Can the Oscars ever change? Industry pushback reveals the peril of rethinking the show
LOS ANGELES — The motion picture academy’s announcement Tuesday that it will shift the presentation of eight awards out of the upcoming Oscars telecast has sparked a chorus of criticism, revealing frictions within the organization as it struggles to save Hollywood’s biggest night from the existential threat of declining ratings.
According to the academy’s plan, which was revealed in an email to its roughly 10,000 members, five below-the-line awards and the three short film awards will be handed out in the Dolby Theatre in the hour before the March 27 Oscars telecast begins. While the starriest of the 23 categories will have their envelope-opening moments shown live on the air, the presentation of the affected categories — film editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, production design, sound, documentary short subject, animated short and live-action short —
