The Oscars should lose it
I will admit the only part of the award show I watched was the opening monologue. And that five minutes and 15 seconds made me feel awkward and uncomfortable. Why were two not very funny actors hosting the entire ceremony?
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And then it dawned on me: we don't need them. Sure, a controversial comedian like Ricky Gervais is great for the Golden Globes. The pre-Oscars needs all the buzz it can get.
But the Academy Awards has gotten out of hand. The most important night in Hollywood goes on way too long. Let's lose the host.
Think about it: when was the last time you tuned in just for the host? Probably never. Not that you had many options. In recent years it was either Billy Crystal or Steve Martin anyway. Oscar's attempts at introducing anyone else has been short-lived.
And now that there are 10 Best Picture nominees, audiences don't have enough of an attention span for more than those film clips and the actual winners. Throw in the performance for Best Original Song and you've already got a two-hour show.
The best part of this year's show was this video clip. So I say let's have more auto-tune and less unfunny banter. Of course, if Hollywood actually took this advice, then what would we have to talk about the next day?
But here's the thing,. Melissa.
While I'm no fan of the Oscar's – particularly last night's sluggish, bloated affair – you just penned a 200-word blog post, with a link to a video clip, instead of expanding on your thoughts and providing readers with a reasoned, measured critique of what went wrong, how it went wrong, and why.
You're part of the problem. You have don't have the will or the attention span to do more than provide a couple of half-hearted paragraphs, because pop culture today is all about speed and superficial sound bites.
That was the real problem with the Oscars this year — the show's producers tried to pander to a young audience, by hiring young hosts, and they ended up with a train wreck.
It's a funny thing. Back in the Oscar's halcyon years, nobody ever complained about a wily old veteran like Bob Hope as host. And yet, those broadcasts were also three hours or more in length.
What the Oscars really needs is a return to glamour. It's Hollywood's biggest night: Why not treat it that way?
I tuned OUT because of the host. I always liked Anne H. until her last movie (which I did not see) where she does soft porn and where she lost me as a fan. I have no intention of ever seeing her do anything ever again. That is my only recourse as a consumer when a singer or an actor makes choices that are in direct conflict with my morals. All I can do is to make sure that I am not a hypocrite and that I do nothing to further line their pockets. The fact that she proved herself to be giddy and immature explains her poor judgment to me in her last choice of roles and whether she lives to regret it or not, it will live forever on film. And she thinks she is so "classy"!