New OSCARS Category: "Popular Film" (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

Link HERE.

It's an attempt to boost ratings of their award telecast. There are also plans to shorten the broadcast.

Still things to sort out.

 

[dpippel]

Yawn.

 

[Malcolm R]

There are also plans to shorten the broadcast.

Yeah, they've said that before, but never really meant it. I'll believe it when I see it.

One popular award, which won't even be a surprise if it's simply given to the highest grossing film of the year, isn't going to draw viewers.

I'm also not sure why the primary concern of the AMPAS seems to be television ratings. I'd think they'd rather concentrate on film quality.

 

[trajan007]

Another reason why I don't watch the Oscars.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Next from AMPAS: participation trophies

 

[MatthewA]

This is everybody-gets-a-trophyism at its worst.

 

[Arthur Powell]

It almost sounds like a return to 1927/1928 when you had two recipients for best picture - Wings for best production and Sunrise for artistic achievement. I will say though that adding a new category for "popular film" does sound a tad bit patronizing.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Nope, nope, nope.

This category will do exactly what the animated feature category has done since its inception, preventing any real possibility that a popular film will win Best Picture because the voters will just award it at the "kids table" of the popular category and be done with it.

 

[t1g3r5fan]

Why couldn't they bring back the Best Adapted/Musical/Song Score category instead?

 

[Nick*Z]

To be followed by Best Performance by a Pet in a Non-leading role.

Quick fixes to the sagging ratings problem.
1) Bring back the grandiose opening production number.
2) Get an engaging host (I mean, is there no one 'other' than Billy Crystal today who can carry the show?!?! Really?!?!?
3) Nominate movies worthy of an Oscar. Better still, make some worthy to be nominated!
4) Leave your politics at the front door.
5) Get a host who can ad-lib. Remember the days when Carson hosted? A class act.

Miss Piggy to Carson: Johnny, can you honestly stand there in your rented tuxedo and tell me I am not Oscar material?
Carson to Piggy: Oscar Meyer, maybe!

Classic...simply, classic.

The real problem with the Oscars is that they are passe in the extreme. They're not fun to watch, and outside of the occasional 'looking back' pieces, (Lady Gaga's tribute to The Sound of Music, and Shirley Bassey warbling Goldfinger to celebrate 50 years of Bond immediately come to mind), as well as the occasional 'tribute' pieces (In Memoriam's always good for a smile and a tear) they lack the charm of the older telecasts, mostly because all that glittering and time-honored talent that used to be pulled out of mothballs yearly to do it is, sadly, gone. And the 'new' breed? Well, they can't really hold a candle to the alumni of yore.

As for the validity of the category of 'most popular' film. The Oscars are not the People's Choice Award. Frank Pallotta on Twitter posted the following.

"Here's the ten highest-grossing films, when accounting for inflation aka America's most "popular" films. Every single one was either nominated for or won Best Picture with the exception of "Snow White," which was given an honorary Oscar. Popular films are films!"

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Have my laserdisc of Oscar's Greatest Moments 1971-1991 to keep me happy at Oscar time.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

Very lame move as many have astutely noted here. It's like the Billboard Awards for music; which has zero suspense or interest for me because it's based entirely on sales charts and only the winners (who already have figured out they won) need show up.

The whole value of the Oscars in my eye was to expose audiences to quality films they might not have run out to the multi-plex to see, but can now catch up with having been validated by the voters in the industry who actually make the films and appreciate originality, and not just bucks.

The telecast gets decent ratings, even though down, so who cares about catering to the lowest common denominator. And why is that even a goal for the Academy? Networks should be glad to take what they get from a ceremony that for decades was never televised, and should not just be about pleasing television viewers. But I guess I'm just dreaming here.

 

[Nick*Z]

The telecast gets decent ratings, even though down, so who cares about catering to the lowest common denominator. And why is that even a goal for the Academy? Networks should be glad to take what they get from a ceremony that for decades was never televised, and should not just be about pleasing television viewers. But I guess I'm just dreaming here.

Dreaming...of a white Christmas too...in July!

 

[Jason_V]

Nope, nope, nope.

This category will do exactly what the animated feature category has done since its inception, preventing any real possibility that a popular film will win Best Picture because the voters will just award it at the "kids table" of the popular category and be done with it.

This. Completely.

I understand the intent behind the animation category, but it almost assuredly means no animated film will compete for the Best Picture award. I'm sure the adage "separate, but equal" comes into play here.

 

[haineshisway]

The flailing by AMPAS is both amusing and disgusting.

 

[Todd Erwin]

I thought this was a joke, at first. Do not like this idea.

 

[Matt Hough]

A very sad day, I think. The whole business of expanding the Best Picture category was to catch some of those "popular" films that were being overlooked, and now that this idea didn't solve the problem, they're going to institute something else. Frankly, I'll be surprised if it ever actually happens despite this announcement, but if it does, it won't last very long. I can see them dropping the idea after a year or two if it actually makes it to nominations.

 

[Malcolm R]

I can see them dropping the idea after a year or two if it actually makes it to nominations.

I'm not sure they would even have nominations, since there's only one "most popular" film each year. How could they justify giving the award to anything other than the top grossing film of the year?

I'm thinking it would just be a single award presented to the top box office film of the year, like the other special non-voted awards.

 

[Todd Erwin]

A very sad day, I think. The whole business of expanding the Best Picture category was to catch some of those "popular" films that were being overlooked, and now that this idea didn't solve the problem, they're going to institute something else. Frankly, I'll be surprised if it ever actually happens despite this announcement, but if it does, it won't last very long. I can see them dropping the idea after a year or two if it actually makes it to nominations.

The Oscars are becoming more like the Emmy Awards, delegating what the Academy deems lesser awards to either another ceremony entirely or to be presented during a commercial break. Very sad, indeed.

 

[Worth]

Meh. It's not as though the Oscars were ever pure. It was always about hype and promotion. Louis B. Mayer reportedly said:

I found that the best way to handle [filmmakers] was to hang medals all over them. […] If I got them cups and awards they’d kill themselves to produce what I wanted. That’s why the Academy Award was created.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/55360/why-were-oscars-created

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/02/secret-oscar-history