Academy Award season is upon us again and for some people it’s time to just shake their heads and wonder why some movies get in and others get snubbed, while for others the question is why there won’t be a host this year. Last year it was made pretty clear as to why Kevin Hart, who was supposed to have the duty of being host, had to step down. It’s a little odd that a series of tweets from about a decade before would surface once his name came up for the position of host, but in any case it got him kicked off of the host spot and the Academy had no other candidate ready to go so they went on without a host at all. Somehow that turned into better ratings and a much more enjoyable show for a lot of people as the awards show went off without much of a hitch. As Mike Floorwalker of Looper has pointed out it didn’t take the Academy too long to realize that doing the same thing this year might be a good idea since it would allow more focus to rest on the musical numbers, the celebrities, and of course the winners as they took their walk to the podium.
As it’s been reported it has been a while since consecutive years have come and gone without a host at the helm of the Academy Awards, but perhaps it’s time to let the night be about the stars and less about the host that usually has something to say that turns into a running commentary about our current politics. Last time anyone checked the Academy’s were for those that act, that pretend, and get paid insane amounts of money for doing so. Sure they contribute and give back, and their donations and charitable acts are admirable and honorable, but the moment a single one of them steps on the stage to preach in their own manner it tends to ruin a lot of goodwill they might have otherwise kept had they simply said ‘thank you’ and made their way off stage. Ricky Gervais said it best during the Golden Globes after all, a lot of the Hollywood elite, no matter where they came from, have forgotten how to connect with the people that actually watch their movies. We can call them down to earth, nice people, and this and that all day long, but the truth of it is that a good number of them have either forgotten what it was like to live from paycheck to paycheck and try to justify spending money to see a movie or never knew what it was like in the first place. At this point the Academy Awards are a bit of a joke, a night for the stars to congratulate themselves and feel more important than many of them already do on a regular basis.
In all fairness it is a hope that this strategy of no host does pan out and that the awards show does well since there’s more at stake than just the pleasantries and the hopes and dreams of those that have already made it big, there’s also the jobs of all those that make the awards show what it is. Too often we tend to forget just how many people it takes to make such an event happen and how hard they’re working to make it come off without any issues whatsoever. From the venue and everything that goes into it to the seating arrangements, the press releases, anything and everything that goes into making this one special night as glamorous as it can be takes quite a few people that won’t ever be recognized for their contributions apart from their paycheck. Of course people don’t want to hear about this, they want to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over the stars decked out in clothing that can cost more than a new car with accessories that would cost at least a year or more of house payments or rent for a lot of folks. Melissa Russell-Ausley and Tom Harris of HowStuffWorks might be able to give a little more information on this subject.
Not having a host did work out last year for the show so maybe it will work out this year as well. The only way that we’ll know is after the expected night has come and gone, and even if the ratings dip a bit it might have nothing to do with the lack of a host. There are plenty of variables in an awards show that could contribute to great or poor ratings and despite the careful planning things do tend to happen from time to time that aren’t able to be accounted for. As it stands though the Academy is willing to see what might happen if they try something that worked to make sure that it’s the right formula to boost their ratings again.
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