The latest to get booted from the Oscars ceremony: All those non-famous people

By Shannon Miller  |  February 18, 2019 | 6:36pm
Aux Features Academy Awards

This year’s Academy Awards news cycle has been a merry-go-round of some of the most insufferable “will they or won’t they” tension that nobody asked for, from whether or not they’ll honor certain creators behind the camera (they will) to whether or not they’ll even have a host (they won’t). With just six days until the big show, there is one group that won’t be making it to the screen: all those people who dared not to be famous.

After the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rightfully nixed its decision to move the cinematography, live-action short, editing, and makeup and hairstyling honors to commercial breaks, the ceremony was back to running a little long. When Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Oscars in the past, he would film vignettes that included ordinary people as a sort of humbling sojourn from the razzle dazzle of the event. Now, there’s simply no time for that.

But lead producer Donna Gigliotti wants you to know that it’s not that she has anything against non-famous people. In fact, some of her favorite people are not famous.

“I love everyday people. I ride the subway with them every day in New York,” Gigliotti explained. “Everyday people don’t get me ratings.”

As the new lead up to the Best Picture category, the Oscars will include presentations from figures who aren’t in entertainment as they speak about the importance of film in their own lives. Serena Williams, for instance, is slated to talk about A Star Is Born. With us boring nerds out of the way, maybe the show will see a more engaged home audience. Anything would be better than last year’s record low ratings, right?

[Via Variety]

 
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