Ryan McNeil
Permit me a sports reference for a moment. When I played little league baseball, every once in a while my team would be losing a game so badly, that the coach would call the left fielder in to pitch. The idea is that you’re already out of it, what’s the worst that could happen?
This year’s Oscar Ceremony is just such a little league team, and indeed, they’ve called the left fielder in to pitch. More thoughts on this oddity after the jump
This year’s class, while worthy, is highly peppered with films and roles that many of the general movie-going public haven’t heard of. So much so, that THE READER, FROST/NIXON, and MILK are headed towards being three of the lowest-grossing besst pic nominees in ages. As if underexposure of the best in class isn’t bad enough, this year Oscar has tapped some very deserving talent that are the complete opposite of household names. I dare anyone to stand in front of a multiplex and ask moviegoers if they are fans of Melissa Leo, Frank Langhella, Viola Davis, or Michael Shannon.
Let me be clear that all of those actors are deserving. They just don’t carry the sort of glitz that Hollywood once projected from its big night. Actually it’s kind of odd that such underexposure is happening in a year that both halves of Hollywood’s highest-profile couple landed nominations.
Beyond the low-keyness of the nominees themselves, there’s the intriguing decision of Hugh Jackman as host (though he could very well kill), and the choice to keep secret who will be presenting (presenters won’t even be walking the read carpet).
Not strange enough for you? How about this – in a year where only three tunes made the cut to get nominated for Best original Song, producers didn’t even want to let the performers do their entire song. They are capping the performances at 65 seconds each. In a neat twist, this decision has prompted Peter Gabriel to decline performing. Congrats gang, now we’re down to 2 songs…more time for montages right?
These strange choices remind me of 2005 where awards were presented in the crowd, and full groups of nominees were brought up on stage with the winner stepping forward. As host Chris Rock put it “Next year we’re holding the awards at the McDonald’s drive-thru. ‘Here’s your Oscar, here’s your McFlurry, keep the line moving.”
I know Hollywood – it’s your biggest night. But I think the relaity might be that it’s too big, and that people just don’t have the attention for it that they once did. You’re competeing for an audience in ways you never were before, and the sooner you learn that, the better. Stop overproducing, stop paying attention to the ratings, and just hand out some trophies.
If that doesn’t work, I think the second baseman looks like he’d like to pitch…
They aren’t letting them perform the whole songs? That is ridiculous! 65 second cap? Flippin heck. Ridiculous. Not much gets me up in arms over Oscars stuff but this sure does!
They the nominees and winners have thier moments! It’s only once a year and for some it maybe only once in a lifetime.
On the night of the Oscars I’ll be in New York celebrating a friend’s birthday which very well means I may miss the show entirely for the first time in 18 years. Based on your rundown, and the declining returns of the Oscars and Hollywood in general over the past decade (along with the fact that I haven’t seen, nor especially desired to see, very many movies from 2008)…it seems like this break with tradition may not be such a terrible thing after all. Kind of sad, really…this is how my childhood love affair with the Academy ends, not with a bang but a (65-second) whimper.
Though always over long, to me The Oscars was never necessarily about the trophies – it’s the celebration of film. Those montages are key for me. The one they did a few years ago on Film Noir was tremendous – it always reaffirms my love of film and hopefully instills it in someone else.
The songs have never really been favourites (simply because many are usually pretty dull), BUT if you’re going to do it – do it. Abbreviating the songs like that is kind of an insult to the artists. Worse was the one year they had Beyonce do three of the songs – no offense to her specifically, but she didn’t do all those songs in the films. She must’ve had a great publicist.
There was one year that was great for the songs though (2004 broadcast) – the lovely song from “A Mighty Wind” between Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara, the great tune from “Triplets Of Belleville” and a wonderful performance by Alison Krauss – but they gave it to the drab closing credits song for “The Return Of The King”.
OK, I’ve forgotten my point…Oh yeah – Oscars, don’t forget to celebrate film. Embrace those montages and sell people on diving into unchartered cinema waters.