There's A New Academy President, and His Name is David Rubin

David Rubin

If there's nothing else to take away from The Academy Awards in 2018, it was that it was the season when things fell apart. While some would argue that Green Book is among the "worst winners ever," (I don't), many saw the road to Oscar night in 2019 all the rockier. Besides the inexplicable Bohemian Rhapsody love, it was the year of the "Best Popular Movie" category fiasco and the ceremony went without a host. All of this was criticism lobbied onto Academy president John Bailey. It makes sense then why there was a vote for a new one in place of Bailey stepping down. David Rubin was announced as the new president, and it looks like the start of a new era for a variety of reasons.

Here's the List of the 842 New Academy Voting Members for 2019

Lady Gaga in A Star is Born (2018)

While the summer season is just heating up (literally and figuratively), it's also that point where The Academy welcomes in their new class of new voters. Last year saw a record-breaking 928 new invitations to join. While this year's 842 falls just shy of that total, it is by no means a sign that things are slowing down. In fact, things are actually looking better based on the numbers. The laws put into place by former president Cheryl Boone Isaacs to have more diversity is starting to become a reality, with female representation etching closer to 50% and overall diversity becoming more reflective of modern audiences. Who made the cut? You'll have to read on to find out.

A Look at The Oscars' New Rules

It has been a while since the fallout of the 91st Academy Awards. With many still mulling over the winners (notably the controversial Best Picture winner Green Book), it's important to look forward to what the future provides. In this case, Academy President John Bailey has released an annual change to the many voting rules for the 92nd Academy Awards. In almost every case, the rule changes are actually fairly exciting and look promising to the bigger picture. Whether it's changing the name of Best Foreign Film to Best International Film, or adding more nominees to Best Hair and Make-Up, the changes at least put the upcoming year on a more optimistic track and will hopefully embody a smoother year for all involved.

An Overview of the 91st Annual Academy Awards Ceremony

Spike Lee

If one viewed Twitter seconds after The 91st Academy Awards announced its Best Picture winner, one would believe that this was the worst year ever. How could a film like Green Book beat more culturally relevant films like BlacKkKlansman or Roma? In some ways, it can be viewed as the perfect metaphor for a year of constant controversy where Academy President John Bailey tried (and failed) to introduce a Best Popular Film category, cut out several music acts, and go forward with no hosts. No matter what, this year was threatening to be different and many wondered just how well that turned out. Those who stopped at Green Book's Best Picture win, much like the other controversial missteps, didn't recognize how great this year was in small ways. It's a year where diversity was recognized, which shows that even if you view Green Book as a regressive winner, there has been inevitable change since the Oscars So White controversy of three years ago. This may have not been the most beloved Academy Award year, but it's far from the contrived mess people wanted it to be.

An Optimistic Viewpoint of This Oscar Season

Scene from The Favourite

Ladies and gentlemen, we are less than a week away from the beloved Oscar Sunday. For many, it's one of the greatest nights to celebrate all things film. With that said, the past few months have been mired in controversy for reasons ranging from "Why is Bohemian Rhapsody so popular?" to "Present All 24." It's been a rough year for those who like the tried and true formula. However, in an attempt to make the final days of prognostication fun, I thought that I would try and open this week by looking at the positive. For as much as this year feels like a series of unfortunate events, it has produced one of the most exciting Oscar races in years. Even days out, there's so much that's left unclear, and that will make everything all the more exciting.

The Academy Has Common Sense After All, Will Present All 24 Categories Live

Something John Bailey forgot about The Oscars

With the seal cracked on the single digits countdown (nine days to go!), things should be in place for The Academy Awards, right? People have turned in their ballots and now everyone is tallying up scores. If you're like me, you'll enjoy reading anonymous voter articles. However, what makes the Class of 2019 all the more impressive is that even this close to the air date things are once again changing. At the beginning of this week, Academy president John Bailey shot himself in the foot once again by suggesting that four categories would not be presented at the ceremony. Before diving into the responses, one had to ask "What did you expect?" The decision was met with universal ridicule and in one moment of rare clairvoyance Bailey decided to reverse his order. Good news everyone, The Oscars are presenting every category on the air! Consider this a victory in a year without too many. 

The Academy to Not Broadcast Four Categories for First Time Ever

Scene from Cold War

The Academy Awards is officially less than two weeks away. However, it's still a year where every week brings some big news. Where most years would be content to just let audiences prognosticate who will win, it seems like The Academy has made it a challenge to slowly present controversial new rulings that fill the cinephiles more with dread than anticipation. So, what is in store this time around? Those predicting that categories would forgo being presented during the broadcast have finally been proven right to be skeptical as the Academy's increasingly incompetent president John Bailey has listed four categories that will appear in the broadcast, though not when you think they will. Yes, things are starting to evolve and change in ways more concrete, and none of it is particularly welcomed.

An Update on The Academy Awards Ceremony's Many Strange Decisions

Scene from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

In every sense of the word, the three weeks leading up to the Academy Awards ceremony should be a time of excitement and anticipation. After all, the nominations have been revealed and everything should be in place for the broadcast. However, this year has been a bit of an uphill battle for most, as the past year has embodied a series of bad decisions lead by Academy President John Bailey that culminated in a Best Popular Film category that was rightfully laughed out of the conversation. However, it also brought with it a need for serious change that is unfortunately a bit baffling. Less than a week after it was announced that only two of the Oscar-nominated songs would perform, the ruling has been reversed. However, it does come with a bit of a price, especially if what has been said is to be believed. There's a lot wrong with the broadcast's proposed plan and part of that is cutting the music down to 90 seconds.

The Academy Rumored to Be Limiting Music Performances at Ceremony

Kendrick Lamarr

With the Oscar nominations firmly upon us, The Academy has found a way to make the final month-long stretch to Oscar Night more frustrating than trying to guess who will win. With theaters boycotting Roma, and the current plan of the show having no host, one has to wonder where the controversial decisions end. It didn't happen yesterday when a rumor surfaced that the show would be going without another key piece of the puzzle. While there hasn't been any confirmation as of yet, there's a report from Variety that there will be limited performances by the Best Original Song nominees. It makes sense then why people are once again annoyed by this decision, The Academy Awards is a place to celebrate film from over the past year. If they won't acknowledge the music that goes into a film, then what will they recognize?

Here's How You Can Watch The Oscar Nominations Tomorrow Morning

After much deliberation and controversy, one of film fans' favorite days of the year is only a day away. That's right, tomorrow will mark the announcement of the nominees for the 91st Academy Awards. Who will make the cut? Who will be among the most notoriously snubbed in another packed year? There's only one way to find out, and it involves waking up nice and early to watch as each category is announced live. But how do you do that? In 2019, there's more ways than ever to do it, and they all will be covered after the jump. Get your predictions ready and hold out for one last chance at the best films of the year making the cut, for tomorrow everything will be decided.

Here's the List of This Year's Honorary Oscar Recipients

Kathleen Kennedy

As with every year, one of the most exciting parts of Oscar season is when they announce the recipients of this year's Honorary Oscars. They're voted on by the Board of Governors and presented to people in the arts that have done significant work. In this case, it seems like a doozy of a year featuring five people on the list. The people this year include publicist Marvin Levy, composer Lalo Schifrin, and actress Cicely Tyson. Also receiving the Irving G. Thalberg award is two producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, the latter of whom is the first woman to win said award. With this impressive line-up comes recognition for a lot of great talent in the industry.

The Academy Announces a Best Popular Film Category, and It's Not Good

Scene from Birdman

It wouldn't be an Oscar season without a summer of new changes being added. Whereas it's usually rules regarding voting or changes in regulations. Today however saw The Academy put forward a series of changes that caused quite a stir. On the least controversial side was an earlier broadcast date for the 2020 ceremony. On the side that's causing the most uproar is a new category that is meant to recognize popular films. What does that even mean? While The Academy has remained coy about it, there is already an uproar over the idea of separating what is "popular" from what is "best." To say the least, there is a change coming, and it's maybe not for the best. 

The Oscars Remove Cosby, Polanski from Membership

Roman Polanski

With the Me Too and Times Up movements taking a hold over the movie industry, there's been a lot that I've unfortunately not covered during my hiatus. There have been rules set in place for on set conduct, as well as the news that Bill Cosby has been found guilty of sexual assault in court. Which leads to an interesting point that shows a major shift in The Academy of recent. It looks like the talk is more than just hyperbole. The change is going to come fast, coming for those who have used their influence for wrongdoing within the industry for decades. Among the first two to go are Cosby and Oscar-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski. It only raises the question as to who's next, and whether The Academy will be able to fully change. 

Check This Out: Highlights from This Year's Oscars Governors Ball

This past weekend, The Academy held its annual Governors Ball where it handed out Honorary Oscars to four deserving individuals within the film community. This year's recipients included Agnes Varda, Donald Sutherland, Owen Roizman, Charles Burnett, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for the first special Oscar win in over 20 years. The ceremony was a lively event packed with speeches not only from the winners, but of various people sharing stories and tribute to these artists. To watch all of the videos, click below and see all of the memorable events that played out at the event, which for that night at least could be called "The dance of cinema."

"Groundhog Day" Cinematographer John Bailey is Officially the New Academy President

John Bailey

As most likely know, this past Oscar season marked one interesting change. After four years, President Cheryl Boone Isaacs would be stepping down. This left plenty of options available as to who would lead The Academy going forward. Considering the struggles of diversity regarding youth, gender, and race; it was a conflict that definitely seemed challenging. However, the answer came after a vote on Tuesday night. While many predicted Laura Dern (who has become more active in Academy-related events), the answer was someone a bit more obscure. Ladies and gentlemen, the new President of the American Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is... John Bailey!