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2006 Academy Award Preview
On March 5th, the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles will play host to the 78th Annual
Academy Awards. And one can only hope that they?ve learned a lesson from last
year?s debacle and can clean up their act. After all, if you recall, last year?s
ceremony was an embarrassment to the nominees, the award winners, and the
audience that bared witness to the three hour tour. On the verge of becoming
as trashy as the MTV Movie Awards, nominees were introduced as a group on stage
and gradually voted off, while others were presented with their awards from the
aisles. And believe me, nothing says ?class? like receiving an Oscar for
costume design in front of your peers from the mezzanine. Tragically, the famed
Oscar telecast lost a large chunk of the glitz, the glamour, and the prestige
last year and it had absolutely nothing to do with Chris Rock.
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2005 Academy Award Preview
On February 27th, the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles will play host to the 77th Annual Academy
Awards. And what better way to roll out the red carpet than with a whole lot of controversy? In a series of bold moves, famed
Academy Awards' producer Gil Cates has shaken the tree profusely. During the annual Nominees luncheon, Cates
announced some audacious changes to the awards presentation process. For starters, nominees will be introduced as a group on stage with the winner stepping forward
to accept the award. And in other categories, the nominees will remain seated together while the presenter
announces the winner from the aisle! Although not completely disbanding the traditional approach, the
changes are significant enough to add contention to an already unconventional ceremony.
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2004 Academy Award Preview
The 76th annual Academy Awards are approaching faster than ever, thanks in part to a decision to move the famed telecast
up a notch early (Sunday, February 29th). The decision to accelerate the awards was an attempt to cut down on heavy
campaigning and propaganda that have plagued recent years. Shamelessly, posting "For your consideration?" advertisements
and commercials, big studios have dominated the trades and airwaves, influencing the 5,700 Academy members for months on
end. Of course, the overall effect of the move will most likely cause the studios to release their films in November rather than December this year, squeezing
in the extra time to solicit nominations. But the move certainly impacted this year's awards, bringing quite a few surprises from Djimon Hounsou to
Keisha Castle-Hughes to a little place known only as the "City of God."
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2003 Academy Award Preview
The leaves are turning colors, the temperatures are getting cooler, and the summer blockbusters have
fizzled out. Yes, it's officially fall, one of the most difficult times for finding top quality movies. For
unlike television, which showcases a return of all your favorite shows after a summer hiatus, the fall film season
is typically awash with filler material until late November when the heavy pennant races begin.
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