So far, people have been focusing on the perverse incentives the award creates for Academy voters. But even more pernicious could be the incentives it creates for filmmakers and studios.<\/p>\n
The votes are in, and the Oscar for Worst Idea goes to \u2026 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for its plan to add a new trophy for \u201coutstanding achievement in popular film.\u201d Like the Academy\u2019s 2009\u00a0decision<\/a><\/u>to expand the roster of Best Picture nominees from five to 10\u2014a rule that was\u00a0tweaked<\/a><\/u>\u00a0two years later, permitting\u00a0between<\/em>\u00a0five and 10\u2014the move is universally seen as an effort to keep the Oscars \u201crelevant,\u201d especially with younger audiences.<\/p>\nThe 2009 decision was generally viewed as a response to the failure of\u00a0The Dark Knight<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Wall-E\u00a0<\/em>to garner Best Picture nominations the previous year. This time, it seems a reaction to the broader phenomenon of falling ratings. As my colleague David Sims\u00a0noted<\/a>, ratings were way down this year, after dropping the year before as well. The underlying logic is the same as in 2009: When in doubt, get more blockbusters nominated. But the new category could create far more problems than it solves, and not merely the ones that have already been widely discussed.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n