I agree with most everything…except for the animated film bit. I confess, I have a bias against animation. I grew up on cartoons, on comics, etc, so it’s not like I don’t have a history with the notion. But I do not believe that animation is simply another ‘style’ of filmmaking, and therefore, don’t believe it should be considered for Best Picture. Animation, more than ‘regular’ filmmaking, is a technical pursuit of an artistic goal. Within creative expression, animators strive to imbue the characters with those elements identified in humans, elements an audience can empathize with. (No empathy, no connection, no great result.) The successful anthropomorphizing of objects, of animals, toys, can bring about magic. But to me, it’s a technical pursuit. This alone separates it from ‘conventional’ filmmaking. (A note here: this is my *opinion*. It’s *my* belief, *my* truth. I’m not telling anyone else to see things my way, so please, direct your stink-bombs elsewhere.) So I’m glad the Academy has a separate category for Best Animated Film and hope this issue can be put to rest.

As an addendum, regarding the discussion about why the Oscars are losing their audience, why the numbers are down, why on this very blog, one predicated on a love of movies, there’s such ambivalence… Nothing can be done to radically improve the numbers, or turn the tide, for that matter. Times have changed. Just as the paradigm for movie revenues has been turning away from cinema ticket receipts (currently about 12% of the studios’ revenue comes from theatrical release), so has the importance -or relevance- of the Oscar broadcast. (*Not* the Oscars; they’ll be relevant to those people they were created for…the Academy members…whether or not any of you haters tune in). Back when I was the age of many commenters here, and especially before even this time-frame, there simply weren’t the options that people have now in terms of entertainment. And of news. No Internet. No cable. Just tv, newspapers and magazines. It’s an entirely different world. Back then, ‘film’ had mystique. Now, everyone can -and does, it seems- post a video online. Back then, filmmaking was magic. Now, everyday people can discuss production values, film deals, profit and loss, they know the weekend’s BO figures… Just as the music industry hasn’t kept pace with changing times regarding its product, Hollywood seems to expect that the Oscars will always have that special place in peoples’ hearts. And maybe that’s true, albeit to an ever-diminishing extent. But times have changed. And things generally don’t tend to go backwards. So my prediction is a) lower numbers down the road, no matter what changes they make, and b) eventually, a much shorter broadcast.

nobody looked at their ballot and went
“hhmmm best vfx..best vfx….golden compass…..pirates……transformers?? well i really want to say fuck you to george lucas so i won’t be voting for that…i’ll give it to golden compass..that’ll show him”

that is a ridiculous theory…and if thats the case how do you explain all the times ILM have won? like..i dunno…last year?

i think it just proves that michale bay movies are not liked by the academy end of story. there is just no way it is linked back to some hatred of lucas…

lucas hate has nothing to do with it all….

I don;t get this idea that it has to be a movie person….it is a tv show after all and tv show hosts or stand up comedians are the best prepared to do the show..clooney is charming and funny in small doses but I think he would be a terrible host.

I don’t care who it is though really as long as they’re funny…

and if they got rid of best animated feature well you are just not going to see animated films getting nominated for best picture every year….it was a freak occurance when beauty and the beast got a nom and sorry as good as the fims gets if there was no animated catagory you will have pretty much have banished animated films from the show altogether…

as for songs allt hey have to do is make it a medley….have guests sing a snippet from each song in one 7-8 minute medley and get out of the way.

And having a Best Animated Feature Oscar means that “Ratatouille” gets to win an Oscar, instead of, let’s face it, even if it got nominated, no chance at all of winning Best Picture.

and yes i do as well remember the original score montages.. those were nice!

one way i think the oscars could be improved… get Billy Crystal to host again!