Maybe they should've just cancelled the Oscars?
Friday, March 4, 2022 at 11:42AM by Nathaniel R
The news from behind-the-scenes for this year's Oscar ceremony just keeps getting worse. First came the news that they were demoting crucial artistic achievements like Film Editing and Production Design to a 'pre show'... to be edited into the live event (we know how badly that comes off from other awards shows who do it -- all of which have lower ratings than the Oscar). It was a telling sign that they don't get or love their own popular brand, a lethal combo for the future. When the filmmaking community naturally expressed concerns and even anger and threats of boycott, outgoing CEO Dawn Hudson and the outgoing Academy president attempted gaslighting... it was our problem. We just didn't understand what they were saying. Um, no. We hated it precisely because we understood!
The fallout continues...
This morning in The Hollywood Reporter comes further reporting that ABC had threatened to cancel the whole broadcast unless the Academy cut not 8 but HALF of all categories. In this instance, and it's shocking to even say this as a lifelong devotee who has never missed a ceremony, I wish the Oscars had called their bluff. Go ahead and cancel the show.
If the Academy Awards, the crown jewel of awards shows, keeps trying to become more like awards shows that are less popular, they will lose whatever cultural cachet they still wield. Yes, that's less than before but it's still a formidable amount. Perhaps the wake up all they needed was a cancelled ceremony or, better yet, a cancelled contract with ABC. Hindsight is 20/20 but it's very much a shame that the Academy renewed its contract with ABC back in 2016, extending their relationship with ABC through 2028 which will be the 100th Oscars. Otherwise we would have already seen the Oscars at a new home... though that new home would have had a rough start coinciding with two years of COVID-19.
We have long dreamt of what the Centennial of the Oscars might look like. How many movie stars and legends the show could pack into one solitary evening. But now we have little reason to believe that any of the Academy's lustre will survive until the 2028 ceremony, or that they'd even want it to be a true Centennial celebration of the movies since ABC plainly no longer values the Oscars and is holding them hostage, essentially. They'll be removing parts until they're just a shell of their former glamorous self. And who will want them then? Some Oscar fans, who have never cared much about how long the show runs (other major cultural events, like the Superbowl, are even longer), have expressed a desire for the show to move to a cable network or a streaming service that's less concerned with ratings. But we're not sure that would solve the problem or, rather which network or channel or service would stay out of the way and just let the Oscars be the Oscars.
Netflix, for example, clearly isn't the right place. Ted Sarandon offers the latest report its most tone deaf quote:
“All of the traditional Oscars will be presented in front of a full house and televised on ABC. It’s going to be a great show! Smart evolution of the broadcast. Nobody slighted.”
Contradicting all the Academy branches, governors, filmmakers, and artisans who have expressed anger about this decision with "nobody slighted" is just yet more gaslighting and yet another example of an Academy executive who apparently doesn't understand the appeal of the Oscars at all beyond wanting to win them.
Some people are trying to stay positive, which Scott Feinberg is clearly trying to do with this report, writing:
In the end, rather than dropping 12 categories altogether from the telecast, the Academy was able to satisfy ABC with the current plan, which will leave the network with more time to restore the sorts of ratings-drivers that were glaringly absent from last year’s telecast, such as a host (or, as will be the case this year, three hosts), clips of the nominated films and performances of the best original song Oscar nominees.
But there's little indication, from past Oscar wars, that the Academy and ABC really understand what drives ratings. Everyone, Oscar fanatic and laymen alike, loves seeing clips of the nominated films but it tends to be the first thing they cut later in the evening when they're running long. And nobody seems to understand that people who watch awards shows love acceptance speeches (which they're always trying to drown out just as they're getting emotional).
What they've made room for by cutting from the regular ceremony for the goal of three hours is adding two dumbs bit coddling organized online fanases and twitter with "Oscar Fan Favorite" and "Oscar Cheer moment". These things will eat up the time we could have been celebrating Editing and Production Design and Original Score with interesting presentations and glamorous or funny presenters. We watch awards shows to see movie stars and celebrate movies, not for online poll winners!
The music and sound branch are angriest about the changes, according to THR reports. We agree most with the anonymous governor of a branch whose category has been cut when he says:
They just keep reaching for this fictionalized mainstream viewer, but the Oscars are for people who love the movies, whether that audience is growing or shrinking.”
The best solution at this point might well be for the infighting -- the 'civil war' as its been characterized -- to continue. The general membership needs to get more political about their stances and vote in Board members who actually love and respect the Oscars and who understand that kowtowing to ABC's Oscar-hating demands is not the way forward. Not if you want the Oscars to remain the most popular awards show. The Academy needs to end their abusive marriage to ABC one way or another. We hope they survive until their 101st birthday if they can't find a way to divorce them before then.
Oscar Ceremonies, Oscars (21)
Reader Comments (24)
What terrible, depressing news...
I just don't know what to make of the world anymore.
I was foolishly optimistic at first, taking at face value the claim that the speeches would be "seamlessly" edited into the show. I thought, "what's the harm if they just cut the presenters' walk to the podium, the winner's walk to the stage?" But as I read more and think more... Yes, it's a disaster.
I'm sure ABC and the Academy have their "data", but they probably haven't taken into account that just because someone says something to a pollster, that doesn't make it true. Saying "I'd watch the Oscars if..." is about as empty a statement as one could imagine.
Daniel Joyaux @Thirdmanmovies had some great ideas on Twitter, namely "two separate halves of the Oscars, both two hours long, with an hour-long halftime show...
PART ONE
(AKA The Cinephile Show)
A two-hour show with a slightly less known but loved host (a Jenny Slate type), and 12 Oscars are given out: The three shorts, the six visual crafts plus sound, and then Part One culminates with Best Doc and Best International Feature.
Part one also features two honorary Oscars (because in my dream all honorary Oscars are given out live on the show). Whichever two of the four fit the more niche, cinephile vein. Think Liv Ullmann, Frederick Wiseman, and Charles Burnett.
Then, HALFTIME!
The halftime show takes places at the Hollywood Bowl (or just somewhere else), so everyone at the Dolby can spend an hour mingling and boozing and stretching their legs.
The halftime show is an hour, and it features performances of all five song and segments of all five nominated scores.
Then, PART TWO
Also a two hour show, and this is the Oscars for the laymen. Get a superstar host, and give out 11 Oscars: both screenplays, both music, animated feature, all four actors, director, and picture.
PLUS, you give honorary Oscars to two superstars/legends.
That’s it. Five hours, but segmented so people know when stuff happens and they can tune in for what they want. If you only want to watch the two hours with big stars, that’s there for you.
And it starts at 5:30 eastern time so that it’s all over at 10:30."
Again, credit to
Daniel Joyaux @Thirdmanmovies on twitter. These are his words/ideas, not mine.
But it seems like a great plan to me.
And you're right Nathanial; the Academy should have called their bluff and said, "Go ahead and cancel the Oscars."
And they should sue to get out of their ABC contract and move over to HBO MAX or Hulu.
I like how they claim that these eight 'unimportant' categories will be announced with a 'full audience.' Most of the 'important' people will be arriving/jockeying to arrive on the red carpet during the hour that these eight awards are given. Therefore, the audience will have filled with mostly Seat Warmers, not the actors who you created make-up/hairstyling for, not the Director who you Editing/Scored their film to award perfection, etc. If I won, I'd want to see my co-workers out in the audience, not a houseful of paid extras. Knowing ABC, they'd most likely edit in surprised/happy 'stars' beaming with delight that 'the technical crew' won an award for their film, while they were being interviewed outside...
Just to show how much this nonsense is trickling down to people like me (haven't missed an Oscar telecast since 1986), my spouse and I realized we're flying home from Philadelphia the night of the show and.....we're not really concerned about it. Three years ago I would've looked into switching to an earlier flight, but now I figure we'll just record it, no big whoop, don't really care that much about watching it IRT. And that's sad to me.
Clearly TCM is the only channel that would understand what's at stake, do it right, and not give a flying fuck about time restrictions.
I couldn't be more in tune with what you have written so well.
I hate the idea of a popular film Oscar,The Oscars are prestige and those hard working people who contribute just as much as the Actors should have their time in the limelight as it might me just that one time to stand tall and be proud and show your friends and family what you have acheived.
I have said this for years we want to see Film Stars new and older,not the latest hot celeb.
Why don't they do something celebrating a particular year they could celebrate 2001 this year and Halle Berry's historic win or go back to 91 with TSOTL clean sweep or maybe cos of WSS back to 61 get some of those winners on stage,do something that celebrates what everyone 's there for and watches for.
Also it's the "you never know till the envelope opens" moments,the Marcia Gay Harden win was such a shock back in 2000 due to the general feeling it was Hudson's to lose,I live for those type of moments.
I have always said the Academy Awards telecast had too much bloat, but it has nothing to do with the number of category. The problem lies with these old school producers and TV directors who do not understand pacing. I've always felt that they should lump together several categories all at once, with the so-called "marquee" awards interspersed. The pace should move like a runaway horse, galloping from one segment to the next. Reduce the number of presenters announcing the nominees by having each give out three or FOUR awards, like all the short films together, then Animated and Doc and International Film together, Sound and Cinematography together, Costumes and Sets and Make-up together, Music Score and Song together. The whole show would move faster, and you could increase the celebrity quota for making more time for film clips, song performances, tributes, and one (but only ONE) clip montage. Honestly, you need an Oscar producer and director who have prior theater experience, where they understand pacing.
That quote from the anonymous branch governor says it all. ABC wants the Oscar telecast to draw a mainstream audience, but the truth is that the sort of love for movies (i.e. cinephilia) that it takes to even be interested in the Oscars as an institution is not mainstream. Not anymore, at least. I realize the narrative being spun in certain places is that the success of stuff like the MCU or the latest Batman movie means that movies are still mainstream and the Oscars have just lost touch with the general public's tastes, but come on. We don't need to be diplomatic about this here: when only one type of movie is doing big box office (comic book and other tentpole mega-franchises, that is), that means movies are not mainstream, and only that one subset of movies is. Fandom culture is mainstream. Superheroes are mainstream. Movies -- that is to say, the entire scope of cinema, not just those fandom properties -- are not mainstream. So if you're going to invest in a show that's specifically designed to award movies, you need to accept that from the get-go it's not going to draw a mainstream audience unless it's restricted to celebrating only fandom franchises. ABC clearly isn't okay with this, and unfortunately the Academy has thus far been willing to alter their identity to appease the network executives.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: the Oscars are not "out of touch" as they are so often accused of. Do you also think the Pulitzer Prize committee is "out of touch" because they haven't awarded James Patterson, Tom Clancy, or Stephen King? The general public at this stage in our culture is only slightly more interested in cinema than they are in literature, which is to say not very much at all. The Oscars aren't out of touch with the public; the public is out of touch with cinema. Nothing's going to change that, so it would be better for all if ABC stopped trying to force it. End the contract, and let the Oscars find a new home somewhere that will be okay with the show being more of a niche thing. I can't imagine the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame does huge numbers every year, yet HBO is totally on board with broadcasting the entire ceremony. I think HBO would be fine for the Oscars, and it would eliminate the need for commercials to boot. Or as Amy Camus mentioned in a previous comment, TCM would be a perfect fit for them. Let the Oscars be for actual movie lovers, not for people tuning in just to see A-list celebrities and who couldn't even tell you what cinematography is.
I think the ratings are ultimately driven by how popular the nominated movies are, so none of this is likely to move the needle in a positive way for what ABC and the Academy are focused on.
But I'm exhausted by all this overwrought hand-wringing on the topic. Let them try new things! I'm worried as well but if it's not a success they can try something else next year!
It might not be easy to coordinate, but I keep wondering if all 20 acting nominees stood together and said they wouldn’t show up unless all 23 are presented live. Perhaps it would inspire other members to threaten the same. Not sure if it would make any difference 😤
I've loved the Oscars since I was 14. I'm turning 40 soon. All this turmoil with the Oscars just breaks my heart.
Leave it to people today to try to ruin a nearly 100 year old institution. I sometimes hate the world we live in today.
@ TOM, Amy Camus, Jonathan and Edwin
Yes, yes, yes.
@ Dan H
Maybe...
Very curious what the response will be when the ratings inevitable turn out to be low. Will ABC just chuck everything except the glittering celeb actor/actress awards next year? A montage highlighting only Marvel films with only Marvel actors allowed to present? It's sad that ABC does not seem to be aware that no twitter popularity contest is going to make more viewers tune in. I don't know what the future of televised award ceremonies will be, people simply don't care to watch them anymore and no pathetic stunt or cutting categories is gonna make them interested again.
You know something. ABC has it completely wrong. All of those categories at the Oscars mean something. Even the short film portions. If it wasn't for those short film categories. We would've never have heard of the likes of Andrea Arnold or Taika Waititi. All of those categories in the technical mean something. For that filmmaker, it brings them a sense of pride knowing that their cinematographer, editor, production designer, costume designer, the sound crew, the makeup crew, visual effects crew, and the music people are all at least honored with something and a win for one of those people is a win for the team. To rob those individuals of that moment is a fucking slap in the face to cinema.
Therefore, FUCK THE OSCARS!!!!! If they're going to cater to the lowest common denominator by presenting stupid social-media awards to a bunch of fickle morons. Then cancel the whole fucking thing. I refuse to live in a world where an overbearing moron like James Corden has an Oscar in his hand. If I had won the Oscar and then realize so has James Corden. I throw that shit in the trash.
I've been a devoted Oscar fan since 2003, and this might be the first year I actually just skip the show altogether. I already know I'm not going to enjoy it.
This started in 2009 when they decided to expand the Best Picture field.
They wasted no time giving The Blind Side a Best Picture nomination. Then in an act of contrition they changed it to 5-10 nominees—not better in any way, honestly weirder, and another signal that the AMPAS would follow the backlash wherever it led them.
Cutting the Honorary Awards from the telecast was a troubling sign. If you thought anything was sacred to the Academy, that should have disabused you.
The diversity rule changes (about film eligibility) should have been a moment of confident and reassuring leadership. But it was presented (by the Academy) as a historic disruption. We've now seen that it wasn't, and didn't affect the types of films that get recognized at all. I'm not aware of any disqualifications on the basis of diversity, etc. So they loudly scored all their points and pissed off casual observers for a fairly undisruptive, technical new policy.
So taken all together, this AMPAS is a terribly led organization beholden to terrible partners without a sense of its own importance, unconcerned with its own reputation, indifferent to maintaining its own standards. So it's basically over—but it's been ending for more than a decade, however people rationalized and dismissed the steady erosion.
The Oscars need to stand their ground and reverse this decision on the eight categories now. Going through with this would be such a show of disrespect. It's really sad that a ratings obsession has come down to this. It won't even change a thing in that regard. Maybe there will still be a miracle. I hope so.
Get a clue everyone... " the times, they are a changing " and so are the Oscars.
Yes, the Oscars are changing. And that's OK. But the changes have to be right. But you don't change major things. And you definitely don't NOT present awards at an awards show. That's just idiotic.
"What terrible, depressing news...
I just don't know what to make of the world anymore."
Tyler, I make your words mine.
It's the way I feel.
It's insulting, disrespectful, a shame!
Wake up, Academy!
Respect your (our) history and tradition!
#presentall23
They're ruining the Oscar like they have ruined everything else.
You know, I look forward to very little every year. I don’t much care for holidays, my birthday has the tendency of being a let down, I’m not into sports, and heck I even worked during my vacation last week. But two days that I always look forward to are nominations day and the Oscars. Looks like ABC is trying to take that away too, just because they have no clue what their real audience cares about.