Inauguration Day uproots Oscar nominations
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Whoever is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States on January 20 won't have to worry about being upstaged by Oscar.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which traditionally announces its nominations on a Tuesday in mid-January, has made one alteration to its schedule for the 81st Annual Academy Awards to avoid a media showdown with the presidential inauguration.
The Academy's key awards dates for 2009, announced Monday, follow the December-February template the Academy has basically followed since moving the Oscar ceremony from March to February in 2004. But the Academy will make one departure from tradition: Instead of announcing nominees January 20, which also happens to be Inauguration Day, the 2009 nominations will be announced two days later on Thursday, January 22, at 5:30 a.m PST.
From there, the Academy schedule moves into high gear because there will be just one month until the ceremony takes place on Sunday, February 22, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
The next Oscar cycle kicks off December 1, when credit forms are due. Nomination ballots will be mailed December 26 and are due back by January 12. Final ballots will be mailed January 28 and are due back by February 17.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
