Oscars to add new category, shorten gala beginning 2020

Change is coming to the Oscars!

Starting 2020, the Academy will add another category for popular films and vows to produce a three-hour program.

This was announced by John Bailey, the newly re-elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and film Academy CEO Dawn Hudson, in an email sent to members on Aug 9. They said that the changes were approved by the Board of Governors during a meeting last Aug. 8.

In a tweet, the Academy said:

* A new category is being designed around achievement in popular film.

* We've set an earlier airdate for 2020: mark your calendars for February 9.

* We're planning a more globally accessible, three-hour telecast.

"We have heard from many of you about improvements needed to keep the Oscars and our Academy relevant in a changing world,” Hudson and Bailey wrote.

John Bailey was re-elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the organization’s Board of Governors Aug. 7

Also elected to officer positions by the Board:

• Lois Burwell, First Vice President (chair, Awards and Events Committee)

• Sid Ganis, Vice President (chair, Museum Committee)

• Larry Karaszewski, Vice President (chair, Preservation and History Committee)

• Nancy Utley, Vice President (chair, Education and Outreach Committee)

• Jim Gianopulos, Treasurer (chair, Finance Committee)

• David Rubin, Secretary (chair, Membership and Administration Committee)

Bailey is beginning his second term as president and his fifteenth year as a governor representing the Cinematographers Branch.  Burwell, Gianopulos, Rubin and Utley were re-elected to their posts.  Ganis, who returned to the board this year, served as Academy President from 2005-2009. This will be the first officer stint for Karaszewski.

Bailey is the first cinematographer to hold the position of Academy President.  His credits include “Ordinary People,” “American Gigolo,” “The Big Chill,” “Groundhog Day,” “As Good as It Gets,” “The Anniversary Party,” “The Way Way Back” and “A Walk in the Woods.”

Academy board members may serve up to three consecutive three-year terms, while officers serve one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive years in any one office. - ROBERT REQUINTINA