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The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)

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2 articles from 2008

31 January 2008 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences mailed out final ballots for next month's Oscar awards on Wednesday. They were sent to 5,829 voting members who must return them to the accounting firm of PriceWaterhouseCoopers by 5:00 p.m. on February 19, where they will be tallied. An elite group within the firm then prepares the envelopes containing the names of the winners, which will be revealed on Feb. 24 at the 80th Annual Academy Awards telecast.

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31 January 2008 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Gil Cates, the producer of this year's 80th Annual Academy Awards telecast, has appealed to the Writers Guild of America not to picket the ceremonies. In an interview with the Associated Press, Cates said that the Oscars will take place, strike or no strike, but that he has prepared a "contingency" production that he "would prefer not to do" just in case, featuring "history and packages of film and concepts." He was not more specific. "This show, in my view, is really above politics," he told A.P. "It is wrong to treat the show as anything other than a gift from all the people who work in this business, really, to the exceptional talent and the community and the country." Besides, he noted, the writers have already agreed not to picket next month's Grammy or Image awards. "It's hard for me to believe that they would picket a show that really honors their own." Although the writers have not responded directly to Cates's comments, they have previously noted that the Oscars telecast traditionally draws the second-largest audience of the year, producing tens of millions of dollars in advertising revenue, and is also a promotional vehicle for movies from the studios that the writers are striking.

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2 articles from 2008