(Sam Womack / College Media Network)
Miami University encompasses many traditions, but watching the Academy Awards, or the Oscars, may not be one of them.
The Oscars will air Sunday, Feb. 27 for the 83rd time.
Some Miami students are lax about watching the Oscars. Sophomore Brooke Katchman is one of them.
"I think homework and exams especially kind of put a damper on celebrating the Oscars on a Sunday night," Katchman said. "I don't foresee myself or my friends making any special plans to watch them. I will watch a little bit if I have time to."
Whit the 2011 awards hosted by young actors Anne Hathaway and James Franco, the Academy Awards have been reaching international viewers since 1969, making the Oscars a global phenomenon celebrated annually by movie lovers in more than 200 countries, according to oscars.go.com.
Miami sophomore Evan Larrimore, a resident of Los Angeles, has experienced the Academy Awards craze firsthand.
"A lot of people come into town … Hollywood Boulevard around the Kodak Theatre is especially busy that week (of the Oscars)," he said.
Larrimore's father, George Larrimore, is the managing editor for Access Hollywood. George Larrimore said younger and older audience members view the Oscars differently.
"To younger people in Hollywood, the Oscars change glacially because the voting membership is such an exclusive club, it tends to skew older," George said. "Older people, Academy members or not, tend to like the movies and stars that they are comfortable with. Some efforts have been made to open up the membership, and that has helped."
He said the hosts were chosen strategically for the younger crowd.
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"The selection of the talent this year should be seen as the Academy trying to make the broadcast more attractive to younger viewers," George said.
George said the Oscars are a special occasion.
"The Oscars are unique because they are always guaranteed to have the biggest stars, the most expensive gowns, the most garish jewelry, the most extravagant parties," he said. "Those things are the hallmark of what the Oscars are. Other shows, like the Golden Globes, are more fun, but the Oscars have the history."
As one of the most coveted Oscar categories, the Best Picture award includes prominent nominees such as Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, Christopher Nolan's Inception, the Coen brothers' True Grit, Debra Granik's Winter Bone, Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are Alright, Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, Tom Hooper's The King's Speech and Lee Unkrich's Toy Story 3.
Also up for Best Picture is David Fincher's The Social Network based on the story of Mark Zuckerberg's creation of Facebook, and David O'Russell's film The Fighter.
Miami senior Patrick Healy is rooting for The Fighter for Best Picture.
"As a male, how could you not love The Fighter?" Healy said. "Mark Wahlberg was great in it."
George took a wild guess for best picture.
"The Social Network will win, but it's probably not the actual best movie," he said.
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