Manny P. here…
“` There has been plenty of social media outrage recently from cinematic purists and fans of Hollywood that suggest the Academy Awards and Hollywood (in general) is dead. The truth is, any problems awards-shows are having is quite fixable. And Tinseltown has always had its detractors.
“`With regards to the Oscars ceremony. Narrow-focused complaints provides little context for the solution over less viewership. The truth is… network television is markedly in decline. The nightly news shows, weekly dramas and sitcoms, and sporting events have all taken a hit due to cable, streaming and other platforms that younger audiences are starting to embrace. The Super Bowl viewership is down as well.
“`I see a genuine solution. Start airing events programming across multiple platforms. There is zero reason the Oscars ceremony should not be on ABC, HULU, DISNEY +, several of the Fox channels, all owned by the same parent company. Hell, throw the event on YouTube and TikTok (if they can overcome licensing issues) and their will be increased viewership from a combined effort. Golf is already doing this with their cross-promotion on CBS, NBC, and the Golf Channel with measurable success. There is no need to drop awards categories from a telecast and then add presenters from outside the film industry. Gimmicks are quite artificial and the tactic only enflames the ire of the movie community and its audience.
“`As for the argument that actors have become too political. NEWSFLASH… the actors have always been too political. It was too political practices that led to the creation of the Screen Actors Guild and production of Citizen Kane. They were too political during The McCarthy Era, the Vietnam War, and Watergate. Charlie Chaplin, John Wayne, Hedda Hopper, Ronald Reagan, Jane Fonda, and others, have always been outspoken about social issues. Today’s detractors simply disagree with the views of some actors. Believe me, if they agreed, they would not be arguing about the political nature of the film community.
“`Finally, bad movie-making exists. And today’s critics find that too many flicks are made from shrill content (such as comic books) and little attention is paid to fine screen-writing. I cannot disagree with that argument. However, there remains a willing audience in a post-COVID world for Spiderman. The truth is: Mature audiences have historically complained. They all lamented as talkies emerged from the silent era; they were rankled by the influence of dark post- World War II movies influenced by European filmmakers; they were overwhelmed by the epics of the 1950s, made as a response to television; they were disgusted by the increase in foul language after the demise of the Hays Code; and they were distracted with CGI in motion pictures that lead to more fantasy films and a younger audience.
“`Hollywood is nowhere near dead. The chat about movie-making is robust; the innovations in technology is advancing by leaps-and-bounds; streaming is the new normal in viewership; and marketing of cinema-related items is healthy and growing. The powers-that-be will figure out how to re-brand the Oscars ceremony across multiple platforms and everything will be well. In the meantime… RELAX!!!
Until next time> “never forget”
“`The Forgotten Hollywood Book Series (3) is available this weekend at Larry Edmunds as well. Please take a moment to pick up copies of my work. They are also at the Hollywood Heritage Museum. I will spend Saturday at the TCM Classic Film Festival. It would be an honor to sign my books for you. And let’s chat about the motion picture that we love. JEFF MANTOR and MANNY PACHECO at LARRY EDUMUNDS —>
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