How do they vote on the Academy Awards???

[kassius]

CNN, before the show, was talking about "The Lord of the Rings", and one of their reporters mentioned how it was going to win most likely because of the large number of people who worked on the film, hence more votes coming in for it.  Is this true? Is this how it works? If so, I think this is sort of an unfair advantage against low budget films like "Mystic River" and "Lost in Translation".

If this is TRUE, after the show I'll bitch more... if Peter Jackson keeps walking up to the stage to accept his trophy.  

[grand theft sparrow]

CNN, before the show, was talking about "The Lord of the Rings", and one of their reporters mentioned how it was going to win most likely because of the large number of people who worked on the film, hence more votes coming in for it.  Is this true? Is this how it works? If so, I think this is sort of an unfair advantage against low budget films like "Mystic River" and "Lost in Translation".

If this is TRUE, after the show I'll bitch more... if Peter Jackson keeps walking up to the stage to accept his trophy.  

I'm pretty sure that's right.  That's EXACTLY how Gladiator shanked Traffic in 2001.  But it's not always the case, otherwise, LOTR would have won the last two years as well.

And cut Peter Jackson some slack; he made a pretty great 10 hour movie. It's about time he got his props.

[kassius]

It's not just Peter Jackson, the entire team is walking up every single time accepting the award and if this is true, it's almost like cheating.

I don't hate Peter Jackson and if wins it because he deserves to win... fine.  Anything else is beyond nuts. Sorry...

I think he should get Best Director, but Best Picture is pushing it.

[MacGuffin]

How does the nomination process work?

Well, the Academy is divided into branches (acting, directing, editing, writing, sound, and music). Every member belongs to one and ONLY one branch. So Barbra Streisand had to decide a long time ago whether she wanted to be included in the music, acting, or directing branch (she chose acting).

In January, each member of the Academy receives a ballot and nominates people/films only for their branch. Music branch members nominate people for song and score, while actors only nominate actors. An exception is made for a few categories (documentary, live action short, animated, and foreign). For these categories, a pre-selected panel picks the nominees. Then a very reputable accounting firm with damn sexy accountants tabulates the votes. In mid-February, the top 5 nominees are announced in each category, and at the end of March at an awards ceremony, each winner is announced. The ultimate Oscar winner for each category is based upon a vote of the ENTIRE membership, not only the specific branch (unlike the nominating procedure).