Hopes are High for “Inception” in the 2011 Oscars

It appears to be an inevitable conclusion that Christopher Nolan's twist-your-brain-until-it's-a-pretzel thriller "Inception" is  going to get some Oscar love,though at this point the Academy Awards seems to be months away.

Christopher Nolan has yet to win an Oscar, though he was nominated earlier for writing "Memento." On the other hand ,there were some who thought that he was overlooked for his direction of "The Dark Knight."

There are high hopes that Inception is going to get recognition (and possibly wins) in virtually every technical category : editing, sound mixing, sound editing, art direction, cinematography and positively visual effects. A nomination for best score could happen as well.

All in all , a nomination/win of around 10 is expected. With its blend of technical magic and intellectual drama, "Inception" stands poised to become the "Avatar" of the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony.Except that with fewer blue people and a plot that's far less standard than what James Cameron came up with.

We need to wait until next year to see if this dream of  Inception winning the maximum awards at the Oscars would be a reality !

2011 Oscar Predictions for the Best Picture Category

February 2011 might seem like a long, long time away, but that doesn't signify that the Oscar season hasn't kicked into gear. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences(AMPAS) announced lately 3 new electees to their Board of Governors, together with latest Oscar-winner, director Kathryn Bigelow and the next Oscars ceremony's producers, Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer.

Together with this , there are rumors as to who will host (probably Ricky Gervais) and a possible move to January.Also here are some daring predictions as to which 10 films will receive Best Picture nominations.

Toy Story 3
Inception
Another Year
The Social Network
The Fighter
Love and Other Drugs
The Way Back
Conviction
The American
True Grit

All the Best to all these movies.

Academy Awards Extends the ‘Visual’ Effects Category to 5

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS),for decades has offered three films for consideration for Best "Visual" Effects at the Academy Awards. But from the 83rd Annual Academy Awards , there will be five nominees in this category.

In finalizing the rules for the 2011 Oscar event and broadcast at its June 22nd meeting, the AMPAS Board of Governors elected to increase the list from three to five, the most noteworthy rule change to come out of that meeting.

Only once in 1979 were actually 5 movies recognized, though there was an option to include upto 5 nominees in the nomination. Between 1980 and 1995, 2 or 3 movies could be nominated. But by 1996, rules were changed so that exactly 3 could be nominated.

But the new Visual Effects nomination number is not the only alteration to come out of the June 22nd meeting.In another Tweak,AMPAS has reduced the eligibility for Best Animated Feature Film nominees  from 70 minutes to 40 minutes.

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards will be held on Sunday,February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be telecast live on the ABC Television Network.