Maybe they should've just cancelled the Oscars?

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...

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Linkers Dozen

three must reads
• Blood Knife "Everyone is beautiful and no one is horny." Excellent article about the weird symmetry of the perfection of the body and the desexualization of cinema
• Thrillist Chris Feil suggests Oscars clips for this year's acting nominees
• The Ringer "Robert Pattinson has been lying to you for years" investigating the actors self-mythologizing interviews

Sam Elliott mouths off, the cast of Oppenheimer, a restoration of Alligator, Stephen King's next book, and more after the jump...

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Why can't the Oscars love themselves as much as we love the Oscars?

by Nathaniel R

"If you can't love yourself, how the hell you gonna love anybody else?" RuPaul's famous episode ending quote on RuPaul's Drag Race is profundity in silly soundbite form. "Amen!" How different might our current but lifelong Oscars obsession be if the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences took this fact to heart. How much more fun would the annual Oscar circus be if they just learned to love themselves again. For you see, the more they think poorly of themselves, the more we begin to question our own lifelong love for the event. Have we wasted decades of our lives obsessing over this annual holiday/event/ritual? If they no longer feel any love, perhaps we should consider a divorce?

As you may have heard the Oscars will not be airing 8 of their 23 categories LIVE this year, but instead do them an hour before the broadcast and then edit them into the evening...

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Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes are hosting the Oscars

by Nathaniel R

We'd already heard that the Academy was eyeing a "three-act" structure for the March 27th ceremony and now we know who is starring in those "acts". Fine actress Regina Hall, and two hilarious TV comediennes Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes. We'd hoped for Maya Rudolph or Kristen Wiig since they're always deeply hilarious when presenting Oscars but we like this trio. The past couple of years have proven that we really do need hosts for some kind of party throughline and the Academy could have chosen (and have chosen) much worse! 

What'cha think? 

Oscar can't quite let that "Popular Movie Oscar" idea go...

While the "Popular Movie" Oscar idea the Academy Awards floated a few years ago was met with immediate backlash, Oscar can't quite let the idea go. Their latest attempt at populism to increase ratings is to incorporate Twitter users into the ceremony via a "Twitter Fan Vote"... and that begins today. Whichever movie gets the most votes with the hashtag #OscarsFanFavoritee will be honored on the Broadcast, though it thankfully won't be getting an official statue. A fan favourite scene will also be played on Oscar night via the hashtag #OscarsCheerMoment. All of which seems like an excuse to show a clip of Andrew Garfield walking through a magical portal into Spider-Man No Way Home which they could do anyway since the movie is up for Best Visual Effects. Plus Oscar ceremonies would always be wise to include a montage of the past year in film.

The second part of this is ultra specific and odd. Three twitter users who vote this year will get an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to present an Oscar at the 95th Oscars in 2023. Why anyone but their family would want to watch three random civilians present an Oscar when we there are hundreds of bonafide celebrities in the room we could be watching instead is beyond us.