Behind the atypical love story that was at the forefront of the 2003 film The Cooler, there was a far more intriguing subplot about the old style traditional casinos trying to compete with the flashier, edgier casinos; Old vs. new as it were. Alec Baldwin, representing the old style casinos is ultimately thwarted by up and comer Ron Livingston, who learns how to adapt to the faster moving, hipper world. It’s a classic case of Darwinism, and one the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is dealing with now.
Feeling their annual Oscar awards ceremony hasn’t delivered the ratings it deserves, the Academy has gone back to the drawing board so to speak and revamped the look and order of the show as a means of appealing to younger audiences who generally ignore the show.
Out is veteran host Billy Crystal. You won’t see any of his aged contemporaries like Whoopi Goldberg or Steve Martin hosting either. This year it’s Chris Rock, who himself has gone on to say “I never watched the Oscars. It’s a fashion show. What straight black man sits there and watches the Oscars”? While causing a stir with some of the established Academy over this and other similar remarks, others, such as the producer of this years show, Gil Cates, have applauded Rock for his comments, and anticipate the comedian brining something fresh to the show. To accommodate Rock’s spontaneous nature the stage is being redesigned to allow Rock room access to move about, so he’ll be able to interact with the crowd.
Also gone is the ritual of every announced winner coming up on the stage to receive their award and give an acceptance speech. Some categories will still take place this year, but in lieu of that at times winners from some of the “lesser” categories, will receive their prizes while staying in their seats. Also, in some instances, all of the nominees for certain categories will stand on stage as a winner is announced.
Although the show will be more interactive, feel younger, and have a host that represents everything the show hasn’t been since its inception, so what? The big question is, will any of these changes allure new viewers who stay away from the usually stodgy show? Probably not. The Academy has only solved half the problem.
Even if the presentation of the show is being altered significantly, the types of films being nominated are still enough to keep away the general public. Not one of the five nominated films has cracked the one hundred million dollar mark at the Oscars. With three biopics, a story of neurotic wine-lovers and a sentimental boxing throwback vying for best picture, is Joe Public, who prefers Spider Man 2 and Kill Bill when he goes to the multiplex, really going to want to tune in? Until the Academy finds a more populist way of defining what makes an “Oscar Worthy Film”, they should be thankful the Bruce Vilanch type crowd sticks around.
Or will it? The changes have a definite possibility of alienating and possibly offending the few millions of people who do normally watch the ceremony yearly. Is that a risk the Academy wants to take?
Who knows, maybe I’m wrong. All the controversy aside, this year’s show, will definitely be interesting. And Insidepulse is going to be there every step of the way, with features galore, and live coverage, featuring myself (and Brendan Campbell).
