In an effort to keep this year's Oscars under 3 hours, the Academy announced that four categories--cinematography, editing, hair and makeup, and live action shorts--would be presented during commercial breaks and the speeches aired later in the telecast. The blowback was swift--especially in regards to the cinematography and editing categories--many directors have spoken out about how essential these skills are to the craft of filmmaking. Thus far though, the Academy is refusing to cave on their decision--no doubt the pressure from ABC to keep the telecast short is intense. In addition to the relegation of these four categories, the show will also be host-less...so tune in to see a potential debacle!
KCRW
