It’s time for Hollywood to face reality and produce a television awards show that the public actually wants to watch.
Recently a group of actors, directors, cinematographers and other filmmakers were outraged when the Academy announced it was going to record four categories during commercial breaks during the ABC broadcast of the 91st Academy Awards, which is just a week away.
You would have thought the world had ended.
The Academy, hoping to get the “show” down to three hours, decided to record the winners in the Cinematography, Film Editing, Live Action Short, and Makeup and Hairstyling categories.
A perfect reasonable decision.
It would not have impacted many viewers because, very frankly, very few people around the world know anyone in these categories and could care less who wins them.
Truth hurts.
But, in response to this reasonable decision, Hollywood went crazy and the Academy was forced to reverse itself, now endangering the goal of making a bloated mostly unentertaining show even longer.
All of this huffing and puffing forgets this fact: Nothing in the television “constitution” says the Oscars must be live, three hours long, and include every category ever considered.
In fact, the Academy Awards are a TV show.
Like any other TV show.
Which means you want viewers, to get the ratings, so it can pay for itself.
I have a very simple solution for ABC and the other networks moving forward:
Start the Oscars online at any time you want, and then join them in progress on network TV for the final hour.
That way Hollywood can get everyone together and they can sit and applaud all of the categories for several hours online.
Then, promptly at 10 pm EST, here is my hour-long rundown for a tight, sure to be ratings hit show on ABC:
OSCARS LIVE RUNDOWN:
10 PM – Roll opening credits, introduce host
10:01 PM – Toss to montage of the categories/nominees for tonight’s live show
10:10 PM – Toss to break
10:14 PM – Best Actor/brief clips
10:16 PM – Best Actor accepts award
10:18 PM -Toss to break
10:22 PM – Best Actress/brief clips
10:24 PM – Best Actress Accepts Award
10:26 PM -Toss to break
10:30 PM – Tease for 2nd half
10:32 PM – In Memoriam
10:35 PM – Interview with Best Actor/Actress
10:37 PM – Toss to break
10:41 PM – Best Director/brief clips
10:43 PM = Best Director accepts award
10:45 PM – Toss to break
10:49 PM – Best Film/Clips
10:52 PM – Best Film participants accept award
10:55 PM – Recap of winners/analysis
10:57 PM – End
10:59 PM – Local News Begins On Time
The academy is free to use my run-down starting in 2020 and beyond.