MOVIE NEWS – Oscar organisers have finally responded to Will Smith’s infamous slap in the face and are tightening up other guidelines for the awards ceremony.

The Oscars will take place on March 12 on ABC. As the countdown began, 182 nominees and other guests gathered for the Oscar dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 13. Tom Cruise headlined the event, making his first appearance on the red carpet in 8 months. But the Academy used the occasion to lay down some guidelines. They also dealt with the infamous incident when Will Smith stood up and slapped Chris Rock on stage during the show.

Following the ‘slap,’ Will Smith publicly apologised and resigned from the Academy, which banned him from attending their events for ten years.

Academy President Janet Yang addressed the incident at the luncheon and told those present that the Academy’s initial response to the incident was “inadequate,” People reported. Yang continued:

“We learned from this that the Academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions, and particularly in times of crisis we must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry,” Yang said, “You should and can expect no less from us going forward.”

The President went on to talk about the Academy’s goals, which include inspiring young people to look to film as a future career path. The Academy’s efforts were also discussed. “maintaining the highest of standards while creating the changes we wish to see,” Yang said.

The Oscars are desperate for good ratings after years of lacklustre enthusiasm and attendance. Academy President Janet Yang seems to think that long speeches by winners are part of the problem.

The World of Reel says she gave the nominees a friendly warning:

“You win a coveted golden statue, your speech must be 45 seconds tops. We have worked really hard to represent all awards live on the show this year. So we need to be sensitive to our running time, you need to work with us. This is live television after all.”

To clarify, Yang is asking that winners limit their time to 45 seconds. Even if a group takes the prize. The World of Reel columnist shared his opinion on the strict time limit,

“What Yang seems to be clueless about is that Oscar-winning speeches are part of the reason why people tune in. Most of the iconic speeches in Oscars history were well over 2 minutes. You won’t get many great moments if you just limit it to 45 seconds… The winners deserve more than 45 seconds to give a speech. I understand Yang and ABC are in a ratings-hungry phase, but this is ridiculous.”

“We’re not tuning in to watch the unfunny host or painfully presented sketches.”

Jimmy Kimmel will host the Oscars on March 12. And viewers will be able to watch to see if the winners keep to the time limits or if another surprising incident breaks out. After all, this is the thrill of live television.

Source: World of Reel