An Oscar Statue is displayed at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball press preview at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center, in Hollywood, California, on January 31, 2020.
VALERIE MACON / AFPThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has relaxed a rule in the best original score category for next year’s Oscars. To be eligible, the rules used to require a score to comprise a minimum of 60% of the total music in the film. (The rest of the music could consist of new or old songs that were not part of the original score.) Going forward, the score need only comprise 35% of the total music in the film.
That was one of several rule changes for the upcoming 94th annual Academy Awards that were announced Wednesday (June 30). The changes were voted on by the Academy’s board of governors.
In the best original song category, going forward, no more than five songs from any film may be submitted. Previously, there was no limit on the number of songs that could be submitted from a film. No more than two songs from any film may be nominated, same as before.
The board also approved rules and campaign regulations for the 94th Academy Awards.
As previously announced, the eligibility period for Academy Awards consideration will return to the standard Dec. 31 deadline. A feature film must have a qualifying release date between March 1 and Dec. 31 of this year to qualify.
With theatrical exhibition still impacted by the pandemic, eligibility requirements for the 94th Academy Awards will be consistent with the addendums made for the 93rd awards season. They can be found here.
For films that open in theaters, the six qualifying U.S. metropolitan areas are Los Angeles County, the city of New York, the Bay Area, Chicago, Miami and Atlanta. Following this year, the Academy intends to expand the qualifying requirements for the 95th awards.
Additionally, beginning with the 94th Academy Awards, the best picture category will be set at 10 nominees, rather than a fluctuating number of nominations from year to year. This change was first announced a year ago.
Here’s a summary of changes in other categories:
In the documentary short subject, animated short film and live action short film categories, the shortlist will expand from 10 to 15 films.
In the sound category, there will now be a preliminary round of voting for the sound award to determine a shortlist of 10 films. Prior to nominations voting, sound branch members will be invited to a presentation of the shortlisted achievements, similar to the process in the visual effects and makeup & hairstyling categories. The entire sound branch will vote to select the shortlist as well as nominations.
In the international feature film category, key rule amendments made in the preliminary round of voting for the 93rd Awards and approved in January 2021 remain unchanged. This includes an expanded shortlist of 15 films and members from all Academy branches being invited to opt in and participate in the preliminary and nominations rounds of voting. Members must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
Submission deadlines are as follows:
Documentary short subject – Oct. 15
Animated short film – Oct. 15
Live action short film – Oct. 15
Animated feature film – Nov. 1
Documentary feature – Nov. 1
International feature film – Nov. 1
Original score – Nov. 1
Original song – Nov. 1
General entry categories – Nov. 15
Campaign regulations, which specify how companies and individuals may market to Academy members, were also updated. The mailings of DVDs, CDs and physical screenplays are discontinued starting this year. Access to the Academy Screening Room will continue to be made available for all eligible releases. Digital links to materials will be permitted.
For the complete 94th Academy Awards rules, visit oscars.org/rules.
NEWS
Harry Styles paid tribute to the late David Hockney and reflected on his time in One Direction last night (June 12), as he kicked off his record-breaking residency at Wembley Stadium.
Hockney – whose painting of Styles was displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in 2023 – died on June 11, aged 88, and the musician honoured him during his set by sharing a quote from the painter on the big screens.
“What an artist is trying to do for people is bring them closer to something, because of course art is about sharing,” the quote read. “You wouldn’t be an artist unless you wanted to share an experience, a thought.”
Styles’ gig last night marked the first of 12 gigs at Wembley, which will see the star break the record for the most shows at the venue in a single tour. Coldplay previously held the record, delivering 10 gigs at the stadium last year as part of their Music Of The Spheres tour.
The London residency follows the Together, Together tour beginning in Amsterdam in May, and will be followed by stops in São Paulo, Mexico City, New York, Melbourne and Sydney. He will be supported by a different artist in each city, joined by Shania Twain in London, who delivered a set of hits and new tracks from her upcoming album, ‘Little Miss Twain’.
As the sounds of Simon And Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ played over the stadium PA, Styles made his way to the stage, kicking off his set with ‘Are You Listening Yet?’, from his latest album, ‘Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally’. Between renditions of ‘Golden’ and ‘Adore You’, he addressed the crowd for the first time, saying: “Our job tonight is to entertain you. Your job is to have as much fun as you possibly can.
“If you want to sing, if you want to dance, please feel free. Please feel free to be whoever it is you’ve always wanted to be tonight. We’ve got each other’s backs.”
Throughout the night, Styles subtly reworked some of the songs on the setlist. He dedicated ‘Taste Back’ “to all the ravers in the house”, as a snippet of Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy’ was interpolated into the song, while a brief burst of Talking Heads’ ‘This Must Be The Place’ was introduced to ‘Treat People With Kindness’. During ‘Dance No More’, the pop star’s band played part of the groove from Happy Mondays’ ‘Step On’, while Styles sang a snatch of Gorillaz’s ‘Clint Eastwood’.
There were also nods to Styles’ days in One Direction early in the set. As the musician left the stage after ‘Fine Line’, the string section on stage played a medley featuring clips of the group’s hits ‘Night Changes’ and ‘History’, plus Styles’ own track ‘Falling’. After ‘Keep Driving’, he took the time to reflect on Wembley’s connections to his and the boyband’s journeys.
“Just outside of this building, just next door, is Wembley Arena, and 16 years ago, my sister brought me to London for the very first time for my X Factor audition,” he said. “So driving here today, and any time I come through Wembley, means so much to me, ‘cause right in that building next door, I was put into a band. We were called One Direction.
The Together, Together setlist features a different surprise song each night at the start of the encore. Last night, Styles treated the Wembley audience to ‘Little Freak’, taken from ‘Harry’s House’, for the first time since 2023. After the song, he spoke to the audience for the final time, saying: “I don’t know if you’ve been listening to me for a week, or a month, or a year, or five years, or 10 years, or 16 years, or whatever it is, but you have changed my life over and over again. Thank you so much for being here and allowing us to do these shows. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
“Finally, 16 years ago, my mother signed me up for the X Factor without my knowledge. I wouldn’t be here today if she hadn’t done that. She’s here today – thank you so much. You’ve changed my life, all of you.” Referencing a lyric in ‘Dance No More’, he added: “Remember – respect your mother.”
‘Are You Listening Yet?’
‘Golden’
‘Adore You’
‘Watermelon Sugar’
‘Music From A Sushi Restaurant’
‘Taste Back’
‘Coming Up Roses’
‘Fine Line’
‘Italian Girls’
‘American Girls’
‘Keep Driving’
‘Ready, Steady, Go!’
‘Dance No More’
‘Treat People With Kindness’
‘Pop’
‘Season 2 Weight Loss’
‘Carla’s Song’
‘Aperture’
‘Little Freak’
‘Sign Of The Times’
‘As It Was’
The Together, Together, London residency continues at Wembley Stadium tonight, with further dates on June 17, 19, 20, 23, 26, 27, 29 and July 1, 3, and 4. Visit here for any remaining UK tickets and check out doors and stage times here.
The gigs will see Styles donate £1 from every ticket sold to LIVE’s levy to help protect UK grassroots music venues and support emerging talent, and before Styles’ headline performance, the big screens at the venue encouraged fans to support Music Venues Trust.
The tour is in support of the star’s latest album, ‘Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally’, which was released in March. In a four-star review, NME described it as “an album that you’ll really want to spend a lot of time with, letting all its layers envelope you”. It added: “It’s the most exploratory album of his career so far, trying out new things and steering his ship in new directions.”
Meanwhile, Styles has also curated this year’s Meltdown Festival at the Southbank Centre. The line-up chosen by the star includes Stephen Fretwell, Nilüfer Yanya, Orlando Weeks, Bar Italia, Dev Hynes, Jon Hopkins, Getdown Services, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, Soulwax and more, as well as an intimate gig from Styles himself.
The festival kicked off earlier this week (June 11) with a performance from Los Angeles’ Warpaint, whose show was their first in nearly two years. During the gig, they shared fan favourites like ‘Love Is To Die, ‘Billie Holiday’ and ‘Disco//Very’, plus a cover of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’.
