Academy Adds Popular Film Oscar Category in Desperate Ratings Move
At the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors meeting on Tuesday night, the 54 governors voted to add a new category to the Oscars. Per tradition, some 7,000 Academy voters, experts in their field, voted in by their colleagues, will weigh in on the best films of the year in 24 categories covering the crafts of moviemaking, from cinematography to sound, as well as the four acting categories, directing, writing, animation, foreign language, documentary, and fiction shorts and features.
But this year there will be one more: Best Popular Film. The Academy is bowing to pressure from ABC, which is anxious about historic low ratings for its telecast. The next Oscars will air on February 24, 2019 and, in 2020, will move up from February 23 to February 9, the earliest date ever, in a bid to jump ahead of multiple rival awards shows–which will, in turn, move ahead of the Oscars. (In the early days of its history, the Oscars were held in May, moved to April and March, then February.)
The Board also finally succumbed to building pressure to keep the show to three hours and not present live some of the less sexy craft categories, following the lead of other awards shows like the Tonys. (Sexy categories like Sound Mixing and Editing will be presented live during commercial breaks, then edited into the show.) This also serves to undermine the integrity of these annual global awards, which may be losing relevance as a mainstream shared event, but are still revered by cinephiles around the world.
Also at Vanity Fair, Vulture, Slate, Variety, and Collider.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday August 09 2018, @05:18PM (4 children)
If you want ratings, you need more sexual stuff, not less.
"When the Oscars return, the bathing suit competition! Will Weinstein resist and stay in his chair, or will he invade the stage and drop his pants? Stay tuned!"
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday August 09 2018, @08:25PM (3 children)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Weinstein [wikipedia.org]
I'm a little confused why Weinstein has decided to hang around in the U.S. (he had several months during which he could have fled the country). I guess he thinks he can beat the charges, but at age 66, why take the risk of spending your retirement in a U.S. prison?
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Fluffeh on Thursday August 09 2018, @10:04PM (2 children)
Probably had something to do with the fact that he has a behemoth of a company out here and his life is basically tied to that no matter what.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantern_Entertainment [wikipedia.org]
Well... Had a company. Past tense now.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday August 09 2018, @10:26PM (1 child)
He was dismissed from his company in October 2017. Company declared bankruptcy in February and again in March. Acquisition process began on May 1, was finished by July. Weinstein was arrested on May 25, 2018.
He should have pulled a Polanski and GTFO of the United States. Although Polanski fled after already being arrested, reaching a plea bargain, and just before sentencing. However, completely emulating his hero might be difficult or impossible given the amount of scrutiny on his case. Polanski also had French citizenship before he fled. Weinstein only holds American citizenship AFAIK. So he might have to really go far afield to escape justice.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Fluffeh on Friday August 10 2018, @12:53AM
Yes, but it was my understanding that the multiple "we're broke, file for bankruptcy!" incidents were in actuality merely ways to try to protect the assets that remained in the company - so that any future lawsuits had nothing to assault? Also, being fired from the company doesn't mean he lost his share in it. I would assume that he would have also been quite central in the attempt to try to save any remaining value in IP and the like?