The Annual Academy Awards - General Discussion

[Portia]

I was happy to see Get Out get some major nominations.

OK, someone pleeease tell me I'm not the only person to feel this way: I thought that the live nomination announcement was a sh**show.  So it broke my GD brain when I found out the Internet thinks Tiffany Haddish's delivery of the nominations was hilarious and endearing.  To me it was not only embarrassingly bad, but downright disrespectful to the nominees (and potential nominees) who were hanging on her every word.  Granted, I don't know her work; I'm sure she can be really funny in other settings. But to me she just seemed really unprepared and, um, not very smart. I'm wondering who decided she would be the right person for that high-pressure job. 

While I'm voicing unpopular opinions, I think 3 Billboards is way overrated (although I'm fine with all its acting nominations).

Furthermore, I think Octavia Spencer is a so-so actor and can't figure out why everyone thinks she's so great.

You kids get off my lawn.

[TheOtherOne]

17 hours ago, slowpoked said:

Is this just Allison Janney doing a more visible and effective campaign than Metcalfe (I have no source on that, just speculation)? I'm just surprised at how Metcalfe, who was the early frontrunner and favorite in the odds just got overtaken in a big way by someone whose film is not as well-received as hers. Maybe campaign resources got too much focus on Greta and Saoirse?

I've seen reports that Janney is out there working it, and can be seen at multiple industry events per week, getting her face in front of the voters and schmoozing them. Sadly, that's usually what it takes. Meanwhile, Metcalf isn't doing that. She has a kid, and she's getting ready for a Broadway play that opens next month (and which she started rehearsals for yesterday, which will take her off the circuit even more in the next month). She has other things going on, even if she wanted to do all the requisite networking. Janney wants it, she has a day job on Mom that is basically a 9-5 leaving her evenings free (except for taping night), and she's based in LA. The advantage is hers. It would be nice if it were solely about the work (in which case, Metcalf should win easily), but it's not, and apparently only one of them is playing the game.

[sally-can-wait]

5 hours ago, Portia said:

While I'm voicing unpopular opinions, I think 3 Billboards is way overrated (although I'm fine with all its acting nominations).

Granted I have not seen all of the nominated films yet (I've seen Three Billboards, Lady Bird, Get Out, and Dunkirk) but I think all of them are in some ways overrated. This year has been the biggest "meh" for me in years. I keep waiting for something to blow me away like Moonlight and Hell or High Water did last year and nothing has come even close. And I'm baffled by the love for Three Billboards. I could not stand that movie, acting and all. My one hope is that I have not seen the Shape of Water or Phantom Thread yet and both Guillermo del Toro and PT Anderson are two of my favs so maybe they will save me this year. 

And hey, does anyone remember Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit from earlier in the year? When it came out it had all sorts of Oscar buzz and it completely fell off the radar. I wonder what happened there?

Edited January 24, 2018 by double-elvis

[Portia]

1 hour ago, double-elvis said:

Granted I have not seen all of the nominated films yet (I've seen Three Billboards, Lady Bird, Get Out, and Dunkirk) but I think all of them are in some ways overrated. This year has been the biggest "meh" for me in years. I keep waiting for something to blow me away like Moonlight and Hell or High Water did last year and nothing has come even close. And I'm baffled by the love for Three Billboards. I could not stand that movie, acting and all. My one hope is that I have not seen the Shape of Water or Phantom Thread yet and both Guillermo del Toro and PT Anderson are two of my favs so maybe they will save me this year.

Last year was a stellar year, wasn't it? I recently pulled up my big Oscar movie spreadsheet document (because yeah, I'm that kind of geek), and I was blown away by how many truly great films there were in 2016.  That said, I was honestly impressed with both Dunkirk and Get Out.  I love your choice of the word "baffled" when discussing the OTT reactions to Three Billboards.

For months now I've been anticipating The Shape of Water, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, and Call Me By Your Name, but none of them have made it to my smallish city.  By next weekend I should have seen them all on the big screen, though. My husband and I always take a little anniversary trip during which we mainly eat good food and watch good movies in nice theaters.  Because of the timing of our anniversary, we can always be sure that a bunch of Oscar-nominated films will be showing in the larger city that we always visit.

[slowpoked]

2 hours ago, Portia said:

Last year was a stellar year, wasn't it? I recently pulled up my big Oscar movie spreadsheet document (because yeah, I'm that kind of geek), and I was blown away by how many truly great films there were in 2016.  That said, I was honestly impressed with both Dunkirk and Get Out.  I love your choice of the word "baffled" when discussing the OTT reactions to Three Billboards.

I liked Get Out the first time I saw it, but didn't think of it as an Oscar movie. I guess part of that is my "pre-conditioning" of what an Oscar movie is. So I'm actually glad that it is being nominated for Best Picture because it could be a small step of the voting body having more imagination as to what to nominate for Best Picture rather than your usual "check-the-box" movies. 

I still haven't seen Moonlight, but I thought La La Land was one of the more overrated movies to be nominated for Best Picture in recent years. I thought it was rewarded more for creativity rather than substance. 

[Portia]

1 hour ago, slowpoked said:

I liked Get Out the first time I saw it, but didn't think of it as an Oscar movie. I guess part of that is my "pre-conditioning" of what an Oscar movie is. So I'm actually glad that it is being nominated for Best Picture because it could be a small step of the voting body having more imagination as to what to nominate for Best Picture rather than your usual "check-the-box" movies. 

I still haven't seen Moonlight, but I thought La La Land was one of the more overrated movies to be nominated for Best Picture in recent years. I thought it was rewarded more for creativity rather than substance. 

Yes! That broadening of the imagination that that you mentioned in your first paragraph is exactly why I am happy that the Best Picture category has been enlarged for up to 10 nominees.

Another yes!  I was blown away by several of last year's Best Picture nominees, but La La Land was NOT one of them.  I love a musical, but for me it didn't live up to the hype.  

[sadiegirl]

6 hours ago, Portia said:

For months now I've been anticipating The Shape of Water, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, and Call Me By Your Name, but none of them have made it to my smallish city.  By next weekend I should have seen them all on the big screen, though. My husband and I always take a little anniversary trip during which we mainly eat good food and watch good movies in nice theaters.  Because of the timing of our anniversary, we can always be sure that a bunch of Oscar-nominated films will be showing in the larger city that we always visit.

Can I just say how much I love your tradition?  What a cool way to celebrate!

[MVFrostsMyPie]

If Get Out won, that would be amaaaaazing. It won't, but one can hang on to hope...

[Portia]

4 hours ago, sadiegirl said:

Can I just say how much I love your tradition?  What a cool way to celebrate!

How nice of you to say. I feel lucky to have a spouse with whom I can share such an odd but beloved ritual!

[Corgi-ears]

I'll be That Guy who complains about the best foreign film nominees. It's not a surprise, since this category had a shortlisting process, but it's still a bummer that BPM is not a nominee. At least A Fantastic Woman is, though.

[BW Manilowe]

21 hours ago, double-elvis said:

Granted I have not seen all of the nominated films yet (I've seen Three Billboards, Lady Bird, Get Out, and Dunkirk) but I think all of them are in some ways overrated. This year has been the biggest "meh" for me in years. I keep waiting for something to blow me away like Moonlight and Hell or High Water did last year and nothing has come even close. And I'm baffled by the love for Three Billboards. I could not stand that movie, acting and all. My one hope is that I have not seen the Shape of Water or Phantom Thread yet and both Guillermo del Toro and PT Anderson are two of my favs so maybe they will save me this year. 

And hey, does anyone remember Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit from earlier in the year? When it came out it had all sorts of Oscar buzz and it completely fell off the radar. I wonder what happened there?

I think you might've answered your own question: It (probably) came out early enough that other films that came out closer to the nomination announcement supplanted it. Which tends to happen a lot; the majority of films/actors nominated in the major categories are for movies/performances which came out closer to the nomination announcement.

Edited January 25, 2018 by BW Manilowe
To add a word.

[JBC344]

I think Detroit suffered from very mild response from both critics and the general audience.

Having one of those can carry you, but not having both will stop any awards momentum. 

[aradia22]

Mild? My memory of Detroit was everyone saying THIS IS RACIST and then it quietly slinking away in shame.

[VCRTracking]

Casey Affleck Withdraws From Oscars: Won’t Present Best Actress Award

Thank God. I was dreading it even before the MeToo movement started, when he won last year. It would have been too much awkward and taking away from someone's moment.

Edited January 25, 2018 by VCRTracking

[inkworks]

16 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

Casey Affleck Withdraws From Oscars: Won’t Present Best Actress Award

Thank God. I was dreading it even before the MeToo movement started, when he won last year. It would have been too much awkward and taking away from someone's moment.

I really don't think he should have won the Oscar in the first place. If we keep rewarding these men despite their behaviour, they're never going to change.

[Quickbeam]

I'm curious where we are headed with this. Do they take away Bing Crosby's Oscar for hitting his wife and kids with a golf club? How deep do you go to scoop out the rot? 

Edited January 26, 2018 by Quickbeam

[cpcathy]

Agree. There have been plenty of artists who haven't been stand up guys. Do you only reward people who are supposedly perfect?

7 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

I'm curious where we are headed with this. Do they take away Bing Crosby's Oscar for hitting his wife and kids with a golf club? How deep do you go to scoop out the rot? 

 

NM

Edited January 26, 2018 by cpcathy

[formerlyfreedom]

In the (hopefully temporary) absence of the gold posts, consider this is an official mod note.

Please note, this is not the spot to debate the issues; it's to talk about the award shows. So;

• Casey Affleck bowing out = Legitimate topic of discussion
• How far does this go? = Off topic

Thank you.

[BW Manilowe]

On 1/23/2018 at 6:58 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

I just love Streep, so, it's hard not to pull for her brilliance, but, perhaps I am biased when it comes to her.  She is just my kind of actor.  Still, I've read for years how political the Oscars are and it's more about who smoozes who. (I don't mean political in the traditional sense.)  I can't even stand to watch the awards anymore.  I do wish them all luck though, I know it means so much to them and can really make a huge difference in their careers.

Or it may mean basically nothing to their careers, except something to put on their mantel, shelf, or wherever. Take for instance Hilary Swank, 2-time (within 5 years) Best Actress winner, ex-wife of Chad Lowe (whom she infamously forgot to thank the first time she won; they divorced, I think, fairly soon after she won her second Oscar) & ex-sister-in-law of Rob Lowe. Her 2 biggest movies have, so far, been the 2 she won the Oscars for--Boys Don't Cry & Million Dollar Baby. I don't think any of the movies she made between those 2, or since Million Dollar Baby have gotten much, if any, notice.

Edited January 28, 2018 by BW Manilowe
To add a needed comma.

[SunnyBeBe]

I just thought that as an Oscar winner, it would open doors that you might not have available otherwise.  Most of the time, people like winners and they can use that in their marketing for a new project. 

[BW Manilowe]

On 1/27/2018 at 9:58 AM, SunnyBeBe said:

I just thought that as an Oscar winner, it would open doors that you might not have available otherwise.  Most of the time, people like winners and they can use that in their marketing for a new project. 

This story, from CNN, is about the winners in the Best New Artist category (used as an example, but also appropriate because this year's Grammys are being presented tonight, in New York City).

I used this story as an example because it's exactly what happens with some Oscar winners, as well as Best New Artist Grammy winners: Either you (or your "team") are able to capitalize on the win & go on to bigger & better things, or you fade back into obscurity--either slowly or quickly, depending--with a shiny reminder/shiny reminder(s) of what was/what could've been on your mantel, shelf, or wherever.

[methodwriter85]

Marcia Gay Harden and Kim Basinger, both of whom are Oscar winnesr, have been relegated to playing the supporting mom and the evil cougar respectively in 50 Shades of Grey. Just sayin'.

[mojoween]

I’m sure it’s going to win all of the things, but “The Shape of Water,” from everything I have seen, is a movie I would not go near with a ten foot pole.

A mute cleaning lady falls in love with a reptile alien?  No thank you. 

Of course, I thought that weird del Toro movie that had all the raves five or so years ago (I’m sorry, I just can’t think of the name) was also terrible.

I was bummed about this with the baseball Hall of Fame announcement, and I’m bummed here.  Can’t anything be a surprise any more?  If all the winners mirror what Entertainment Weekly noted in last week’s issue it will be a real killjoy.  I don’t like spoilers for anything, anywhere, so all these projections, especially when they turn out true, annoys me.

[Runningwild]

So far I have seen Three Billboards, Dunkirk, Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird, I Tonya, and Darkest Hour. I’ve also seen Coco and Wind River. Most of the nominated movies were overrated IMHO. Wind River should have been nominated. I guess it wasn’t because it’s a Weinstein film. Instead they nominate a movie about a man in a relationship with a teenage boy. 

 

I Hope Three Billboards, McDormand, Rockwell, and Janney win. And Remember Me for Best Song. 

[aradia22]

I remember reading an EW last year or the year before and they got a lot of predictions wrong. 

Does anyone know when the voting period officially ends? The murmurs I'm hearing are that things are heating up. Three Billboards might have swept but the backlash is in full force. Lady Bird and Get Out have outside chances but they're making a strong play for relevance. Phantom Thread surprised everyone by getting in there and it might have a shot. It seems like Call Me By Your Name and Shape of Water are getting left behind right now (even though they were early frontrunners before any of these movies... besides Get Out... had come out) but anything's possible. And there's really no telling how much the shake ups in the voting body have affected the race this year. 

(By the way, when I talk about each movie, I'm counting all the awards it's nominated for)

[cpcathy]

Is McDormand really that good in Three Billboards? She already has an Oscar and I feel like she doesn't really even want to be at these awards shows. Why does she submit her name?

[Inquisitionist]

On ‎1‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 4:37 AM, BW Manilowe said:

Or it may mean basically nothing to their careers, except something to put on their mantel, shelf, or wherever. Take for instance Hilary Swank, 2-time (within 5 years) Best Actress winner, ex-wife of Chad Lowe (whom she infamously forgot to thank the first time she won; they divorced, I think, fairly soon after she won her second Oscar) & ex-sister-in-law of Rob Lowe. Her 2 biggest movies have, so far, been the 2 she won the Oscars for--Boys Don't Cry & Million Dollar Baby. I don't think any of the movies she made between those 2, or since Million Dollar Baby have gotten much, if any, notice.

It bugs the shit out of me that Swank has two Lead Actress Oscars.   She won for two "flashy" roles in weak years, IMO -- and I don't think she was even that good in M$B, which is a movie I loathed.    I would have given the Oscar that year to Kate Winslet for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.   For that matter, I could picture Kate Winslet doing a better job than Swank in M$B, but could you see Swank in Winslet's place in ESotSM?  No way.

13 minutes ago, cpcathy said:

Is McDormand really that good in Three Billboards? She already has an Oscar and I feel like she doesn't really even want to be at these awards shows. Why does she submit her name?

She was good, but I sometimes felt I was seeing McDormand on-screen rather than the character.  When I saw The Post last week, I always felt I was seeing Kay Graham rather than Meryl Streep.  YMMV.

[ProudMary]

11 minutes ago, Inquisitionist said:

She was good, but I sometimes felt I was seeing McDormand on-screen rather than the character.  When I saw The Post last week, I always felt I was seeing Kay Graham rather than Meryl Streep.  YMMV.

I definitely have the opposite opinion here.  I saw Meryl Streep (and Tom Hanks too) instead of Kay Graham (and Ben Bradlee.)  Couldn't get past it in either case.  And I am by no means a hater of MS or of TH.  IMO, Meryl Streep got the nomination that should have been given to Jessica Chastain who was magnificent in "Molly's Game."

[Wings]

None of the movies nominated this season spark my interest to see.  I have reached my saturation point with politics so The Post is out.  I have no interest in a movie who paints Tonya Harding with a victim brush.  A mute woman falls in love with an alien reptile, oh come on.   Maybe Three Billboards because I watch a lot of true crime and I like McDormand.   I love to see her at award shows too.  She never wears makeup or fixes her hair.  Adorable stand out in the crowd. 

Edited February 4, 2018 by Wings

[Tanichka]

The only one I would want to see would be The Post.  I’ve lost all interest in movies. Mostly superheroes & remakes now.

[Moose135]

7 hours ago, Tanichka said:

The only one I would want to see would be The Post.

I saw it today.  It was excellent.  Some news people today could learn a lesson or two from it.

[Portia]

Well,  I've officially seen all the Best Picture nominees,  and I have a new last-place film: Darkest Hour.  Snooze-fest for Ol' Portia!  Three Billboards is still near the bottom for me. The Post was all right for me,  but it was just so damn Speilbergy. I'm not smart enough, film-wise, to put it into words,  but there are heavy-handed director-y things that I'll accept from, say,  PT Anderson but that make my eyes roll back in my head when Spielberg does them. Lady Bird gets a lot of my love this year,  but I won't be mad unless the few pics that I really thought were overrated run away with tons of prizes.  I like it when there is not a big sweep,  and I love when there is a surprise or two. And I think it would be awesome if Jordan Peele or Greta Gerwig walked away with a directing Oscar.  

[Neeners]

Whelp, this year is the year I decided to try to see as many of the big movies as possible before the Oscars. Today a friend and I saw The Shape of Water. My friend asked me what it was about, and I responded that all I knew was it was nominated for several Oscars and the lead woman has sex with a lizard. OK, I was wrong about the lizard part, but...yikes. I did think it was shot quite beautifully and always love Richard Jenkins and Michael Shannon. I'm very surprised Octavia Spencer is nominated, because it doesn't seem like she's in it all that much or all that remarkable IMO. Even though this is the first of the biggies I've seen, I really do not see it winning Best Picture. Crikey. I think it would have been better without the fishgod sex. 

[BetterButter]

[methodwriter85]

Phantom Thread is the only Best Picture nominee of this year I haven't watched yet. I think this is the only year I can think of where I actually watched almost all of the BP nominees. Three Billboards is definitely my favorite. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Phantom Thread is a very different kind of movie.  Not predictable at all, I think.

[ABay]

@BetterButter, thanks for posting that!

The great Italian shirt shortage of 1983.

 

ETA what I really stopped here to say: Haven't seen any of the films but can't wait to live-post the Red Carpet with you all. Since ABC has extended coverage rather than the usual 1/2 hour, my picture-in-picture feature will be getting a workout.

Edited March 1, 2018 by ABay

[thuganomics85]

Heh, looks like Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway might be getting a second chance at the whole announcing Best Picture thing.

I mean, it's not like they can mess it up twice, right?  Right?!

[ProudMary]

Personally, I hope that Dunaway and Beatty introduce Barry Jenkins and any of Moonlight's producers and actors who would like to attend the ceremony and then let THEM announce the Best Picture award!  They still deserve their own, unencumbered moment of recognition on the Oscar stage.

[Neeners]

I saw Dunkirk and Three Billboards on a flight. I absolutely loved Three Billboards. There is no way Francis and Sam lose in their categories. Amazing performances IMO.

[ShadowHunter]

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 1:36 AM, ProudMary said:

Personally, I hope that Dunaway and Beatty introduce Barry Jenkins and any of Moonlight's producers and actors who would like to attend the ceremony and then let THEM announce the Best Picture award!  They still deserve their own, unencumbered moment of recognition on the Oscar stage.

Moonlight producers were offered a chance to attend the ceremony but they turned it down.

The “Moonlight” cast and crew never truly got to enjoy their Best Picture-winning moment thanks to Envelopegate, but they don’t want a do-over at Sunday’s Oscar ceremony. In an interview with Deadline, host Jimmy Kimmel revealed that Oscar producers Jennifer Todd and Michael De Luca had extended an invite to the “Moonlight” team to make things right (or as right as it could get) after “La La Land” was mistakenly announced as the winner last year.

“We offered them a moment,” Kimmel said. “And they said, it’s okay. We’re fine. We gave our speech when we won the Oscar and we’re okay leaving it at that.”

Those are the key words from the articles starting to pop up.

If they are cool with it then good for them.

[Milburn Stone]

51 minutes ago, ShadowHunter said:

Moonlight producers were offered a chance to attend the ceremony but they turned it down.

The “Moonlight” cast and crew never truly got to enjoy their Best Picture-winning moment thanks to Envelopegate, but they don’t want a do-over at Sunday’s Oscar ceremony. In an interview with Deadline, host Jimmy Kimmel revealed that Oscar producers Jennifer Todd and Michael De Luca had extended an invite to the “Moonlight” team to make things right (or as right as it could get) after “La La Land” was mistakenly announced as the winner last year.

“We offered them a moment,” Kimmel said. “And they said, it’s okay. We’re fine. We gave our speech when we won the Oscar and we’re okay leaving it at that.”

Those are the key words from the articles starting to pop up.

If they are cool with it then good for them.

The Moonlight team defined "mensch" in the way they handled the moment in the moment, and they continue to define it now.

[ProudMary]

58 minutes ago, ShadowHunter said:

Moonlight producers were offered a chance to attend the ceremony but they turned it down.

The “Moonlight” cast and crew never truly got to enjoy their Best Picture-winning moment thanks to Envelopegate, but they don’t want a do-over at Sunday’s Oscar ceremony. In an interview with Deadline, host Jimmy Kimmel revealed that Oscar producers Jennifer Todd and Michael De Luca had extended an invite to the “Moonlight” team to make things right (or as right as it could get) after “La La Land” was mistakenly announced as the winner last year.

“We offered them a moment,” Kimmel said. “And they said, it’s okay. We’re fine. We gave our speech when we won the Oscar and we’re okay leaving it at that.”

Those are the key words from the articles starting to pop up.

If they are cool with it then good for them.

Thanks for that info, ShadowHunter.  I'm glad to see that they were at least given the opportunity.

7 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

The Moonlight team defined "mensch" in the way they handled the moment in the moment, and they continue to define it now.

I agree completely.

[Irlandesa]

It was a mess up but it's not the kind of thing that can be "done over" without, IMO, being even more awkward.  I think Moonlight people realize that.

[BW Manilowe]

From Variety: Previous Oscar Winners Jennifer Lawrence and Jodie Foster Will Replace Last Year's Best Actor Winner, Casey Affleck, As the Presenters of This Year's Best Actress Oscar (Actress Frances McDormand, a Previous Best Actress Oscar Winner for Fargo, Is Apparently the Frontrunner, for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri).

The linked article also says Jane Fonda & (Dame) Helen Mirren will be presenting the Oscar to this year's Best Actor winner, instead of last year's Best Actress winner (Emma Stone). The apparent frontrunner in the category is Gary Oldman, for Darkest Hour.

The list of presenters for this year's Oscars in the linked article does include Emma Stone, last year's Best Actress, so I'm wondering why she's apparently not presenting Best Actor this year, as it's been tradition for as long as I can remember.

[Neeners]

That is very strange...

[Neeners]

I just saw probably the last nominated movie I'll see before the Oscars: Get Out. I seriously don't understand how it got nominated for best picture. I didn't like it.

[Suzysite]

It sounds like the ratings this year are anticipated to be among the worst ever, and deservedly so.    I wish these shows would stop politicizing and president bashing and stick with awards.  I will not be watching.

Edited March 4, 2018 by Suzysite

[aradia22]

Quote

It sounds like the ratings this year are anticipated to be among the worst ever, and deservedly so.    I wish these shows would stop politicizing and president bashing and stick with awards.  I will not be watching.

I don't think it has anything to do with politics. They're not nominating movies the general public is into. In a way, Get Out and The Shape of Water are different (though the latter isn't completely abnormal for the Oscars as it's still a period piece, referential to old B-movie Hollywood, and a technical/computer generated special effects spectacle like Avatar, Life of Pi, etc.). But even though I'm almost convinced that I should see Phantom Thread and some people are stanning hard for Ladybird, they feel like more of the same for the Oscars. Same goes for Three Billboards. 

Also, I think it was a mistake to ask Kimmel back. These shows should not be an excuse to trot out their late night guys. People see them every week night already. It's not interesting. And I think Kimmel is a weak host and a mediocre comedian. Yeah, they have been on shaky ground with Anne Hathaway/James Franco, Seth Macfarlane, Ellen Degeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, etc. but I'd rather they try for something than just give into the lazy choice. Of course no one is excited about it. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a comedian whose recent work I like who would also be a good fit for the Oscars and famous enough. He's totally not famous enough but I can see John Mulaney being a pretty safe choice. She's also not famous enough but I'm curious what someone like Rachel Bloom would do with the show. She could have the right blend of reverence and anarchy. I do think they need someone to inject some joy the way NPH did for the Tony's but also deflate some of the self-importance. I think they also need to be smarter about who they cut to in the crowd for reaction shots and how they interact with the audience. No more dumb selfies and food stunts. Remember this? 

[JAYJAY1979]

They need an actual movie actor/actress with comedic chops that isn't niche.  Gone are the days of Billy crystal and Whoopi Goldberg...who were funny and at the time accepted by a larger segment of the population.

Politics has always played a part in the proceedings, just not at such a large scale as now.  

Plus, as people mentioned above...movies nominated now are more niche driven movies.  I'd be curious to see the ratings during the years when Titanic, Lord of the Rings, etc were nominated and swept the awards.

Lastly, they run for 4 plus hours and on a Sunday to boot.  I used to take bets on how close to midnight the show would run till.