Saving Oscar: Boomer to Zoomer
In the series finale, I modernize the dusty show format for the YouTube generations
This week’s series is about how to fix the Oscars. I’ve made the case for a larger-than-life show, shaking up the season, awarding more best pictures and recruiting an A-list army to attend the show.
I’m also soliciting stories about the wildfires in L.A. at this link here; we are sorry for everyone struggling in the moment and hope to share some of your stories. If nothing else, shoot me a picture of your hotel breakfast buffet with your dog at Richard@theankler.com.
Let’s imagine that the Academy and the industry have been taking notes all week and all of my Saving Oscar suggestions are implemented. The show moves to early January to be involved in the conversation while people are still having it and to preempt the endless precursor slog which is sucking the life out of this process. The Academy decides to bring into the tent the films people are actually talking about and adds new categories, diluting the all-importance of the best picture prize. It restores a sense of community to these proceedings, to make this Hollywood’s Big Night once again, and to, if need be, compel the industry’s big players into participating. And the Academy does all this while preserving the cinematic experience and honoring all forms of filmmaking out there.
With all those important changes, there’s still the question of the show itself. I approach this part with a heavy heart because the changes I think the show needs are not necessarily what I would enjoy personally. This, I suppose, is the point: For too long the Academy has entirely favored the whims of aging hardcore industry devotees like me, giving only the most minor nods to changes in the culture. So this may not make me happier as a viewer, but as someone who badly wants Oscar not just to survive but to thrive as a cultural force, facing change is long overdue.
So as hard as this is, this final set of ideas for Saving Oscar is probably the most important, without which, it’s hard to see things turning around.
A Radio Show in TikTok Times
I am pained in saying this, but we’re dealing with a show format — big stage, audience seated politely listening to speeches with a tiny smattering of shtick and maybe a couple of songs — that doesn’t just harken back to the days before cable TV, it’s a relic . . .
