I have to admit, I was a little shocked when I heard this news. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is expanding the Best Picture category, starting for next year’s Oscar ceremony. For the past… oh, six decades or so, the Best Picture category has been limited to six films. Now they’ll be doing ten films. The official reasoning behind this switch is so that “a wider field” of films can compete. The not-so subtle reasoning is so studios and independents can spend even more money on advertising, and give a push to the Los Angeles and New York-based local economies with the now expanded Oscar campaigns.

Let the Best Picture campaigning begin – and this year, the more the merrier!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday plans to increase the number of Best Picture nominees from six to 10 for the 82nd Academy Awards, which will be presented on March 7, 2010.

“After more than six decades, the Academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year,” President Sid Ganis announced.

“Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going to allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories, but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize.”

Ganis added, “I can’t wait to see what that list of ten looks like when the nominees are announced in February.”

[From People]

I actually think this will be good – it means that the Academy will be more likely to recognize comedies, animation, musicals and independents in the Best Picture category. That being said, it doesn’t look like smaller, independent films are having too difficult a time – the past few years have been great for small films, from Little Miss Sunshine, to Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood, to Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler (who didn’t win an Oscar, but that small film got recognized in a major way). There are too many examples to give. In the past decade, I’ve seen the Oscars go from a huge “Big Hollywood” celebration to a celebration of more arty, less Hollywood works and artists.

The change I would really like to see is an expansion of the lead acting categories. I would love for the Academy to change the “Best Actor” and “Best Actress” either to ten nominees, or to expand it to five for best lead in a drama and five for best lead in a musical/comedy. That’s how the Golden Globes do it – and it’s a much better system.

Photo credits: WENN.com – Slumdog stars in header. Fame Pictures – Penelope Cruz below.