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Return of Oscar ballots runs smoothly

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Jan. 21 (UPI) -- The number of Oscar ballots received by Saturday's deadline is consistent with recent years' returns, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences reports.

About 80 percent of the organization's eligible voters normally participate in the first phase of voting, which determines the year's Oscar nominees.

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PricewaterhouseCoopers Partner Greg Garrison, who oversees the Academy tabulations, reported the Best Picture returns and the ballots for individual honors were "running normally across the board."

Academy officials acknowledged they were "pleased, bordering on relieved" by the report from the organization's longtime accountants.

"I won't deny that we were all holding our breath," said AMPAS Executive Director Bruce Davis. "The accelerated schedule in itself was a new wrinkle, and on top of that we had mail delays in Europe and nagging concerns that our East Coast members hadn't absorbed the new schedule."

He added, "It's reassuring to hear that in this first and potentially trickiest part of the voting, we're conducting business as usual."

Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 27.

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