AMPAS Changes Rules For Oscar's Best Picture Nominees

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences(AMPAS) has decided once more to modify the number of films that can be nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture.

Instead of maintaining 10 guaranteed nominees, as it has been for the last two years, the academy will permit as few as 5 nominees and as many as 10 in the category. The number will be announced at the same time the Oscar nominations are revealed in January.

The modifications seems designed to eliminate films that are nominated just to fill out a field of 10. A film will now require a minimum of 5% of first-place votes to be chosen for the best picture.

Next year's nominees are scheduled to be announced on January 24th and the ceremony is set for February 26th .

Meryl Streep And The 2012 Oscars

It has been just less than three months ago that “The King's Speech” obtained the top honors at the Oscars,the 2012 race has already begun with many contenders.

On top of the list is Meryl Streep who stars as the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady". The versatile actress Meryl Streep, has racked up a record 16 Oscar nominations.Streep had won her first Oscar award for her performance in "Kramer Vs Kramer" (1979). Streep also won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her film "Sophie's Choice" in 1982. She was last nominated for the Oscars in 2009 for her performance as French chef Julia Child in "Julie and Julia". However, sadly she had lost that race for Best Actress to Sandra Bullock, who won it for "The Blind Side".