3 Stories from the 2018 Oscars that You'll Hear Again Next Year
- Michael W Biehl
- Mar 20, 2018
- 4 min read
Another year has passed and another Oscars has been broadcasted. Needless to say from the title of this blog, this year's show wasn't spared from the gale of "spicy" stories and controversy that has inundated it's predecessors. One could say it's even "encouraged" or "stirred" nowadays in regards to how effectively outrage culture achieves headlines and views.
Although not as heated as this year's Grammies or Golden Globes, the 90th anniversary of the Academy Awards still presented some contentious debates along with 2017's best cinematography.
So without further adieu, let's jump right in:
#1: Poor Ratings
According to Nielsen, the official tally for this years Oscars was a mere 26.5 million TV viewer base, a decline of 20% compared to 2017's show and the ceremony’s worst viewership ever. As for the ratings those viewers gave, it amounted to an equally disappointing 18.9%.
The real question the Oscars' promoters need to answer is "Why?". Is it because this year's nominees for best picture and other big-name awards lacked the high budget blockbusters most Americans would recognize and care about? Could it be because the political stances purveyed by celebrities have outcasted a substantial size of Americans? Perhaps its just the effects of a growing digital world and generation that simply don't have the time/attention to watch a 4-hour program. Or is it an amalgamation of all 3?
Whatever the cause may be, it's going to be an interesting next few years to see how the Oscars will forge ahead. Will they put more emphasis on streamability? Cut down on the politics? Reduce its runtime? The one thing I can tell you now with certainty, is that doing nothing will only fade the entire program into obscurity.
Delving further into the minefield that is public political opinion, this year's Oscars attendees had a keen focus on the women's movement to end sexual assault called #MeToo and #TimesUp. Those supporting the movement publicly donned the same #TimesUp pins worn at the Golden Globes.
Ever since September when the storm of Harvey Weinstein allegations were made public, the women in Hollywood have been coming out en masse naming the people who have hurt them to empower women around the world to stand up to the abuse. In regards to Harvey alone, his company has been disgraced as much so as his own name, so much to the point where it has officially filed for bankruptcy this month.
And while this is great news to see some form of justice being brought, the night also had its fair share of hypocrisies. The first being in relation to Ryan Seacrest hosting some Red Carpet interviews with women and asking about their wardrobe, when he himself was accused last October of sexual misconduct by his own wardrobe stylist, accusations which he has denied. This led to TV stations delaying his airtime by 30 seconds in case they needed to edit out any hostile confrontations.
The next story to pop up is in regards to former NBA star Kobe Bryant winning an Oscar for a voice acting role he took. Many criticized this as exactly the type of "celebrity legal immunity" that they are trying to end, referencing Kobe's past sexual assault allegations from a hotel employee in 2003, which was widely believed to have occurred despite the victims refusal to go to trial.
The inherent problem with this is that many Americans believe these stories regarding several individuals are open secrets in Hollywood, and that the only reason most celebrities are joining the movement is to deny they knew about the harassment taking place in order to protect their own brand. There is no doubt in my mind that some rotten apples still exist in the industry, and that they are protected by the powerful positions they possess.
However, just as what America saw with Harvey, I believe we will see the same with the others. No matter how long it takes, justice will come down on those who deserve it if these women remain encouraged to speak out.
#3: Jordan Peele Wins Best Screenplay
Moving to a more positive trend, if you haven't heard, the award for Best Screenplay of 2017 was officially presented to comedian director Jordan Peele for his horror film Get Out. Now this particular story has a lot more to it than one would think with a superficial glance. What I find most interesting and uplifting is that 2017's call to nominate and award more people of color, in reference to the #OscarsSoWhite movement, was officially answered with Jordan's win.
I will admit I was rather reluctant and worried as to how this would play out this year. As a minority myself, the last outcome I wanted to see was the academy choosing to award minorities solely on the grounds of skin color; meaning they were doing it just to improve their optics and brand.
This was not the case however with Jordan Peele, Get Out was a fantastic movie acclaimed by both fans, critics, and now the academy itself. I see it as a positive and organic first step into normalizing the notion of minorities being capable of achieving this level of success in film.
The other part of this story that may be overshadowed is the fact that Get Out was in the horror movie genre. Now this is an important fact to factor in that I feel may have been overlooked by some. Historically, horror has always been viewed as a cheesy and sub-prime genre compared to drama, mystery, or historical pieces in the eyes of Hollywood's upper echelon. With Get Out winning however, I believe it opens the door to artists with a proclivity to horror, it would encourage them to take the risk and enter the genre. Using that as a premise, there's a good chance that future Oscars would be more willing to accept and take a deeper look at critically-acclaimed horror films.
And just for good measure, I think it should be required that everyone view this image of Jordan Peele's longtime friend and comedic partner Keegan-Michael Key literally jump for joy after watching Jordan win.
Comments