娱乐英语新闻:Fewer films eligible for 83rd best picture Oscar: Academy

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Two hundred forty-eight feature films are eligible for the 2010 Academy Award for Best Picture, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday.

The number has decreased over the past two years: In 2009, 274 were eligible, while 281 made the cut in 2008. Like last year, 10 films will be nominated for Best Picture.

To be eligible for consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnight Dec. 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days, the Academy said.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Jan. 25. The awards will be presented Feb. 27 at the Kodak Theater at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network.

The event will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.