The hidden power of calendars: history of Oscars told through their telecast schedules

Sundays seem natural for large TV events.  Why wouldn’t they?  NFL’s Super Bowl has been on Sundays forever. It feels like the proper order of things that the Academy Awards ceremony is also on a Sunday. Every year, somewhere near the end of February, start of March.  Yet, a simple dataset of telecast dates points out that this practice is a relatively recent phenomenon and for a long while things were quite different.  For a quick summary of the data, look at the chart below: it shows the progression of the ceremony dates from the most distant (1953) to the closest (2014).  For more details on why the changes occurred, keep reading on.

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The Academy and Public Opinion: Will Leo Finally Win an Oscar?

With the Oscars ceremony just two days away, it is nearly impossible to escape the media buzz around the potential winners.  Many commentators believe that the Oscar for the best actor in a leading role should go to Leonardo DiCaprio.  Analysis of data from the Academy’s database shows that, even for the superstars, nothing is written in stone.  A little bit of background reading, aided by New York Times Article API, revealed a history of intricate balancing between the Academy, the studios, and the public.

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