriously overhaul the way in which it announces the annual Oscar nominations. In previous years, The Academy herded members of the media into the Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles early in the morning for a traditional broadcast with a live audience. However, it now seems that The Academy has decided to go digital and utilize an online live stream (which will be available at Oscars.com and Oscars.org) as well as a satellite broadcast that will be picked up by major TV outlets such as Good Morning America.
By doing this, The Academy is essentially cutting out the middleman and bringing the announcements directly to audiences. This decision should also make it considerably easier for media outlets to provide reactions and insight into the nominations. A specific rationale for the change has not been provided by the Academy, but considering the increasing prevalence of live streams among most major media outlets (specifically, the rise in the use of Facebook Live), that may just be the way the winds are currently blowing.
One thing that is not changing this year is the star-studded nature of the event. Previous Oscar winners and nominees such as Brie Larson, Jennifer Hudson, and Ken Watanabe will all take part in the ceremony to help announce the 24 different categories for the 2017 Academy Award ceremony. In addition, Deadline reports that these actors will be providing insight from their own Oscar journeys, so tuning in to the live stream sounds like it will be worth our time.
The 2017 Oscars are definitely going to be a hotly contested event. If the results of the Golden Globes serve as an indication, there's no way to tell what movies will win this year. La La Land has pretty much cleaned up in every category that it has been nominated for at other ceremonies, but it will have to face off against Moonlight during the Academy Awards, as they competed in separate Golden Globe categories. 2016 was a year defined by eclectic, high-quality movies, so there's no way guarantee as to which movies will go all the way this year. We will just have to wait and see how the nomination announcements pan out.
We will bring you any and all relevant details related to the Academy Awards as more information is made available to us. The Oscar nominations will be announced one week from today on January 24 at 5:18 a.m. PST. The Academy Awards will air on February 26, 2017, at 5:30 p.m. PST.
