New Rules for the 85th Academy Awards

Here are some of the new rules approved for the next Academy Award ceremony. Most are minimal, although some will have an effect:

• In the Makeup category, the hairstylist for The Iron Lady was not included in the winner's circle, so now the category will be known as Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
• For Best Original Song, which appears to hang on another year, a fourth songwriter can be included (A controversy in the past), if the Executive Committee feels that it is a "rare and extraordinary circumstance".
• In Foreign Language, films are to be submitted in 35mm or DCP, but are no longer required to be exhibited in those formats in their countries of origin.
• Executive Committee will also let members choose for Visual Effects from a list of 10 films for the final nomination process.

So with the exception of the Makeup category, most of the rules will have no discernable effect on the ceremony, and the Best Picture category looks like it will stick with last year's format at least one more year.