The Wrap’s Steve Pond gets some confirmation names for the upcoming Governors award and warns that it is a risky endeavor — a dinner, not a TV show, and big names have promised to attend:
I’ve confirmed that Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Alec Baldwin and Peter Fonda will join a handful of previously announced participants — including Tom Hanks, Kirk Douglas, Annette Bening and Quentin Tarantino — in saluting honorary Oscar winners Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman and Gordon Willis and Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award recipient John Calley.
Stars and legends will walk the red carpet, shiny new Academy Awards statuettes will be handed out … and it’ll take place in front of the smallest audience to see Oscars bestowed in more than half acentury.
Even though not seeing Lauren Bacall take the stage (unless there is good video), Corman is someone for whom this award is made, though. He’s a director who really has left a legacy behind him, inspiring dozens, if not hundreds, of filmmakers. His films were never Oscar-friendly and thank God for that. Nonetheless, seeing the two of them get these would have maybe been the highlight of the night. But we Oscarwatchers certainly aren’t the norm — we spend a whole year ruminating on the one night – every minute of it matters.
13 Responses for "The Governors Award Dinner"
“Great”.
In the year AMPAS recognize Corman, it begin the new rule of “let’s give the Special Awards away from the main cerimony of the Oscar to not harm our ratings with young people who don’t know who are they”
This is an abomination. Cut the tacky musical numbers and keep the Honorary Oscars in the broadcast.
It would take 10 minutes to give Lauren Bacall her award on the Oscar night proper. Its bad for the soul of the Academy (and Hollywood’s self-identity and acknowledgment of its history and soul) that they couldn’t do that. Can’t help thinking there is something shameful about this.
I guess they can do something with the stars of Twilight during that 10 minutes though.
This really is pathetic that it’s not part of the televised ceremony. Gordon Willis was responsible for the cinematography for Godfather I and II and Manhattan – three stunningly beautiful films – none of which he was even nominated for. All three of these people should get the chance to receive their awards on Oscar night.
And yet there will be a good amount spent on performing songs that frankly don’t have a hell of a lot to do with movies, or god-forbid a dance number. A good bit of time will also be wasted summarizing the 10 nominees for Best Picture, and at this point, I think they’ll be hard-pressed to even come up with a decent 10. It’s a pretty weak year so far in terms of the number of really good films. Of the films released so far this year, only Precious and The Hurt Locker would be talked about for inclusion in a list of 5 best picture nominees.
It’s not only shameful it’s just plain stupid. It’s belittling the whole idea of celebrating film. To push these career icons aside for supposed ratings on TELEVISION totally craps out the importance of film. It makes the Oscars about TV. Who gives a rat’s butt about TV? At least the Globes has the Cecil B. Demille award. The montage is usually dreadful but it will be fun to see Scorsese pick his up. Leave it to the HFPA to “get it” and for the Academy to not. They even delayed Spielberg’s a year so he could be properly recognized. But the Academy gives Bacall and Corman theirs in between passing the mashed potatoes.
I wish they hadn’t changed the format in a year when all the honorary awards are great. I am one of those who like the songs but not the dance numbers.
Although I like Lauren Bacall, who is a unique and appealing performer and personality, I don’t consider her to be a great actress, and she doesn’t really have an extensive filmography of notable performances. That said, she’s an icon not to mention a legend who is as deserving of Academy recognition as others who have received an honorary Oscar.
I agree with those who object to relegating the presentation of this award to a separate event. The awarding of honorary Oscars is an integral part of the Oscarcast and does much to add to the glamour and luster of the proceedings.
To deprive the public — not to mention the recipients — of special moments like this is to downgrade the quality of the show and marginalize the significance of the award and, by implication, its recipients.
it’s a travesty, really. They’d better not have any of those stupid thematic montages around comedy or whatever–those are the things that eat into a lot of telecast. As a fan of old Hollywood, I think whoever is behind this decision has a lot to answer for.
They at least could have had this as a webcast!
Although I too wish that these great artists would get their due respect on the Academy Awards telecast, I doubt there would even be such an honor bestowed on them if we were made to wait for the ceremony in March.
It seems obvious that the only reason all four are getting the recognition now is because the statuettes will be presented at a stand-alone ceremony. At least we can praise the Academy for giving the four their Oscar now instead of just one of them in March. And which one would it be?
I agree this is a travesty. So what if the TV show would run 4 hours?
Ugh, this better show up on their YouTube channel.
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