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By Paul Sheehan
Nabbing a nod for best picture at this year's Oscars just got a whole lot easier. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it will double the nominations from five to 10. The increase is sure to stir up things, as it did in the 1930s and early 1940s. "Casablanca" (1943) was the last film to win in a field of 10.
With many of the contenders yet to be seen, there surely will be a host of Oscar winners and nominees in front of and behind the camera. And, as always, there will be films like "Slumdog Millionaire" that seemingly come out of nowhere and make their way into the derby.
(Jonathan Alcorn / Bloomberg News)
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O'Neil's special interest is how the awards affect each other, particularly the top film prizes that can be viewed as one single gold derby with the Oscars as the finish line. Consider what happened to "Chariots of Fire," for example. In 1981, it emerged from obscurity to win awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the National Board of Review, then fell behind "Reds" and "Atlantic City" at the film critics' awards and Golden Globes, then trotted ahead as best-picture champ at the Oscars. Contact O'Neil: GoldDerby@gmail.com.