With nominees for the 94th Academy Awards to be held next Monday for the Oscar nominees’ annual lunch, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is trying to calm the waters over its controversial decision to present eight Oscars before – and then edited their acceptance in – the TV show of the Oscars on March 27.
In public comments and private conversations with the nominees, the Academy emphasizes that – contrary to some interpretations of its announcement on February 22 – the presentation of all 23 Oscars will indeed take place at the Dolby Theater, in front of a full house, and will be broadcast. according to ABC.
The names of the nominees from the eight categories will be read from the stage and their winners will be able to deliver a welcome speech of the same length as any other winner before being escorted, like all winners, to the backstage.
However, to keep the show going faster and less than three hours in total, the winners of the eight Academy Awards will not be shown off track, unfolding a list of thanks, or doing other things that most television viewers would not miss. The strongest and most emotional moments of their acceptance speeches will later be woven into the live broadcast, as is the case at the Tony Awards, and will be seen on the big screen at Dolby when that happens.
The results of the eight categories in question will be shared by the Academy’s social media accounts – and, no doubt, by others in the room – when they happen. But they will also be re-shared the moment they appear on the TV show.
Will all the presenters and nominees of the A-lists, who usually occupy the front rows of the ceremony, sit for these presentations for an hour before the TV show actually starts live? No, the Academy admits. They are given scheduled arrival times to appear on ABC’s preliminary red carpet show, but will be accompanied to Dolby upon completion of these performances and will be accommodated between the eight awards.
Last year’s Oscars had the lowest ratings in history, at just 10.4 million, and the Academy felt pressure from ABC to make the show more fun.