Oscar's aging audience: Time to shake up the academy?

Los Angeles Times ^ | February 28, 2012 | Patrick Goldstein

[EveningStar]

The 84th Academy Awards really looked their age on Sunday night. The painfully cobwebby spectacle included a cringe-inducing blackface joke, a tribute to an elderly seat filler and endless self-absorbed claptrap about the magic of movies. After a dreary 6-month-long awards season largely revolving around movies about movies, why did Oscar organizers feel the need to hammer away at the idea that they love — I mean really love — their movies?

Probably because there's growing evidence that the rest of us don't really love the same movies they do. With one exception, “The Help,” the academy's nine best picture nominees didn't make much of an impression in Middle America.

[EveningStar]

ping

[SERKIT]

The audio was VERY poor on the broadcast. Zup wit dat? Chirpy, high-pitched distortion all freakin’ night.

[max americana]

I was inducted into the 3rd degree of Knights of Columbus in Buena Park, CA during the afternoon and not one of the knights was even aware it was Oscars night. Most of them asked more about the All Star basketball game so we can all watch on the big screen while drowning booze and steaks..

[doc1019]

Do away with it. No one in my family or circle of friends watches it. All this “extravaganza” does is preempt my favorite regularly scheduled programs.

[Revolting cat!]

“The Artist” is on track to be the second-lowest grossing best picture winner in the past 35 years.

So? Maybe the Academy is finally learning to appreciate art over commerce, huh? D'uh!

I bet there are porno flicks that gross more than that, why not award them?

[CaptainK]

At this rate the Oscars may very well go the way of the Miss America contest

[SoCal Pubbie]

I went to Buena Park High School.

[max americana]

It was at Pope Pius church on Orangethorpe. First time in the area in 5 years. Seems like a nice place..

[kabumpo]

I thought it was the best Oscar show ever.

[dfwgator]

Second straight year a non-Hollywood produced film has won Best Picture, that’s a good trend.

[hattend]

NINE best movie nominees?

Were there even 9 good movies in 2011?

[Cringing Negativism Network]

BORING..........

Time to change the channel. Nothing more.

[SoCal Pubbie]

I know the place. I dated a Catholic girl in high school:-)

[JSteff]

Oh, don't tell me it is time for an "Occupy Oscar" event.
There are so few who view it at home on TV. taking that couple of dozen fans to "Occupy Oscar" would hardly be enough of a sample to who viewed it.

[MasterGunner01]

Here's what they could do to put some life into the Academy Awards: do the whole thing, except for the movie clips, in computer graphics. All of the beautiful people could be made more beautiful and even more perfect thanks to the magic of software, and the Hollywood celebs and other glitter people could watch the whole thing at home without having to get all gussied-up.

Think of the perfect gowns and perfect figures the female stars could have, not to mention cleaning up the image of the graying male superstars. Of course the winners would have to come up with an acceptance speech before hand that could be inserted, but that would not be difficult — just have everyone nominated do a two minute or less thank you speech and cut it in when the winner is announced. A computer generated Academy Awards is saving the planet in California by reducing the carbon emissions from all those limos and private jets.

[Perdogg]

WMAL 105.9 FM, the local Metro DC ABC affiliate,
morning host Katherine Hamm (who can be seen on Bill O’Reilly) was joking that the French is now beating the US at making movies.

[SilvieWaldorfMD]

Katherine Hamm

UGH.... "Amateur Hour".