He might be made of gold, but it looks like Oscar is getting hit by the economic crisis just like everyone else. TV Week reports that this year’s Academy Awards telecast (Feb. 22 on ABC) will have a budget of just $1.4 million, down from $1.7 million last year. On top of that, ABC has decided to break with tradition and air commercials for movies during the show for the first time ever. (In the past, the ads were forbidden to avoid giving the impression that movie studios had any involvement in the ceremony itself.) The move is apparently a business decision to bring more ad dollars to the program, which netted its lowest ratings in history last year.
Movie ads are a natural fit for the show (which already takes place in the, ahem, Kodak Theatre). But we’re a little worried that Oscar might resort to the following more drastic measures if he’s really strapped for cash:
1. Product Placement
A red carpet stenciled with McDonald’s arches. A podium fromIKEA. Oscar statues spray-painted blue, a la Watchmen‘s Dr. Manhattan. The possibilities are endless.
2. Recycled Sets
Those lavish sets must cost a fortune. One possible fix? Reusing sets from the year’s biggest movies. Hugh Jackman does his monologue from Iron Man‘s lab. Best Picture is announced in the temple from Indiana Jones. And the losers get shoved into the heroin factory from Tropic Thunder.
3. Digital Music
No more orchestra, just an iPod on shuffle. The world is treated to the sight of Kate Winslet taking the stage to the poignant strains of Miley Cyrus’ "See You Again."
4. Fanvid Montages
Instead of the usual FX-laden packages of movie clips, we get those same moments reenacted by bored teenagers in sweatpants. Actually, that one sounds like fun…
Your turn, PopWatchers. Are movie ads going to save the Academy Awards? And how else can Oscar save some pennies?
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i love the idea of recycled sets! that’s pretty brilliant – and it’d probably be more interesting than anything the set designers would come up with. there’s a chance the oscars might look a little… mtv movie awards. but i think there’s something to be said for bringing a little youth into the ceremony. and not just with young presenters.
If they actually did #s 2 and 4, I might watch the show. Aside from getting a great host (bring back Jon Stewart!), injecting a little more humor would be a very good idea. Not a lot of cash-strapped Americans want to watch a serious ceremony in which already-overblown celebrities get treated like royality for four hours just for doing their relatively easy jobs well.
I think I just coined a word. That should be *royalty* not *royality*. Although if they created a TV show following the hilarious missteps in princehood of the poor, utterly oblivious Prince Harry, that’s the genre it would fall into. Hey, I think I’d watch that!
Actually, a recycled set is already used by one major awards show — the Tonys, which used the same backdrop for a number of years.
The ratings this year will be horrible if The Dark Knight doesn’t get nominated. Seriously, who cares about Doubt, Slumdog, Milk, Frost/Nixon and The Reader. Have any of these movies made it to 50mil yet?
Wow! gREAT AND FUNNY ARTICLEE!!!
they should start by not overlooking popular movies just because they’re popular. I hope they realize that they have a chance to bring ratings back with The Dark Knight this year, since it was popular AND good. People are getting tired of the Awards seeming like a giant snobfest with all of these “award-worthy” movies that typically just end up being boring.
as long as howie mandel and heidi klum don’t host, they can do whatever they want.
Here are some great ideas that I’m surprised haven’t been implemented yet:
The traditional Governor’s Ball can be changed into the Governor’s Potluck.
Oscar winners will now be charged a penalty for speeches that run over time.
Top-secret Oscar undercover agents are given advance notice of the winners, and then sent to various workplaces to win all of the Oscar pools across the nation.
Collect call-in donations to see Hugh Jackman re-enact the water scene from “Australia.”
Wait a few months and book the Kodak for the same time as the American Idol finale. Use the stage only during American Idol’s commercial breaks.
All of the results are read by call-center employees in Bangalore.
I agree with others on this one. If movies such as Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Wall-E, Iron Man, Gran Torino, etc. fail to receive any nominations, the effect on the Oscars will be enormous. The very reason I didn’t watch the Golden Globes awards was because most of the nominees were junk from HBO or garbage from art house theaters that only serve to put you to sleep. I’ve learned that all the tv awards go to HBO or to cable tv police dramas, because God knows they won’t accidentally nominate deserving police dramas like the ones on CBS or any other deserving dramas or comedies with the exception of House and 30 Rock. The Golden Globes like all the other minor award shows now fall under the category of been there, done that, seen it all before. As for the Oscars, the nation is in a budget crunch. Its a good thing they’re clinching the wallet a little tighter and movie previews during the commercials sounds sensible to me.
I think reusing sets is actually a good idea. Does anyone really remember what the set looks like from year to year anyway? I barely remember the winners. Best way to save money would be to shorten the ceremony. Get rid of the performances/montages and move the show along at a faster pace.
I don’t know why you think them going for that stuff you mention would be a bad idea. I think it would make it sooo much more entertaining! I specially love the idea of the ‘recycled’ sets. lol!
I’m a fan of the recycled sets idea too! But if they don’t want to haul them over (since the movies would have been shot years ago), they could green screen it. This would have the added bonus of anyone who decided to wear green would just disappear into whatever background was playing.
Have fans write some jokes to save money on writers
President Barack Obama as the emcee. He’s the most popular dude in Hollywood these days and Americans can’t get enough of him. Give him a cut of the advertising booty for his Global Whatta Mess Fund and he’ll agree! P.S. I’ll sue if you use this idea and don’t give me credit.