The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences learned something important on Friday, when it reversed course and decided to present all 24 awards on the air during this year’s Oscar ceremony.
It’s the Oscars, dammit, and the Academy needs to act like it’s the film world’s biggest night.
When the Academy told its members that four categories — Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Live-Action Short — would be presented during commercial breaks and then edited into the show, the board was seemingly unprepared for the furor that would follow.
And when the Academy responded on Wednesday to the widespread condemnation from filmmakers, guilds, agencies and fans, it blamed everything on a misunderstanding, on “inaccurate reporting” and “misinformation.”