In some ways, the Academy Awards show drags every year: the winners give the same boring speeches (and won’t leave the stage even after the cue music comes on), if the host is bland the show is bogged down and the random montages are pointless.
Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic, the producers of this year’s show, have told various media outlets that they plan to change the telecast.
Last week at the Oscar nominee luncheon, the producers announced the five Best Original Song nominees will not be asked to perform during the show; instead, clips from the movies featuring the music will be used to celebrate the nominee’s achievements.
As someone who willingly spends four hours in front of the television screen watching the broadcast, I believe one of the highlights of recent years have been the song performances. It is a shame the Academy is no longer going to give as much attention to the music of the films as before.
The recognition of the music is another way to pay tribute to the different elements that make a film great. Past nominees who did not win but deserved attention were songs from “Dreamgirls,” “Enchanted” and “Toy Story 2.”
Though these were critically-acclaimed movies, none of them were nominated for the Best Picture award.
No matter how many best picture slots there are, not every great film will get nominated. Best Original Song allows more great movies whose strength was in its music to get publicly honored for their hard work.
In 2009, the nominees’ performances were cut down to 90 seconds but were still entertaining and were a good way to break up the show. Even though the Oscars are about the nominees, you can only take so many speeches that center around thanking everyone from the winners’ mothers to agents.
Even people who did not see “Slumdog Millionaire” could enjoy the spectacle the live performances offered. The Bollywood feel, the music and choreography of “Jai Ho” brought to the awards show was something new and entertaining – and that’s what the awards show is supposed to be celebrating: entertainment.
This year, the nominees would have been compelling to watch performed live. “The Weary Kind,” a song important to the plot of “Crazy Heart,” is heartfelt and both the lyrics and accompaniment are strong.
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36’s” nomination brought attention to a film that has been unheard of in the mainstream world.
“Nine,” a musical that was slashed by most critics, nevertheless contained powerful ballads, including “Take It All.” The arc Marion Cotillard’s character goes through is perfectly expressed in the song and deserves its nomination. “Almost There” and “Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” give a brilliant film the recognition it deserves, even though it was not nominated for Best Picture.
“Nine” and “The Princess and the Frog’s” songs would have been especially fun to watch performed during the ceremony.
The singers who originated the musical numbers are talented, the costume possibilities would have been endless and the choreography would have been intricate.
After the nominees were announced, I was excited to see how the awards show would celebrate the movies’ achievements.
The clips of the numbers seem to be a way just to save money. There are still plans to have music and choreography in the show, it simply has not been revealed yet.
Though last year’s opening number with Hugh Jackman was hilarious and payed tribute to 2008’s films, it should not have overshadowed the true musical stars. The awards show is supposed to be about the nominees, not the Academy.
Though I applaud the Oscars for experimenting with the show, I wish they wouldn’t have taken the glory away from a part of the film world that is grossly undervalued but necessary to many film’s emotional complexity.
Hannah Rogers is the entertainment editor for The Reflector. She can be contacted at [email protected].