Almost everyone in Hollywood agrees that the Oscar ceremony is broken, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has — belatedly, given years of stops and starts — made fixing the telecast a six-alarm priority. The academy, which is under new management, had little choice after last year’s debacle, when Will Smith angrily slapped Chris Rock before going on to win the best actor trophy, stupefying viewers and embarrassing moviedom’s elite.
Specific plans for the show are still secret. So far, the academy has said that there will be a host (Jimmy Kimmel, who has done the job twice before) and that all 23 categories will be presented live. (Eight were sidelined to commercial breaks last year, in a futile effort to save time.) Unlike in previous years, the academy hired producers for the telecast who are actually experienced in making live television.
Fewer stars have attended the Oscars over the past decade, in part because they don’t want to sit through the marathon event. (Celebrities: They’re just like us!) Academy officials have said they plan to make a renewed push for A-list attendees. But one star — Smith — will not be invited, even though it is customary for best actor winners to return to present the Oscar for best actress. The academy barred him from attending for 10 years because of his “harmful behavior” toward Rock.
