It’s safe to say that it’s been a rocky road to the 91st Academy Awards. Several controversies have popped up in the months leading to the ceremony, with the most recent one being that the Oscars for Best Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Film Editing and Live-Action Short would not be presented live and instead occur during the commercial breaks, with the shortened presentations being aired later. However, word has come in that this decision has been reversed, and that the winners of the categories will be presented live during the telecast. Here’s the official statement from the Officers of the Board of Governors of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:
The Academy has heard the feedback from its membership regarding the Oscar presentation of four awards - Cinematography, Film Editing, Live Action Short, and Makeup and Hairstyling. All Academy Awards will be presented without edits, in our traditional format. We look forward to Oscar Sunday, February 24.
That’s a quick turnaround, as the announcement that Best Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Film Editing and Live-Action Short wouldn’t be presented live came out this past Monday, February 11. The Academy had already released a statement saying that none of the awards categories at the 91st Academy Awards would be “presented in a manner that depicts the achievements of its nominees and winners as less than any others,” but now it’s been made official: all 24 Oscars categories will be presented on camera live, as has been the norm for decades.
According to Deadline, when it came time to “slight” these four categories, the Academy felt that the “pushback and internal rancor” in reaction to the announcement that they wouldn’t be presented live wasn’t worth trimming approximately 45 minutes out of the Oscars broadcast, which would have cut the broadcast down to the three-hour mark, give or take. The Academy could still be pursuing other options regarding how to shorten the upcoming telecast, but with less than two weeks until the big event, it remains to be seen how this will be accomplished, if at all.
As mentioned earlier, this is hardly the first issue that’s popped up during the planning of the 91st Academy Awards. Last year, it was announced that a Best Popular Film category would be created, but following public outcry, that initiative has been delayed. Then, Kevin Hart was selected to host the Oscars ceremony, but only two days later, he dropped out of the job after past controversial jokes and comments he made resurfaced. Now the 91st Academy Awards will be held without a host, which hasn’t been done since 1989.
The 91st Academy Awards will air Sunday, February 24 on ABC, so check back with CinemaBlend then to learn who walks home with those golden trophies. In the meantime, look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what movies are opening later this year.
