87th Academy Awards/Oscars (2015) live thread

Stephen Wright. I'm in. .

 

For one year they should try having five or six different segments (possibly including the opening) where an actor or director comes out and speaks for several minutes about a particular movie or actor or scene that really resonated with them. These people are in the business of telling stories, if you could get some of them on board to present something in this way it could be really powerful and different.

Also/or they could get groups of actors together to recreate iconic scenes in movies live on the stage. First one that came to mind was the scene in Jaws where Quint, Brody and Hooper are drinking and talking, the Indianapolis scene. I think that would be a great way to pay homage to film, to keep interest in the current actors and make people go back and reacquaint themselves with movies. And if kept under wraps properly (or leaked minimally but correctly) it could lead to a lot of anticipation for the viewer and some 'holy ****' moments.

A host would still be needed for a show like this, but get rid of this notion that the host gets more publicity leading up to (and after) the event than the films being honored. The host should have minimal duties in my scenario, they aren't the star of the show.

 

Wow! People looked more realistic back then.

 

Last year he made up the name of a nominee, the year before he wore a bizarre wig. He seems to be cultivating a reputation as the weird one at the Oscars, I guess.

 

That's be fine by me, I thought he did a better job than NPH. Surprisingly enough.

 

I don't think Gary is capable of sticking to the cue cards these days. Too much of a risk for live TV.

That said, it would easily be the most entertaining Oscar show in history.

And it would run about be 90 minutes long.

 

Tina and Amy would be great.

 

One of the "predictions" in the locked box gag was "John travolta touches the face...." It think it was a set up gag.

 

Wow that lock box bit was so unfunny as a premise that I missed that.

 

The results in the box were a summary of the water cooler moments. They were printed out after the events happened and a switcheroo was done to make them seem like predictions. It was based on that magic trick where a magician guesses what card you choose in advance, but doesn't show you until after you choose it.

 

Jack Black should host. He would become one of the greatest Oscars hosts of all-time.

 

I seriously want John Waters as host.

 

I'm totally down for that.

 

sounds like a good time to me!

 

And Tenatious D present all the nominated songs.

 

I think this is a great idea, but he's too much of a fringe personality for Hollywood to give its most beloved night of self-fellatio to (that's a joke Waters would probably use if he hosted, too).

You guys are onto something.

I've been thinking about the show the past couple of days, and while there was the expected overall embrace of "social" issues (both in the winning films and the acceptance speeches), there's also a thread of self-criticism that stood out to me. The Best Picture winner is a movie that is highly critical of Hollywood generally and actors specifically, with the theatre critic putting a very fine point on it in her exchange with Keaton's character in the bar:

"I haven't read a word of it or even seen the preview. But after the opening tomorrow I'm gonna turn in the worst review anyone has ever read and I'm gonna close your play. Would you like to know why? Because I hate you and everyone you represent. Entitled, selfish, spoiled children. Blissfully untrained, unversed and unprepared to even attempt real art. Handing each other awards for cartoons and pornography. Measuring your worth in weekends? Well this is the theater and you don't get to come in here and pretend you can write, direct and act in your own propaganda piece without coming through me first. So break a leg."

Couple this with Jack Black's scripted, very cynical intrusion into the opening act, and I think for a flickering moment Hollywood laid itself bare, if unintentionally so.

Or I'm probably reading too much into it.

 

Jack Black has potential - he's famous and "inside" enough to maybe get a consideration, but still just fringe enough to wander off the script and generate some memorable television.

On a rather different front: I'd also look into Wayne Brady, but I suspect he just ain't famous enough.

 

We'll get Dana Owens / Queen Latifah as host next year.

She will tick off A LOT of boxes for demographics and will likely appease certain groups who decry the Academy Awards as an old white man's institution.

Then when the ratings sink yet again, they'll wheel out, literally, Billy Crystal in 2017.

 

Not that I think he'd do such a great job, but... Conan?

 

Then it would be all about him.

 

That's a GREAT idea. We should write the academy! Or start a petition on petition.org




I just watched ""The Theory of Everything." Talk about a snoozer. Someone should have warned me it was a two hour (with no commericals) Lifetime movie.

 

I didn't find it the least bit boring. I thought both Redmayne and Jones put in excellent performances.

 

I think Jimmy Fallon will host next year.