The showbiz journalists are asking if the Oscars should be canceled, and if so, how. Two journalists offer their take, and I offer mine below. I think they should still have the show but not to make it all about the fire or themselves. There is a better way. Read on.
Jeff Sneider has a piece on his site about how the Oscars should navigate the moment (turn it into a fundraiser).
And Steve Zeitchik, writing for Penske Media Corp goes even further:
I can’t imagine anything worse than what he’s suggesting here. A victim of the fires being escorted to the Oscars? Is he completely insane? Getting anyone to care about the Oscars at all, with or without the fires, is a Herculean task. No one cares about the movies, the celebrities, or the show. The only thing we’re talking about here is damage control, how to make an industry that wants to present as good not look like selfish, greedy narcissists amid a once-in-a-generation tragedy.
Here is what I would do. I would have the Oscars with a host and an audience. I would have the presenters be people at various locations accepting donations, raising money for charity, and a phone bank. Have them, from their remote locations, read out the nominees and the winners and have the winners take to the stage to accept their awards.
I would keep a phone number on the screen throughout for people to donate. And that’s as far as I would go. These fires are not a worldwide tragedy. They are a local tragedy but it’s not a world war. It’s not COVID. The Oscars can still be a show for people who might watch — but if you really want to be good people and you really want to raise money invite some MAGA folks, even Donald Trump, to give a speech. Invite the other half into the party, and use the Oscars as a symbol of unity and inclusion, not exclusion. That’s what I would do. The time has come to end the madness and start acting like one country again.
Will they do that? No, of course not. But they should. And any rich person who wants to donate to the fires can have a spot on the show as a remote presenter. “Hi, I am so and so who is worth $8 billion, I am donating $5 million to the relief effort and here are the nominees for Live Action Short.”
Or “Hi, I’m William. I would like to donate the contents of my piggy bank, which is $313 dollars to the relief effort, and here are the nominees for Animated Short.”
That’s how it’s done, my friends, that’s how it’s done.
