The Academy Reverses Controversial Decision: All 24 Oscars Categories Will Air Live During Show
Following protests from Hollywood filmmakers and actors, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that all 24 Oscars categories will air live during the upcoming award show.
“The Academy has heard the feedback from its membership regarding the Oscar presentation of four awards — Cinematography, Film Editing, Live Action Short, and Makeup and Hairstyling. All Academy Awards will be presented without edits, in our traditional format,” Officers of the Board of Governors told PEOPLE.
Actress Olivia Wilde celebrated the announcement on social media, writing, “GOOD NEWS … This is the power of a community standing up for its own. I can’t wait to watch the Oscars!”
In an attempt to make the award show shorter and increase viewership, the Academy said earlier this week that the Oscars for best cinematography, film editing, short films and makeup/hairstyling would be presented during commercial breaks.
However, a number of directors including Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese and actors Robert de Niro, Meryl Streep and George Clooney, Seth Rogen and more signed an open letter denouncing the Academy’s plan.
“We consider this abbreviation and potential censorship to run contrary to the spirit of the Academy’s mission,” the letter read.
“When the recognition of those responsible for the creation of outstanding cinema is being diminished by the very institution whose purpose it is to protect it,” the letter continues, “then we are no longer upholding the spirit of the Academy’s promise to celebrate film as a collaborative art form.”
These filmmakers aren’t the only celebrities to speak out. On Tuesday, actor Russell Crowe, who won the Best Actor Oscar in 2001 for Gladiator, slammed the Academy for the decision in a tweet.
“The Academy is removing cinematography, editing and makeup from the televised show?” he wrote. “This is just such a fundamentally stupid decision, I’m not even going to be bothered trying to be a smart arse about it. It’s just too f—— dumb for words.”
Rogen, 36, also shared his thoughts, writing, “What better way to celebrate achievements in film than to not publicly honor the people’s who’s [sic] job it is to literally film things.”
The nominations for the 91st Academy Awards were announced in January in Los Angeles by Tracee Ellis Ross and Kumail Nanjiani.
The Favourite and Roma tied for most nominations with 10 each. Roma got a boost from both Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira pulling in surprise nominations in the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories, respectively.
RELATED: Oscar Nominations! Emma Stone’s The Favourite Scores Big with 10 Nods
The Favourite also made history with all three of its leading ladies nominated, with Olivia Colman facing steep competition in Best Actress and Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz up against each other in Best Supporting Actress.
A Star Is Born walked away with 8 nominations, although Bradley Cooper was snubbed in the Best Director category. Still, he picked up Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.
The 91st Academy Awards air live on Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
