In a throwback to more competitive days, Academy Award presenters rehearsed the line "and the winner is ..." instead of the blander "and the Oscar goes to ..." for Sunday's show.
The last time the language was used officially was for the 60th Academy Awards in 1988, when "The Last Emperor" won for best picture. The following year, show producer Allan Carr changed the wording, although some presenters ignored the new guidelines.
"His goal was to make it not seem as competitive," said Lucia Schultz, the motion picture academy's librarian. Other awards shows also followed suit.
Although academy staff would not confirm the change before Sunday's telecast, presenters have been using the phrasing all week.
At rehearsals on Saturday, Tom Hanks noticed the change and said, "You're breaking the mold here guys."
During his rehearsal, he joked around saying, "The Saturday Oscar goes to ...," and "the winner of the fake Oscar is. ..."