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And the Oscar for most oblivious goes to...the Academy
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They just don't get it.
The governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced yesterday that the best-picture lineup at the Academy Awards will be doubling from five films to 10, effective at next year’s Oscars ceremony. The awards organizers are hoping the change will boost the telecast’s sagging ratings.
Too bad it won’t.
The problem with the Oscars isn’t that they aren’t nominating enough films. It’s that the majority of the nominated films are ones the general public has never heard of. Not to say the past winners and nominees weren’t worthy of their kudos, but when a film like “The Dark Knight” gets snubbed in almost every category when practically everyone in the world saw and loved it, there’s something very wrong with your ceremony. Heath Ledger had to die to get his nomination and subsequent reward. That may sound harsh, but do you really think if he was still alive anyone from the Academy would have even mentioned his name?
Academy President Sid Ganis said based on last year’s selection of films the board decided there was room for more in the top category. Films ranging from documentaries to comedies will all have a shot at top honors.
"Everybody says the academy will never nominate a comedy," Ganis said. "Well, maybe we will."
No one mentioned to Mr. Ganis that “It Happened One Night” won the award for Best Picture in 1934 and it was a (*gasp) comedy. Way to be, Sid.
The academy’s film choices aren’t the only thing causing more and more people to tune out each year. How about the fact that everyone at the ceremony takes themselves so seriously? The acceptance speeches have gotten so overblown and ridiculous, that you’d think the honorees were curing cancer, not receiving top honors in entertainment. These are people who make a living pretending to be someone else for the amusement of others.
Here’s a fact. In the early 1900s when film first came on to the scene, no one cared who the actors or actresses were in the movies they watched. It was the career of failed playwrights and thespians not good enough for the stage. If you made motion pictures, you were a joke. It wasn’t until audiences started recognizing Mary Pickford that acting on the screen became more glamorized. Fast forward to 2009, the same people who would have been laughed at a hundred years ago are now making more money per movie than some households make in a year.
What hardworking, middle-class American wants to watch an awards ceremony where Angelina Jolie is wearing a dress worth more than their yearly salary? It’s like watching the prom for rich people.
So, will the Oscars ever become more relatable? Will they start nominating more films people have actually seen? Will Sean Penn ever stop acting like he’s the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?
Don’t count on it.
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