In a move that will dramatically shake up the Oscar race, the Academy has expanded the Best Picture category to include 10 films. The change  could allow more mainstream films to earn nominations. It could also split votes causing an unusual winner. Either way, AwardsPicks.com pools have gotten a lot more interesting.

By Adam Spunberg

The Academy, which often moves as slowly and painstakingly as a Virginia Woolf novel, has made a swift, startling, gasping, end-of-the-Sixth-Sense announcement: the Best Picture category will be expanded from five nominees to 10!

When I first found out the news, I thought April Fools’ Day had gotten a smashing review in early screenings and had its release date postponed to June in the hopes of becoming a summer blockbuster. But rest assured, this is no Hollywood hoax. It’s true… those ents running the Oscars have come to a decision, and it actually makes sense!

For a while now, eager filmgoers have been clamoring about the limited variety in the Best Picture category. The five extra slots should open the door for more popular films like The Dark Knight and Iron Man, while also creating avenues for exceptional foreign films like Amelie, for instance. Perhaps the greatest beneficiary, however, will be Pixar, which should see one or even both (starting in 2010, there will be two Pixar releases each year) of its films nominated. Indie films could also get a boost.

There should be a significant impact on awardspicks.com Oscar pools as well. This new, unprecedented number of nominees could make for a smorgasbord of high-stakes drama, as riskier applicants will have several alternatives to rely on. Could the five new entries split the vote just enough to give a would-be runner-up the title? All will be revealed soon enough.

In the meantime, we should applaud the Academy for its unlikely innovation. The 2010 Oscar contest is shaping up to be delicious, and I’m salivating already.