When It Comes to Best Picture, Academy Votes Oakland-Style

The California Report's Scott Shafer recently interviewed blogger Steve Pond, who writes extensively about The Academy Awards for The Wrap. Among other things, Pond talked about the ranked-choice voting system that the expanded best-picture category now employs.

Who knew! Some studio should have put Jean Quan on the payroll. Boy, it's one thing to institute ranked-choice voting in mayoral races, but mess around with the Academy Awards, people are really going to get into it.

Here's the full interview with Pond, who offers an inside look at the voting process and handicaps some of the races.

Blogger Steve Pond on The Academy Awards

On a semi-related note, Pond alludes to James Franco's attempt at singing "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," which Cher sang in the movie Burlesque. That version, you'll be thrilled to know, has hit the web. How is it? Well, you know how Franco sawed off his arm in the movie 127 Hours? It sounds a little like he's doing it again.