A couple of days ago Michael Cieply at the New York Times published an interesting note regarding the Oscar telecast and one that just may prove the producers simply have no idea what to do to increase viewership:
In a staff meeting over at Warner Brothers the other day, it was mentioned that the studio had picked its clips for the end-of-show, upcoming-movie montage that will likely be part of the refurbished, way-more-fun Oscar ceremony on Feb. 22. Not too surprisingly, the company decided to put its biggest, if not best, foot forward: The choices were Sherlock Holmes, directed by Guy Ritchie with Robert Downey Jr.; Terminator Salvation, directed by McG with a temperamental Christian Bale; and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, directed by David Yates with Daniel Radcliffe.
It’s a sad day when gimmicks have to be used just to get people to watch an award show for an industry that generates billions from consumers already. As Cieply says, “But the preview gimmick, if it stays in the show, will put an exclamation point on the academy’s big problem: its disconnect with people who watch films.”
