In quite the unexpected move, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science has announced that next year’s 82nd Academy Awards ceremony will have a massive adjustment to it: the normal 5 Best Picture nominees will instead be 10 Best Picture nominees.

This is another apparent move for the Academy to try and bring in new viewers after their shake-up last year, bringing in Hugh Jackman to host instead of the usual comedian host (which I still personally prefer). As mentioned, the typical number of movies that were nominated each year was five, but way back in the early years of the Oscars, there were many more — sometimes as many as twelve, so this is a really a return to classic form. The last year that this format was used was in 1943, when Casablanca took the top prize.

This is shocking to me, but something that I’m pretty excited about seeing. You can’t help but think of all the movies in past years that people wanted to get a Best Picture nomination and didn’t; namely — using 2008 as an example — the animated features like Wall-E, the not-so-traditional contenders such as The Dark Knight, as well as the flat-out snubbed movies like The Wrestler. All of these movies were considered better films than some of the actual nominees, especially The Reader and Milk. If this change had been made last year and Dark Knight was in the mix, would it have made a run or would Slumdog Millionaire have still pulled it off? These are the questions that shouldn’t remain unanswered this year! Unfortunately, so far, this summer isn’t offering up any similar movies that are making a case for awards contention.

One of the most legendary movie attractions ever to exist was the King Kong movie ride at Universal Studios Hollywood. Sadly, the attraction and much, much more property was lost in that devastating backlot fire in June of last year.

Now that the fire is a distant memory and Universal has made huge plans to completely makeover the experience for tourists, including the recently-announced Creature From the Black Lagoon stage show (Read: “˜Creature From The Black Lagoon’ Gets A Rockin’ Stage Show At Universal Studios Hollywood) — they’re ready to bring the mighty Kong back to the fans.

While the King Kong attraction is making a return, it will not be that classic robotic ape we know so well. Kong is embracing the technologies of today and getting the complete makeover treatment. This time around, the experience will be based on Peter Jackson‘s 2005 King Kong and it will present fans with a groundbreaking 4-D (yeah, 4-D!), multi-sensory experience with mind-blowing effects and Earth’s largest Surround Digital projection system. This already sounds like something that has to be added to my bucket list.

Click over for a description of how this new ride will go.

If you’ve yet to hear, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are directing a trilogy based on the popular Tintin character. Spielberg is directing one, then Jackson will direct, and then they may co-direct the third or maybe even find someone new to do the honors. The movies will be shot using motion-capture technology and they will be released in the booming 3-D format. The first movie in the trilogy is happily titled The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.

U.S. distributor Paramount Pictures and international distributor Sony Pictures have officially announced that Secret of the Unicorn will be released on December 23, 2011 in the U.S., with the movie opening in late October and early November of 2011 internationally.

The Adventures of Tintin follows a determined young reporter who stops at nothing to get his story, a trait that sees him always in wild predicaments and encounters. The movie stars Jamie Bell as Tintin, Daniel Craig as Red Rackham, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as Thompson and Thomson, and Andy Serkis.

Once upon a time, after the decent but so-so successful TMNT, it was rumored that a brand new live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may be on the way with some computer animated turtles instead of guys in suits.

Well, ladies and gentlemen of the ’80s, that dream is now a shiny reality. A press release has been sent out to the masses announcing that The Mirage Group has officially given the greenlight to the development of a new Ninja Turtles movie with the goal of a 2011 release.

The announcement was made as our favorite martial arts-trained turtles are celebrating their big 25th anniversary in New York City, lovingly titled “Shell-ebration.” For the event, the Empire State Building will be going turtle-green and the showing of the first movie outdoors at the Tribeca Film Festival’s Drive-In theater.

The movie has a strong producing team including Galen Walker, who produced TMNT; as well as Scott Mednick, who has a blockbuster resume that features: 300, Superman Returns, 10,000 BC, and the upcoming Where the Wild Things Are.

Fans of the show know it and its group very well, but others may not even know it exists. In any case, MTV‘s cult sketch comedy show, The State, will be finally coming to DVD on July 14, 2009. The set is expected to include five discs with every episode, as well as special features including: the pilot episode, outtakes, and over 90 minutes worth of un-aired sketches.

The show was known for its incredibly odd and random humor, which may or may not have cause an awkward feeling in the room once in a while, but always made you laugh hysterically. Some of their best work included things like Muppets, bearded men in space, and one messed up version of The Last Supper. I’m a big fan of the bearded men skit…classic.

After The State, many of its cast went on to shine. A bunch of them write and star as the main characters in Comedy Central’s Reno 911!; Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain went on to star in another sketch comedy show called Stella; Wain also wrote and directed the recent hit, Role Models; and most of the gang reunited to make one f’d up and hilarious little movie called The Ten.

Click over to the other side for a quote from one of the cast members, the official synopsis, as well as the DVD’s trailer!