Today's Pet Peeve: Why Doesn't Oscar Allow Embeddable Videos?
Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 12:00PM The title is all wrong. It's Everyday's Pet Peeve. I was as thrilled as any Oscar Fanatic when they established a YouTube channel and began to upload plentiful old acceptance speeches from ceremonies past. But why, pray tell, are they non-embeddable? I legitimately wonder what purpose this serves when what's shared on social networks is so determinative of what gets seen, discussed and becomes beloved.
Of course the dread "embedding disabled by request" message is most tiresome and even downright evil when a YouTube channel that uses it is just a fan channel which owns the rights to nothing but still insists that you can't steal what they stole. (This is especially icky when it's exactly the clip you need and want to share.) I won't name account names but my guess is this refusal to share is an older generation problem dating back to mindsets that existed before the internet -- I also existed before the internet but some of us adapted -- when sharing was something your parents told you to do with your friends and siblings but would never have dreamed of telling you to do with complete strangers. This is my guess primarily because the accounts most likely to refuse embedding seem to be the ones that are most devoted to material that predates the internet be it old movies, music, tv or what have you. I think this is terrible for everyone and does a great injustice to the art. If things aren't shareable in the modern sense they're more likely to stay forgotten and relegated to the dustbins of history.
Morgan Fairchild and Robert Hays -- anyone remember them?
This came up today because the latest video the Oscar channel posted was the Costume Design presentation for 1981's "Chariots of Fire" and I wanted to discuss it for about 10 different reasons but then thought "why bother?" since I couldn't embed it with the discussion and didn't have time for screencaps. Pity that. It's not that it's 'must-see' interesting. I shouldn't oversell.
Moving on...
Reader Comments (16)
off topic
You have no opinion on Kathy Bates joining this season's American Horror Story? The very idea of two Oscar winning actresses, the other being Jessica Lange, going at on a television horror show for a season doesn't plant ideas in your head for other parings or the state of veteran Oscar winning actresses having to do a television horror show to begin with?
Just watched it, and I can guess two or three of the elements you wanted to discuss.
I wasn't old enough in the early 80s to really understand what kind of star Morgan Fairchild was (TV star? Movie star? Famous for being famous?). I don't even know why I know who she is, but I feel like I always have. One of my favorite tidbits from Pictures at a Revolution is that she was Dunaway's double in Bonnie and Clyde.
Anyway, boo on Oscar for stifling you.
Oh, I hope your dear readers will click on through. That was amazing. (The 1975 costume design Oscar was equally...impressive.)
I actually remember that ceremony (yes girl, I'm that old) and it still amazes me that the Oscars have had so many horrible song and dance numbers attached to the wrong types of categories. But, anything with Morgan Fairchild and her Working Girl hair is a good thing.
There's something worse you probably don't get to see very often. "The user has blocked the content in your country." Which is even a more stupid position as there're, or rather, there shouldn't be national frontiers on the internet, and which reads as if the uploader had personally banned you :) for unknown reasons.
The Girl, The Gold Watch, and Everything was one of my favorite movies growing up! You are a national treasure, Robert Hayes.
Because they are obsessed with the name, let alone footage. They want people lured back to their YouTube channel or their site to see the stuff. They're more concerned about Oscarcast piracy than they are movie piracy because, let's face it, as is the case with the top execs at most news publications -- The Academy is run by morons.
Was this a thing they did every year or just once in a while? Because the dance sequence happens in the 1975 and 1968 awards, too. And part of me kind of wishes they'd do it again, or at least get the costumes on stage like in 2006.
This is the same year Liberace performed the Original Score nominees on a giant piano. That would be a great video for the @TheAcademy to upload.
a) I love Milena Canonero.
b) I miss those silly choreographies. They were just one of the many things I worshiped as a child.
"Working Girl hair" lol
Speaking of 1989, they did the dance number thing for the costumes too. Choreographed by Paula Abdul, it had Hoke breakdancing with Miss Daisy. Which is probably why they have never done it again (I think).
Canonero is awesome....from that Oscar Night I'd like also recover Best Foreign Language with beautiful Ornella Muti delivering the Golden Boy to Klaus Maria Brandauer who starred in MEPHISTO
/3rtful -- i have no opinion because a) i dont watch that show - hated it when i tried the first season and only made it through about 3 episodes b) never been a Lange or Bates devotee though I've enjoyed both here and there.
Mirko -- agreed that Canonero is awesome but I don't understand that particular Oscar win at all. I think it might even be my least favorite nominee in its field.
I have the same feeling with CHARIOTS OF FIRE win as Best Picture...not my least favorite nominee in its field (that's maybe ON GOLDEN POUND)...but almost...
Oh gosh, that video was fantastic. The RAGTIME one in particular felt like something that'd be performed at the Miami Amateur Theatre by Rose, Blanche, and Dorothy.
I don't know why they don't just upload every category of every year? Gosh, how I'd love to see Priscilla's costume win once more (it was once uploaded but taken down by the Academy) and so many others.