OSCARS RAW AND REVEALED--PLUS THIS YEAR'S SHOW

 THE OSCARS WEREN'T ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY AND RATINGS. NOW THEY ARE.

BUT, LET'S GO BACK TO SEE WHY WE ARE WHERE WE ARE NOW. ONE ALWAYS NEEDS TO LOOK AT THE HISTORY.

In May of 1929, the first Oscars ceremony was a private dinner held at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Only the relevant people were there. A few reporters with cameras showed up. There was no TV or radio in that room. Winners received their prizes to celebrate art and talent and then they went home. It was pure. Radio covered it in 1930.

The first televised Oscar show was in 1953. White tie was the dress code. Remember,  there were only three broadcast channels in 1953. Everyone watched the Oscars because there was no show like it. There were real movie stars then, shaped and dressed by studios; trained with proper manners, and Hell to pay if they didn't behave themselves.

At some point. the studios realized that winning an Oscar for their movies would increase box office. Money entered the picture, but not as viciously as now. As far back as the 70s, studios were increasing their budgets for pr campaigns. In 1974, the last studio contract player, Sharon Gless (Universal) was released and went on to have a great career. With the loss of studio direction, the actors soon found out that agents weren't enough. Agents had too many clients. The personal manager was born to guide a career and act as the "team leader," overseeing the publicist, lawyer, and agent for the client. The business changed.

Actors had to pay money now for protection.

Let's talk about "block voting." The Grammys used to be the most egregious about the use of block voting. If your nominated record wasn't on Warner Bros. or Atlantic, and was on a smaller label, you never stood a chance to win. Block voting has also been used by studios for the Oscars. It just happens.

Can you buy an Oscar the way you used to be able to buy a Golden Globe? No. But in 1999, "Shakespeare in Love" was up against "Saving Private Ryan." Everybody knew that "Saving Private Ryan" deserved to win and should have won. Harvey "The Pig" Weinstein spent more than $100 million to win that Oscar. There had never been a campaign like that one. Cate Blanchett had been cruising to a victory for "Elizabeth." "Shakespeare" and Gywneth Paltrow won. $$$$$$$$$$$. That changed Oscars forever--for the worst.

And, CODA, once it won earlier awards this year, decided to put $25 million toward the Oscar win. It worked. But, I loved it and wanted it to win.

There's another factor in Oscar wins---sympathy or "it's her/his turn." Never forget that Elizabeth Taylor won an Oscar for "Butterfieold 8" because she nearly died that year and a tracheotomy saved her life. That tracheotomy took an Oscar away from Melina Mercouri, Shirley MacLaine in "The Apartment, Deborah Kerr and Greer Garson. Elizabeth should have won the year before for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," but the Academy was mad at her over the Eddie Fisher situation. .Julie Andrews won for Mary Poppins." Because everybody felt so sorry for her that she lost the lead in "My Fair Lady" to Audrey Hepburn, she won over Anne Bancroft in "The Pumpkin Easter," Debbie Reynolds in "Unsinkable Molly Brown," Kim Stanley in "Seance on a Set Afternoon." SERIOUSLY????? And I love Julie Andrews...but.... Was last night's Best Actress Winner Jessica Chastain's performance sensational? Yes. But it was also "her time."

MONEY MONEY. The Academy received and still receives a license fee from the network for the privileges of airing the Oscar show. That fee has gone up and up, and the Academy makes millions. So does the network. They make it from the commercials.

BUT BUT BUT---when Oscar ratings keep dipping, less money is made. The license fee is in danger of getting lower, as well as what the networks can charge for commercial time. It's BIG BUSINESS. With the Oscar ratings dipping into the basement danger zone, the loss of revenue for everyone is in jeopardy. The Academy will do just about anything--new producers each year, stunts, no musical numbers, too many musical numbers, host, no hosts---they have no idea what will work. It has been a mess.

Newer factors---the Oscars have been cannibalized by the plethora of other awards shows. They are less valuable as a television show. Audiences have had it. The Oscars are also in a situation where there are no longer only three networks to watch. The competition for "eyes on the screen" is fierce. The Oscar audience needs to get a younger audience to survive. While I want to see Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, or Billy Cristal, those names mean nothing to today's viewers. Sadly, nor do white tie and manners.

The dresses on many of the presenters last night...open breasts covered by too small, stiff circular things is disgusting. Tracee Ellis Ross, who I like and think has superb taste, was last night's worst offender. Nicole Kidman and Jessica Chastain knew how to dress.

Another factor, so many movies are being made and shown on different platforms. The blockbuster hits are no longer "Ben Hur." A recognizable hit to the current audience is "Spiderman." Most "Spiderman" or "Fast and Furious" viewers don't care about the Oscars at all. That's another reason why there's a problem.

We cannot ever forget social media. It put the world in free-fall. It has destroyed institutions and glamour. It also gave everyone a platform to mouth off, primarily in an uneducated way. It actually goes back farther than that. When Dan Rather said to President Nixon about being  crook--he said, "No Mr. President, are you?" It was extremely rude. No one had ever treated a sitting present that way. The world saw a president fall, pushed by the press; all walls of civility went down on media and they felt free to savage or say whatever they wanted--with or without proof or professional job. It destroyed dignity and respect.

Also, like it or not, when Oscars were hit with the "Oscars So White" campaign, the Academy, and almost every other awards group way over-corrected by literally shoving things down viewers throats, and letting new people into the Academy who hadn't really earned the right yet. When producers of TV shows are forced to take quotas into consideration instead of just focusing on talent without paying attention to race/ethnicities, you get into trouble. Viewers get angry and ratings drop. Suddenly actors felt they could use the Oscars as a political forum to share their views. Don't ever forget Sacheen Littlefeather, Marlon Brando's emissary to pick up his Oscar.

Was it warranted last night to express our prayers for the Ukraine. Yes. Absolutely. But, Sean Penn single-handedly decided he would boycott and ceremony if they didn't put Zelensky on live from the Ukraine. Sorry, no!

There was more pressure on the Oscar show this year than ever. Honestly, I suspected the worst. You know what? I really liked the show. I loved Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina King. Their material was very funny. For the first time in years, I didn't feel a lag going into the third hour. It was paced well. Shorter awards (sound, etc) were handled well. I loved the DJ and Sheila E. Those are the kinds of contemporary changes that work. I thought the whole show was clever and well-produced. Everybody lies in wait to kill the Oscar TV show. Many of recent ones deserved to be killed. People make up their minds beforehand and can't wait to criticize. Stop it! Wait and see what the show is. I loved the creative sets and new seating configuration, I loved the gospel choir for In Memoriam. The show was upbeat and celebratory.

Did I like the opening with Beyonce that was pre-recorded? No. It was  funeral-like and unmoving. Saluting Compton? No one in the vast world-wide audience knows what Compton is. That scared me at first because I thought wokeness was once again going to be shoved down my throat. A better opening would have been "Bruno." Always open on something with energy.

Now let's discuss the concept of bringing older legends to surprise the audience. No one, if they can remember Myrna Loy, will forgive those producers for putting her on the air from her house. It was really sad. Liza Minnelli hasn't been well for quite some time. She has many medical issues. I get the idea of the surprise. BUT--the audience was shocked and saddened. It was too disturbing. However, Liza was happy and had a good time. I'm grateful for that. I'm more grateful to Lady Gaga who has now become the Legend Wrangler. She's a very special, kind person.

So what have we learned? Time and money and new media and politics now affect everything. Money is too important. The Game has taken over the art. I really liked this year's show as entertainment.

I think, at this point, the entire entertainment industry has become a combination of the Wild Wild West,  the Twilight Zone, and a political football.  Looking back at history teaches us things, and I wish more people paid attention. Hollywood, as it was, is gone. There is a monster in its place. But, for my heart, talent will always be the key. You can't buy talent. The work of artists from stars to sound techs should always come first. They all want to do their best work. I wish there were a better way to honor them purely, without any thoughts of "The Game."

NOTE: Will Smith. Truthfully, the public and producers live for those kinds of moments. What huge, free publicity ! I assure you, it will increase the ratings for next year's show. How sad. Chris Rock, not surprisingly, went over the line badly. You don't attack a man's wife (EVER) but particularly not one who went public with her suffering about her hair issues. Gallantry of defending one's spouse is a good thing. Thats what he did. Was violence wrong? Of course. Were there other ways to handle it? Of course. But it was great TV. I thought Will handled it beautifully in his speech. I also thought Chris pulled it together and got through the segment. It never should have happened on both sides, but there's a part of me that just loved someone standing up and stopping the hurtful joke. People need to watch their words. Words matter. Manners matter. Talent matters. Respect matters.

Hollywood will never self-destruct. People need entertainment. But Hollywood sure needs our prayers.