The Oscars will air all 23 categories this year
Last year, the Academy Awards sparked controversy when they made the executive decision to pre-tape eight awards. It was an attempt by the Oscars to streamline the notoriously unwieldy live broadcast, but it had the inadvertent effect of telling the whole world which categories the Academy prioritises over others.
The awards that were axed from the live broadcast included Best Original Score, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Documentary Short, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Animated Short, Best Live Action Short, and Best Sound. So when a titan of the industry like Hans Zimmer gets relegated to the pre-taped section, surely there is going to be some backlash.
Some important notes: first and foremost, the pre-taping didn’t actually seem to cut down on the broadcast. The awards were still shown, and every winner still had comically short amounts of time to give their speeches. It made the whole pretence of the pre-tape seems pointless. Secondly, we still got Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, so it’s not like the good live moment(s) were changed.
After a year of experimentation and arguable (probable and predictable) failure on the Academy’s part, we’re now getting our full live ceremony returned to its complete form. In an interview with Variety, Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said, “I can confirm that all categories will be included in the live telecast.”
“We are committed to having a show that celebrates the artisans, the arts and sciences and the collaborative nature of moviemaking,” Kramer said. “This is very much what the mission of the Academy is, and I am very hopeful that we can do a show that celebrates all components of moviemaking in an entertaining and engaging way.”
Rejoice, Best Production Design stans! As for how they plan to celebrate the ceremony’s 95th anniversary, Kramer remained coy. “All I will say right now is that our anniversary, the 95th Oscars, is extremely important to us. I think it sets a really interesting rhythm for our 100th. You see this in the museum, I think we are able to celebrate our legacy while bringing the Academy into the future and the show will reflect that.”
The 95th Academy Awards will air on March 12th, 2023, with host Jimmy Kimmel.
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