When the Academy Awards ceremony rolls around, moviegoers either celebrate their favorite actors being recognized or lament the snubbing of stars who gave incredible performances and deserved the Oscar statuette.
It's the Super Bowl of cinema.
Because of the Oscars' prestigious nature, surely the voting process is some sort of clandestine operation with Academy members wearing suits and holding briefcases to drop off their votes at a labyrinthine facility like the wizarding bank of Gringotts in Diagon Alley, right?
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Despite what many people think, the selection of Academy Award winners is a lot simpler and, quite frankly, not that exciting.
First of all, active members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science are the ones who cast ballots for all categories, including Best Picture.
And what does the process of selecting the winner involve?
Drum roll, pleaseâŠ
It's all done online.
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Yup. There are no paper ballots, and it's done in secret so nobody knows who eligible members voted for.
A screenshot of a computer screen showing the anticlimactic digital ballot has disappointed the internet.
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It was a huge letdown for many who were expecting something more ... high stakes.
What were you expecting?
Like everything else in life, things evolve with the times.
This year, nominations were announced on January 23 and voting started on Thursday, February 22, and will end on Tuesday, February 27.
The Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
The ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC, and is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Pacific.
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