Oscar Telecast Shakeup & The “Setup” Zoom Call That Preceded It Face Backlash: “This Is Not The Answer”

deadline.com:

The Academy’s plan unveiled yesterday to cut Best Editing and seven other categories from this year’s live Oscar telecast to resuscitate viewership has received reactions of shock, disappoint and outrage – and that’s from the people who are being polite.“Even though I understand the reasoning behind this and I have great empathy for the people that have to make this decision, this isn’t it,” said Best Documentary Short nominee Ben Proudfoot of the latest move by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences leadership. “This is not the answer,” noted the Queen of Basketball director. “And there’s got to be a better way to do what needs to be done, which is to recognize achievement across the board in cinema within three hours, without creating a class system.”Others were more blunt.“You don’t mess with the Crown Jewels,” said one rival network executive of AMPAS, broadcaster ABC and the Will Packer produced 2022 Oscars.“You shine them up, you emphasis them, not attack them,” he added of how to get audiences interested again in the ceremony, which has had declining ratings for years.Falling double digits from the previous low, last year’s Oscars drew a misly audience of 10.4 million and a 2.1 rating among adults 18-49 for its April 25, 2021 primetime airing.

The Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall hosted 94th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to air live on ABC on March 27.Even before AMPAS made their leaner, meaner Oscars tactic public on Tuesday, Proudfoot was among dozens of nominees who were invited on to a so-called virtual town hall Zoom call with Academy staff yesterday afternoon.

The broadsided participants soon discovered, it was a very different affair“It was a setup, an absolute setup so the Academy