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Oscars 2024: Internet wonders if Al Pacino 'wanted to get home' after he skips nominees list for Best Picture

The legendary actor discarded the usual norm of reading out all Oscar nominees before announcing the winner

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Al Pacino stirred chaos at the Oscars 2024 when, tasked with announcing the best picture nominees, he deviated from tradition and directly declared "Oppenheimer" as the winner without listing the other contenders. Typically, presenters go through the nominees before revealing the award recipient, but Al Pacino skipped over several steps, creating surprise and confusion among viewers at the Oscars 2024.

Notably, Al Pacino disregarded the tradition of listing all contenders. Instead, he directly opened the envelope and declared, "My eyes see Oppenheimer," skipping over the usual process of acknowledging the nominees. The nominated films included American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Past Lives, Poor Things, and The Zone of Interest. 

This left viewers puzzled and caused a wave of confusion, creating an awkward and unexpected moment during the announcement. "Al Pacino didn’t even read the nominees," said a user. "Oops, Al Pacino messed up. Didn't announce the 10 movie nominees. Awkward," said another. "Al Pacino wanted to get home. He didn’t even read the nominees for Best Picture," added another. 

The Godfather star's move of swiftly naming the winning movie without acknowledging the other nominees left many surprised as well, as they thought he bypassed the customary process in less than three seconds. "Took Cilian Murphy 3 hours to blow up the atomic ; took Al Pacino all of one minute to up the Best Picture nominees, absolute savage," a user added. "al pacino gives the most anti-climactic oscar win ever lmaoo," added another. "I’m obsessed with the way Al Pacino announced Oppenheimer as Best Picture. couldn’t have been more chaotic or confusing lol “Best Picture…uh, I have to go to the envelope for that. And I will. Here it comes. And my eyes see Oppenheimer?" said one. 

How many Oscars does Al Pacino have? 

Al Pacino has been nominated for the Academy Award eight times. His Best Actor nominations include roles in films such as "...And Justice for All," "The Godfather Part II," "Dog Day Afternoon," and "Serpico" (earning him a Golden Globe Award). He secured a Best Actor Oscar and another Golden Globe for his role in "Scent of a Woman."

Throughout his acting career, Al Pacino has earned numerous accolades. His other achievements include  securing one BAFTA Award out of five nominations for his remarkable film contributions. Additionally, he has received four Golden Globe Awards out of 19 nominations and two SAG Awards out of seven nominations, with these honors recognizing his outstanding work in both film and television.

Why are the Academy Awards called Oscars? 

The exact time and reason for the Academy Award of Merit being called an Oscar are unclear. However, one widely accepted explanation attributes the name to Margaret Herrick, the Academy librarian in the 1930s. Reportedly, she remarked that the statuette looked like her Uncle Oscar, and the nickname stuck.

Also, the official adoption of the nickname is often attributed to Sidney Skolsky, a Hollywood columnist, who used the term in a 1934 article. The Academy later officially adopted the nickname in 1939.