Date of Academy Awards Changing To January?

By DAVID GERMAIN/AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES – Academy Awards organizers are talking about moving up the date of the show, possibly as early as January.

At a Tuesday meeting, the academy’s board of governors discussed the idea of holding the Oscars earlier. Most recent shows have been held in late February.

A statement Wednesday by the academy said the earliest any date change could take effect would be for the Oscars in 2012. A firm date of Feb. 27 already has been set for next year’s 83rd Oscars.

“The date for the next Oscar telecast, the 83rd, has already been announced and is firm: February 27, 2011,” said Leslie Ungar, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences said Wednesday.

Ungar said that no decision’s been reached.

“This idea is simply under consideration and being explored as a possibility,” she added. “There are a number of questions still to be answered and challenges to be addressed with regard to moving the show to an earlier date. The Academy Governors and staff have been and will continue to look into those questions and challenges.”

In 2004, the Academy Awards were moved to February, (to help with the ratings and advertising $$,) after being shown in late March and early April for many years. AMPAS moved this year’s ceremony to March 7 to avoid going up against the Winter Olympics.

Personally I’m with Tom O’Neil’s train of thought over at The Envelope.

The Oscars are foolishly considering a move in the wrong direction! They shouldn’t be jumping up to January. Instead, they should move back to late March/early April where they used to be before the current “problems” popped up by their move to February in 2004 (for the 2003 film year).

I mean by April all the other Oscar-wanna-bees will be done and over, right? The Guilds…Baftas….Golden Globes. With the plethora of award shows that have popped up in recent years, I say let the Academy Awards have the month all to themselves.

As we told you last night, AMPAS President Tom Sherak announced that Academy Award®-winning producer Bruce Cohen and acclaimed television producer/director Don Mischer will produce the 83rd Academy Awards telecast. Mischer will also serve as the telecast’s director. This will be the first involvement with the Oscar® telecast for both men, though the two worked together on the Academy’s inaugural Governors Awards event in November of 2010.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network.

Source: Associated Press