82nd Academy Awards -- The Show

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OscarGuy
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Post by OscarGuy »

I find it funny when people say "we have to bring in more viewers" and then compare it to the People's Choice Awards, which gives American Audiences exactly what they say is wrong with the Academy Awards.

Yet, let's look at this:

January 6, 2010, the People's Choice Awards drew in 11.1 million viewers for a 7.0 rating in the 9:00 hour (for the 8:00 hour, it was 10.4 million, 6.6 rating).

Yet, the LOWEST rating the Academy Awards has gotten since 1990 was the 80th ceremony with 31.76 million viewers and a 18.66 rating. So, I hardly think it appropriate for them to want to be more like the People's Choice awards when they are already the second most watched special event every year behind only the Super Bowl.

And, I'll say it again. Regardless of what butchery Shankman provides, the ratings WILL be up just because The Blind Side and Avatar are in the running, but Shankman will say it was all his effort that got the higher ratings...and we'll know it's bull shit, but no one else will.
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Post by Damien »

The non-performance of Best Song scoop comes from Mike Fleming at Dateline Hollywood:

Oscar Spoilers: Best Original Song Artists Not Performing; But Contestants Invited From 'So You Think You Can Dance?'

EXCLUSIVE: Oscarcast executive producers Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic have dropped a bombshell, telling artists nominated for Best Original Song that they won’t be invited to perform the usual big production number. The decision has hit a sour note for the nominated performers. Instead of the Academy Awards' long-held tradition of staged musical performances of the five nominated songs, the music from those songs will be interspersed with footage from each movie to provide more context. I’m told that some of the nominees and filmmakers are outraged, feeling that the Oscar producers are tossing aside tradition and costing musical artists their well-deserved moment of global TV glory. What the Academy Awards telecast producers will certainly do is shave time that can be spent doting on twice as many Best Picture nominees as in years past. And this year in particular, that is a big priority. Never mind that the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences already decided this year to limit the number of Original Song nominees to speed up the Oscar broadcast.

Mechanic's and Shankman's more recent decision appears equally pragmatic. Explanations include that the songs never delivered ratings, and that is what this Oscarcast is all about. That not having the big production numbers will move the show along. That it will save money for distributors, who eat most of the costs (up to 7 figures) of schlepping singers in. That unless a song by Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, Sting or U2 were nominated, most of the worldwide audience is hearing the tune for the first time when it is sung. I mean, can anybody besides Tom Bernard or Michael Barker from Sony Pictures Classics hum a few bars of "Loin de Paname" from Paris 36? Other of this year's 5 nominated Best Original Songs are: "Almost There" and "Down In New Orleans", two tunes penned by Randy Newman for The Princess And The Frog; "Take it All", the Maury Yestin number sung by Marion Cotillard in Nine; and "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)", the Ryan Bingham/T Bone Burnett song performed by Bingham.

I'm also hearing about other Oscars spoilers which Shankman and Mechanic are contemplating -- and changing their minds about just as quickly. (Even though the entire staff involved in the Oscarcast were made to sign a confidentiality agreement!):

-- They have placed an emphasis on drawing young stars like Taylor Lautner and Channing Tatum, hoping that translates to a younger viewing audience. But at the same time they're torn about how to keep storied stars in the mix. I'm told they decided at first to abandon last year’s innovation of having 5 former winners of all ages introduce the Best Actor and Best Actress categories. But that now they are leaning toward keeping what I thought was a very classy innovation by Bill Condon and Laurence Mark.

-- Insiders are also buzzing about what Shankman, an accomplished choreographer, has in mind for dance numbers. One thing I’ve heard: don’t be surprised if some of his dancers are culled from past contestants on So You Think You Can Dance?, the Fox show where Shankman serves as a judge and choreographer. (Hmm, how is ABC going to feel about that?)
=============================

And here's Kris Tapley's take:

This is a bit outrageous. Mike Fleming is reporting at Deadline Hollywood Daily that the original song nominees will not be asked to perform the tracks on the telecast.

I don’t think we can possibly bend over any further.

With my own ears I have heard Shankman say the nominees are “terrible,” the indication more about what livens up a show rather than what makes for a quality original track in a film, mind you. But if you read further down Fleming’s report, you’ll see that Shankman and Mechanic have apparently considered bringing in people like Taylor Lautner and Channing Tatum to reach a younger audience, and that Shankman’s little dance choreography project may include contestants from the Fox show “So You Think You Can Dance?” Shankman serves as a judge on the show.

Can you say conflict of interest? And hey, the People’s Choice Awards has a lot of this stuff covered already, guys.

Who is most hurt by all of this? In my opinion, Ryan Bingham, who was set to reach a massive new audience and perhaps kick-start his career to the next level (a level he deserves). All of this reeks of a certain lack of creativity, too. There are so many ways to have worked this out, any of them (certainly) more fetching than, say, Bob Dylan performing via satellite. This has always been a nice way to break up the telecast, so at this rate, you might as well eliminate the category altogether.
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Post by OscarGuy »

I'm almost thinking Steve Martin might start making fun of the show in the opening monologue...

But, seriously, these people are cheering for people to be cut off in their one moment of glory? Because the likes of Lauren Bacall aren't ratings gold anymore...I'm guessing we're going to have more than enough Twilight bull shit to choke a dead horse.
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Post by Damien »

A little while ago Shankman said he would never cut off someone's acceptance speech -- it was disrespectful to the winners and to the Oscars themselves. One year Gil Cates tried having winners do their list of acknowledgments on an Academy website -- another brilliant idea from Gil.

And he also had big plans for performing the best song nominees. Jeff Bridges and Colin Ferrell aren't big enough stars? And doesn't the great Dr. John sing one of the Princess and the Frog songs (he's on a video for it)? Shankman could always get Ann Reinking.

I agree with Tee -- this thing sounds like it's going to be deliciously Allan Carr awful. I suspect that within an hour, Steve Martin will be making fun of it himself.




Edited By Damien on 1266354063
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Post by Mister Tee »

Does this guy think this constitutes news? They've been issuing that same edict for years.

More notable: Tapley's site says they're not going to have the nominated songs performed this year, apparently because they're not associated with big enough stars. (Meaning the music branch, focused more than ever on songs performed in the the body of the film, are at total odds with this year's producers)

I'm really getting an Allan Carr vibe out of this year's show. I hope Martin & Baldwin can survive the wreckage.
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Post by Hustler »

Source: MTV Movies Blog-Martin Campbell.

The producers of this year's Oscars telecast have made another favorable change to the big show. Fearing that viewers at home tune out during lengthy acceptance speeches with numerous thank yous, with winners sounding off on professional and personal names that few of us know or care about, the nominees have been asked to prepare something more ratings friendly.

Basically the winners will be allowed 45 seconds with which to tell the world what the award means to them. As for shout-outs to agents and parents (and spouses if they're remembered), there will be a separate forum for such gratitude backstage via a "Thank You Cam." These videos will be available online afterward for anyone to see, rather than aired during the television broadcast of the ceremony.
Of course, any winner who disagrees with the change is able to do as he or she pleases given that it's a live show. Any sign of a traditional acceptance, however, would surely be met with immediate music cues signaling a commercial break. One of the telecast's co-producers, Bill Mechanic, believes these kinds of speeches are "the single most-hated thing on the show" and likely won't allow them to ruin the flow of the program.

Anything to move the awards along for those of us at home, right? Clearly the Academy is looking to appease TV viewers by expanding the Best Picture category to allow for more popular fare like "Avatar" and "The Blind Side." And now they're interested in grabbing our attention throughout the ceremony, even if we've grown accustomed to relegating certain moments for bathroom or refreshment breaks.

There seems to be some concern that this latest change is disrespectful toward the Oscar recipients. But I'm all for it, and I think the nominees should recognize that despite the Academy Awards historically being about Hollywood patting itself on the back, it is also typically better for winners to give a memorable speech.

Certainly the true entertainers, such as the acting and directing nominees, know it's more beneficial to their careers for them to go down in Oscar history with a great story of some kind. And the less-famous winners should be aware too, that an interesting anecdote can be advantageous. Think of all the people unfamiliar with Michael Haneke who will be intrigued about his films after he says or does something noteworthy when he wins the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film.

Some people even believe that a good speech-giver is more likely to win an Oscar due to the appeal for TV audiences. Favorite winners include people like Meryl Streep, who is always good for a self-mocking laugh, and those recipients who get extremely emotional and explain, through their tears, how they've wanted the award since youth.

As an example of how to act in their allotted 45 seconds, nominees were reportedly shown a clip of Renee Zellweger's speech from 2004, though you can see for yourself that even she relied too heavily on the personal acknowledgment side when while accepting for her Best Supporting Actress win.
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Post by Damien »

Those poor Tech/Science guys -- they used to get an A-minus hostess.
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Post by Hustler »

dws1982 wrote:Yeah. I looked her up and saw that I'd seen several movies she's been in, and can't remember her in any of them.
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Post by Big Magilla »

She has a nice smile, just right for those technical awards.
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Post by dws1982 »

Right, but I still don't remember anything about her in it.
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Post by Big Magilla »

Laura Bush in W.
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Post by dws1982 »

Yeah. I looked her up and saw that I'd seen several movies she's been in, and can't remember her in any of them.
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Post by Damien »

Hustler wrote:Elizabeth Banks to Host Academy’s Sci Tech Awards
Beverly Hills, CA (February 11, 2010) — Actress Elizabeth Banks will host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards on Saturday, February 20, at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. Banks will present 15 awards to 45 individual recipients during the evening.
WHO???
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Post by Hustler »

Elizabeth Banks to Host Academy’s Sci Tech Awards
Beverly Hills, CA (February 11, 2010) — Actress Elizabeth Banks will host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards on Saturday, February 20, at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. Banks will present 15 awards to 45 individual recipients during the evening.
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Post by Hustler »

Cruz, Penn and Winslet Return for 82nd Oscar® Show
Beverly Hills, CA (February 11, 2010) — All three living performers who won Oscars® in the acting categories last year will return to present at the 82nd Academy Awards®, announced telecast producers Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic. Penélope Cruz will join fellow winners Kate Winslet and Sean Penn as presenters on the March 7 Oscar telecast
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