As the deadline looms for the close of Oscar nomination polls , today at 5pm, a large number of potential voters are still not even close to seeing the key movies, whether in theaters or making a dent in that pile of screeners at home. A more limited voting pool could lead to a surprising outcome, and this year it seems there are many members struggling to check out all the contenders. Last year then-Academy President Hawk Koch boasted on the day of nominations that with the help of the (then-controversial) new online voting system, turnout was the largest in recent Academy history. Hoping not to fall off the pace, new President Cheryl Boone Isaacs has been sending recorded messages urging voters who haven’t marked their ballots yet to get them in before the deadline.
The campaigning for votes is well underway. Millions spent on advertising. Whispering campaigns. Favors called in, articles solicited, letters written – It’s all part of the race to win Academy Awards, which in Hollywood is a sport as bloody as bullfighting and as precise as fencing.
On January 16th, tune into ABC’s Good Morning America for the live 2014 Oscar Nominations. The 2014 86th Oscars will be hosted by Ellen DeGeneres and will be presented on Sunday, March 2nd at 7e|4p only on ABC!
Take a first look at this year’s Oscar Trailer: