'Musty' 85th Academy Awards rebranded as 'The Oscars'

LOS ANGELES: They are the 85th Academy Awards, the climax of Hollywood's awards season, this coming weekend -- except officially

they're not. This year, they've been rebranded to "The Oscars."

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which organizes Tinseltown's biggest awards night, will not confirm the change revealed by show co-producer Neil Meron, who said the "85th Academy Awards" was too "musty."

But it seems it's true, for this year at least: references to Academy

Awards and that it's the 85th show -- a significant anniversary, one might have thought -- quietly disappeared from official AMPAS materials a few weeks ago.

"We're rebranding it," Meron told entertainment news website TheWrap in an interview with co-producer Craig Zadan this week, days before Hollywood's finest take to the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday.

"We're not calling it 'The 85th annual Academy Awards,' which keeps it

mired somewhat in a musty way. It's called 'The Oscars'," he added.

An AMPAS spokeswoman, contacted by AFP, declined to confirm the change. But it is understood that "Academy Awards" and "Oscars" are used interchangeably, and have been for years.

Last year's Oscars poster was quite clearly emblazoned with "The 84th

Academy Awards." This year's shows a picture of smiling host Seth MacFarlane under "The Oscars," in gold.

In the interview with TheWrap, Meron and Zadan said they were under the impression that the new approach would continue in years to come, although it is understood a decision on future use will be taken in the spring.