Late-Night Hosts React To Oscars’ ‘Insulting’ Decision To Drop Craft Categories From Live Ceremony

etcanada.com:

The Academy Awards are doing things differently this year, and TV’s late-night hosts are sounding off. On Wednesday night’s “The Tonight Show”, host Jimmy Fallon reacted to news that a number of craft awards, including Best Original Score and Best Editing, will be pre-taped rather than presented live during this year’s Oscars telecast in March. READ MORE: Some Academy Award Presentations To Be Pre-Recorded And Added To Live Telecast “Even more insulting,” Fallon joked, “before the awards are presented, the announcer will say, ‘And now, the categories nobody cares about.’” Commenting on the Oscars’ desire to cut down on the annual broadcast’s length, the host added, “If they really want to shorten the broadcast, maybe just skip the part where someone explains what an actor is.” Mimicking the voice of a serious announcer, Fallon joked, “An actor acts.” On the other end of the spectrum, Jimmy Kimmel addressed the controversy on his show but seemed indifferent to the decision. “It does feel ironic for the editors to be cut out of the show,” he joked.

Poking fun at the concern expressed by some Oscar watchers, including people in the industry, Kimmel said, “How could they do this?

I mean, who could forget that magical moment back in 1975 when Ronald Pierce and Melvin Metcalfe won Best Sound for ‘Earthquake’, you know?” He added, “I think they should go even further.

Boil it down to Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Picture, and we can all get to sleep.” READ MORE: Camila Cabello’s ‘Cinderella’ Leading Oscars’ New Fan Favourite Category Reaction across Hollywood to the news has been largely negative.