People on Twitter are upset that the Academy has handed out eight of the awards during off-air parts of the show, including four that go to the epic sci-fi film.
- Mar 28, 2022
AceShowbiz - This year's Academy Awards started earlier than usual, but many were not able to catch it. While the official ceremony didn't kick off yet until 5 P.M. PT/8 P.M. ET on Sunday, March 27, some of the awards were already handed out during off-air parts of the show, including four that went to "Dune".
Nominated in a total of 10 categories, Denis Villeneuve's epic sci-fi film won Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound and Best Production Design. It's still up for the awards in other five categories, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects and Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.
Meanwhile, "Dune" lost the Best Makeup and Hairstyling prize to "The Eyes of Tammy Faye", which was also announced before the live telecast. Other early winners included "The Windshield Wiper" for Best Short (Animated), "The Long Goodbye" for Best Short Film (Live Action) and "The Queen of Basketball" for Best Documentary (Short Subject).
Knowing that some of the winners were announced off-air, some fans were not happy. They took to Twitter to express their outrage over the change of the show's format, with one writing, "hadn't quite occurred to me the insanity of the academy giving out awards while guests are entering the room!?!??! like the disrespect on so many levels."
Another upset viewer tweeted, "i can't believe those sickos at ABC found a way to make me so mad about *not* getting to see DUNE win 900." A third criticized the Academy, "lmao that DUNE, a movie that made $400 million worldwide, is absolutely sweeping the awards no one will see bc abc wanted the show to be more 'populist.' " Someone else remarked, " 'Dune' has won 4 #Oscarsand the official ceremony hasn't even begun yet…"
As reported before, the Oscars changed their format as they deal with the pressure to get higher ratings. This approach is deemed more TV friendly since it'll "allow more time for comedy, film clips, and musical numbers."
The Academy president Dave Rubin previously explained, "[These awards] will not be presented in the pre-show nor on the red carpet, as some have speculated. Instead, the in-person ceremony at the Dolby Theatre will begin one hour earlier to present eight awards categories before the live telecast starts. Those presentations will then be edited by our creative and production teams and will be folded seamlessly into the live televised show."
"To be clear, all the nominees in ALL awards categories will be identified on air and ALL winners' acceptance speeches will be featured on the live broadcast," he assured. "Every awarded filmmaker and artist in every category will still have the celebratory 'Oscar moment' they deserve on the stage of the Dolby, facing an enrapt audience. For the audience at home, the show's flow does not change, though it will become tighter and more electric with this new cadence, and the live broadcast should end - yes, with the Best Picture category - at the three-hour mark."
The Academy has not responded to fans' criticism.
