The Oscars are struggling for equilibrium after a ratings hit in the last few years. Eight awards will not be presented live at the ceremony next month - and a new populist prize will be given out based on fan votes. Variety reports that of the 23 categories of the 94th Academy Awards, the Oscars for these will be presented off-air and edited into the telecast - Documentary Short, Film Editing, Hair and Makeup, Original Score, Production Design, Animated Short, Live Action Short and Sound. This shortening of the ceremony has been savaged on social media, compounded by the introduction of the Oscars Fan Favourite and Oscars Cheer Moment - prizes that will be awarded on the basis of fan votes via tweets or on a special site.
On Twitter, the criticism has snowballed:
Imagine winning an Academy Award and you're dumped from the telecast to make way for CINDERELLA to win the Fan Favorite award. #PresentAll23 #Oscars
— Doug Jamieson (@itsdougjam) February 22, 2022
Dear @TheAcademy,
— William Bibbiani (@WilliamBibbiani) February 23, 2022
You can give away the Best Editing, Production Design, Sound, and Makeup/Hairstyling #Oscars off-camera.
But only if you do the whole show in one static shot.
Of an empty stage.
Without sound.
And none of the presenters can wear makeup or do their hair.
This is truly the ultimate insult to the art of filmmaking. Without score, makeup, hair, editing, sound, production design you would have nothing. Why distort the show? ARE YOU REALLY going to Edit Joe Walker and Hank Corwin and Myron Kerstein? #Oscars
— Jazz Tangcay (@jazzt) February 23, 2022
Putting any category outside of the live #Oscars broadcast is bullshit but FILM EDITING?
— Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) February 22, 2022
The #Oscars are the only big awards show where artists who make short films are recognized just like big stars. If you remove those categories then it will be like shorts don't even exist for general people. @TheAcademy should respect all nominees and movie lovers. #PresentAll23
— Ronaldo Trancoso Jr (@ronaldotrancoso) February 23, 2022
In the last 10 years, the only tie that happened at the #Oscars was in the Sound category.
— Nicol (@nikowl) February 23, 2022
Sir Ennio Morricone's overdue Oscar speech in 2015.
Meryl's tribute to her makeup artist when they both won in 2011.
We need to see these moments live as they happen.#PresentAll23
Oscars viewership has been in freefall over the last few years; last year's show was watched by a little over 10 million viewers, reports news agency AFP - 56 per cent down from the already record low numbers of the 2020 edition of Hollywood's biggest awards. In 2018, a proposal to include a 'popular film' category to honour mainstream blockbusters was shelved after backlash; this year's 'fan favourite' will not be a formal category and will allow fans to vote for films like Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Bond film No Time To Die and other money spinners which received no love when the Oscar nominations were announced earlier this month.
The Academy Awards this year will be held on March 27 and will return to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the traditional home of the Oscars. Last year, the pandemic-hit award show was held at a train station. The Power Of The Dog, directed by Jane Campion and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, leads nominations with 12.
