This past June 23, the governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approved new rules for the 2010 Academy Awards. In addition to the previously announced change in the Best Picture category — which will now include 10 nominees — another important change was made in the Original Song category.
As per the Academy's press release, "the governors approved the Music Branch Executive Committee recommendation that if no song achieves a minimum average score of 8.25 in the nominations voting, there be no original song nominees and thus no Oscar presented for the category. If only one song achieves the required minimum, it and the song with the next highest score will be deemed the nominees. If two or more songs achieve the minimum score, they will be the nominees though no more than five nominees can be selected. Previously, the rules dictated that there be no more than five but no fewer than three nominees in the category."
Rules are reviewed annually by individual branch and category committees. The Awards Rules Committee then reviews all proposed changes before presenting its recommendations to the Academy’s Board of Governors for approval.
Academy Award nominations in all categories will be announced on February 2, 2010. The 2010 Academy Awards presentation will be telecast live by ABC on Sunday, March 7, 2010.
They keep coming up with those new rules, but do they actually make the awards any better or any fairer? I don't think so!