And The Oscar Goes To...

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Happy Tuesday, Future Party. Today is probably the most important holiday on the calendar — National Snack Day. Yep, you read that right. How convenient that it falls on Taco Tuesday. Is it too early to DoorDash? Nothing makes a TFP newsletter better than tacos.

The internationalization of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ membership body is starting to have a major impact on which films get nominated for and win the biggest award in American cinema — the Oscar.

The Big Picture: For decades, the Academy-Award nominations and wins have been an integral motivator for American studios to make more challenging movies, for talent to sign onto those projects, and for the films themselves to boost awareness and ticket sales. By going global, the Academy may be throwing a wrench into that delicate ecosystem.

Behind the Scenes: Want to start your Oscar prognosticating early? Pay attention to what’s a hit at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Closing Credits: According to Puck, there were roughly 6,100 AMPAS voting members in 2014. Looking to diversify and internationalize, the Academy has undergone a massive member expansion since then. There are almost 10,000 members, and 40% of its new members are international. Per Variety, total AMPAS membership from outside the US has swelled to roughly 30%.

This is clearly a change the Academy is okay with, but Hollywood insiders and media analysts have questions: How does the growing presence of international films affect the award show’s ratings? Are there now fewer viewers in the US but more internationally? Does that impact ad sales, which is how the Academy makes most of its annual revenue? It’s likely too early to tell, but expect that data to be watched as closely as this year’s Cannes lineup.

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Google and HP have pulled back the curtain on a new 3D video communications platform called “Project Starline,” which it plans on rolling out this year.

Why It Clicks: Despite videoconferencing becoming an economic lifesaver during COVID lockdown, Zoom fatigue is the real deal — our brain doesn’t do well with being in virtual meetings all day. But if Starline can help ease that feeling, it could be a big hit (if you can afford the tech).

Behind the Tech: Starline hopes to make video calls feel as if the person you’re speaking with is right there in the room with you.

The Future: Google and HP are putting a premium on how much the tech will ease the cognitive burden of videoconferencing — something they say the data already proves. Google also says that, in one study, users were “more animated on Starline calls than they were on 2D video chats, using significantly more hand gestures, head nods, and eyebrow movements.” That’s important when so much of effective communication is nonverbal.

Google and HP have already tested the technology with select enterprise partners, including Salesforce and T-Mobile. We won’t be surprised if every blue-chip C-suite exec gets a Starline set up by the summer.

Go Deeper: West Cancer Center out of Memphis, Tennessee, is also disrupting videoconferencing with hologram doctors. It’s Starline with legs!

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59% of you voted Yes in yesterday’s poll: Would you switch to a new music streaming service if it paid artists better?

“I pay for an Apple Music subscription, and they pay, I think, 20-30% royalties to artists on the service, and they have a huge, likeable variety of music, new and old. It’s expensive but very much worth it in my opinion.”

“Maybe. It depends on whether that streaming service passes those costs to their consumers.”

“They don’t get paid much for streams. They get paid by promos, deals, and live performances.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

💻 YouTube is redesigning its platform to make it easier to become a streaming hub similar to Apple+ and Amazon.

😬 Hulu encountered issues affecting thousands of users during its debut streaming broadcast of the Academy Awards.

⌛ Adrien Brody’s Best Actor speech beat the record for the longest Oscar speech ever, going nearly five minutes over the allotted 45 seconds.

🚀 Firefly Aerospace’s The Blue Ghost successfully landed on the Moon, where it will study lunar dust and take the first X-ray photo of the Earth’s magnetic field.

💸 Taiwanese chip giant TSMC is expected to announce a $100 billion investment in American infrastructure.

₿  President Trump wants to create a “crypto strategic reserve" and is looking at shoring up bitcoin, XRP, Solana, Cardano, and others.

🍦 China’s Mixue Ice Cream & Tea has surpassed McDonald’s to become the biggest food-and-beverage chain in the world… at least when it comes to the number of locations.

👕 Prada Group is stitching up a takeover of Versace for $1.6 billion.

🍪 Pepperidge Farm cookie bags are fashion now.