First it was the furor over a proposed new “popular” film category, then it was the fiasco over planned host Kevin Hart, and last month the organizers of the Oscars were accused of intimidating celebrities not to present at rival award shows.
Last week, another storm erupted when, as part of a pledge to shorten next Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, plans to present awards for cinematography, film editing, live-action shorts and makeup/hairstyling during commercial breaks were slammed as insulting by actors, directors and cinematographers. Five days later, the plan was scrapped.
It’s been a tough 12 months for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as it battles to restore its annual Oscars show to a must-see event after the U.S. television audience slumped to an all-time low last year.
“This year, the bigger question than who will win at the Oscars is what the heck is going on at the academy?” said Tim Gray, awards editor at Hollywood trade publication Variety.
“There have been a slew of bungles,” Gray added. “I feel they are flailing around and acting out of desperation.”
Under pressure from the ABC television network to trim and liven up the ceremony, the academy has seen many of its efforts backfire.
Bungles include a retreat in September over a proposed new “popular film” category, the withdrawal in December of Oscars host Kevin Hart because of past homophobic tweets, and an accusation in January by the U.S. actors union that the academy was pressuring celebrities not to appear or present at award ceremonies other than the Oscars.
Even diversity has been a major talking point at the Oscars in recent years, since the #OscarsSoWhite controversy in 2015.
The Oscars is the last in a long Hollywood season that sees award shows and celebrity-packed red carpets every week over two months.
(Excerpt) Read More at: Reuters.com