Does the Oscars ceremony still interest anyone? It was the fear shaking Hollywood, on the eve of the 94and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards ceremony, Sunday, March 27. In 2021, the ceremony at Union Station in Los Angeles was followed by only 10.5 million viewers. Pandemic effect, certainly, but completing a lack of interest which has continued to show itself since the record of 1998: 55.2 million viewers to follow the crowning of the titanicby James Cameron (11 Oscars).
With the stars returning to the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, the Academy hoped this year to stem the decline by choosing the theme “cinema lovers in unison “. As if to show that the pre-pandemic controversies over the absence of women or people of color were no longer relevant in the face of the closure of theaters and the disaffection of spectators, major perils threatening the industry. the cinema. And, also in the face of competition from streaming, another danger according to some, such as Steven Spielberg, one of the most determined supporters of maintaining the border between the big and small screen and one of the big losers of the evening of 2022.
Under pressure from the ABC channel (of the Disney group), which broadcasts the Oscars each year, the Academy had agreed to shorten the ceremony. Eight award shows – of the twenty-three – had been pre-recorded in the previous hour. The decision caused the resignation of some sacrificed professionals from the club of some 10,000 “academicians” who choose the winners each year.
Trio of female comedians
The Academy, on the other hand, had reestablished the tradition of a master of ceremonies to oversee the evening. It was a trio of female comedians, Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes – “Three women, and it’s even cheaper than a man!” »they quipped. In its desire to open, the Oscars also called on presenters far removed from Hollywood: DJ Khaled, who pretended to disrupt the opening, and three sports stars, snowboarder Shaun White, surfer Kelly Slater and skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, who presented the James Bond tribute.
Seven years after sparking the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag for awarding all of the non-technical Oscars to white actors, the Academy has shown it’s got the message. The ceremony opened with song be alive by Beyoncé – interpreted from Compton, the district of black revolt, in Los Angeles. Ariana DeBose, the Anita of the remake of West Side Story by Steven Spielberg, became the first queer latin to win the title of Best Supporting Actress. “To anyone questioning their identity and finding themselves in a gray area, I promise you, there is a place for us”she launched.
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