Four takeaways from the 2019 Oscars broadcast

With the dust falling to the Oscars in 2019, it's time to take stock of a ceremony that once seemed doomed to disaster. The Oscars approach was defined by a tight race of the best film that was hard to predict, which is not a bad thing. In fact, this has given the series exciting stakes. But this season of awards was also disrupted by a Kevin Hart fiasco that forced the Academy to abstain for the first time in 30 years; an attempt to install a category of the best popular film that went back against a chorus of fury; and an equally unpopular move to remove song performances and assign four categories to television broadcasting. It seemed that every time the Academy tried to take a step forward and appeal to the masses, it fell down a staircase.

The expectations for the Oscars were low: anything that was not a disaster would have been enough for the Academy. But if this year's ceremony was not without problems, namely the large one at the end of the night, when Green paper won the best movie and became the next crashIt was overall an undeniable success. This year's Oscars saw their ratings crumble for the first time in five years, Variety reported, with nearly 30 million viewers, an increase of about 12% compared to 2018. It is still the second broadcast of the Oscars to its lowest level so far, but it progresses at a time when the number of live viewings is decreasing and other entertainment options.

This is good news for the Academy. How, exactly, can it replicate its dynamism in 2020 and beyond? Here are four points to remember from this year's event that the Oscars might consider in the future, in the interest of an entertaining TV show and its own popularity.

Is a host really necessary?

The last time the Oscars went off without a host, in 1989, the first issue of music was a disaster. Incredibly qualified on YouTube "the 11 minutes that have ruined the career of Hollywood producer Alan Carr forever". was so desperate to get Hart's host, even after he abruptly refused to apologize for his previous anti-LGBT remarks.

But it was not 1989, and the unmanned Oscars of 2019 went from a brief performance by Adam Lambert – Queen to a glorious three-minute victory of Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph at the first prize of the night. It was not perfect. Lambert's performance gave the impression that Queen looked like a group of covers, but the opening minutes were lively, sweet and competent, not to say delightful. After all the drama that haunted the Academy in 2018 when it was hard to find a host at the first commercial break, we had to ask ourselves: does this show really need a moderator?

Would this year's Oscars have been improved with a long opening monologue and some skits scattered in the night? What do people really give to the Oscars? With each musical performance apart from Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's sensual 'Shallow' interpretation as the perfect time to take a break in the bathroom, do not you need to remove even more fat from the bath? the ceremony than to add more features?

It would be surprising that the Academy is embarking on a future without hosts; It was a particularly strange year. In addition, an unmanned Oscars is probably easier to digest when the show goes off without a hitch. I do not know what would have happened if we had seen the same thing happen again. La La La–Moonlight Best fiasco for images without Jimmy Kimmel to straighten the boat. But considering the propensity of the trophy to exceed its execution time, the Oscars are ideally supposed to end at 23:00 Eastern, and even that relatively fast show 15 minutes late, this is something that the Academy should take into account.

Make price presentations more like this

Some aspects of the Oscars mingle every year: celebrities can not present prizes in many ways without the process being derived from them. So, consider the Sunday night wardrobe of Melissa McCarthy and Brian Tyree Henry as an official challenge: make the presentation more entertaining and a lot stranger.

ABC

It's a bit of The favourite, a little of Mary, Queen of Scotland (McCarthy took off his hat to reveal a disheveled, bald head of red hair, like that of Queen Elizabeth I of Margot Robbie) and a lot of fun. If next year's Oscars do not include such an absurd celebrity as one who dresses in Mufasa or Thanos – or both, live a little! – the Academy makes a serious mistake.

Make history, no matter how late

the Green paper victory despite all, this year's Oscars have made history in key categories. Two of Black PantherThe victories – Hannah Beachler for the design of the production and Ruth E. Carter for the costume design – marked the first time that black women were recognized in their respective categories. In addition, Mahershala Ali became the first black man to win two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress, a feat he has achieved in three years. The Academy has also strengthened its goodwill by finally recognizing the remarkable work of Spike Lee with a victory of the best adapted scenario for BlacKkKlansman. The wink was part of the Academy's tradition, commemorating a career of excellence – and catching up with the snubs of the past – rather than a particular film, but was nevertheless very well received.

These were important breakthroughs and each led to some of the most indelible moments of the night. The Academy diversifying its membership, these victories and these historical achievements could elevate other categories at future ceremonies. The Oscars still have a lot of progress to make. It was only last year that a woman was nominated for the first time in the Best Photography category (Rachel Morrison, MuddyHow long does it take for our first female filmmaker to win?

It's clear after Green paperThe best image wins that progress in some areas is not only progress in all areas; the Academy will always find a way to shoot themselves in the foot. But the historical moments – such as those of Beachler, Carter and Lee – are what makes television entertaining and raw. who do not have Take advantage of Lee to congratulate the New York Knicks for their efforts on live television before throwing himself into the arms of an equally excited Samuel L. Jackson?

More rewards for popular movies – Do not make it the "best popular movie"

What could have inspired the 2019 Oscars audience peak? Perhaps people have been seduced by what has been largely a good year for movies. Some may have been curious to see what kind of firearm would be the Oscars without hosts. Or maybe it's a lot simpler than that: maybe more people are listening because they want their favorite movies to be recognized at the biggest Hollywood party.

Whether you like them or not, Black Panther, A star is born, and Bohemian Rhapsody all had wide appeal, garnering hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office – and all were candidates for the best film. The Oscars have been in free fall for years – and this year is a success only because the trend has not been maintained – but the most successful years have always been raised by popular films. The 1998 ceremony, featuring Titanic, attracted 55.2 million viewers, while the 2010 ceremony, at which James Cameron Avatar lost to Kathryn Bigelow The Hurt Locker, garnered 41.7 million viewers, the highest figure since 2005.

This is the main effort of the Academy to create a category of the best popular film: it wants to recognize the most attractive films. But the compromise of the best popular film – at least in the way it was presented before this year's ceremony – would have the unintended effect of throwing well-made and critically acclaimed box-office successes in a category that n & # 39; It would not have the same prestige as Best's. Picture. It also ignores the fact that the pleasures of the crowd, such as Titanic, The Godfather, Carried away by the wind, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King have all been winners of the best film in recent years. Black Panther and A star is born did not need a separate category this year because they were popular: they were nominated for the best movie because they were good enough to stay in the field.

The Academy is caught between trying to recognize the best movies and the most popular movies at the same time. While the expansion of the Best Film category from five to ten in 2009 aimed to appease casual movie buffs and moviegoers, the Oscars of recent years have more often filled the extra slot machines less commercial success. But the 2019 ceremony was a step in the right direction. The massively popular Black Panther was right next to the adorable weirdo The favourite; A star is born rubbed shoulders with the political trend Vice. Unlike in recent years, more fans of more things had a reason to agree. This should be the goal every year: do not reject popular films in their own categories, but appreciate them on an equal footing. If at the 2020 Oscars a blockbuster like The Lion King or Avengers: End of the game ends up with A24's Memory, everyone will win.