Latest news with #BruceVilanch
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Oscars 2026 new rule shocks voters. Here's what Academy states
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hopes to provide a level playing field for smaller projects in the Oscars with a new rule that mandates voting members to watch all the entries in each category that they are supposed to vote in. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Oscar new rule: How Academy members reacted Comedian shocked at previous voting patterns Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs Disclaimer Statement: This content is authored by a 3rd party. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). ET does not guarantee, vouch for or endorse any of its contents nor is responsible for them in any manner whatsoever. Please take all steps necessary to ascertain that any information and content provided is correct, updated, and verified. ET hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to the report and any content therein. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences introduced a groundbreaking rule earlier this month, mandating its voting members to watch all the entries of each category that they are supposed to vote in. The voters will also be required to detail the 'where' and 'when' of the viewing session in a form. The new rule has sparked an intense discussion about its potential impact. The mandate is a radical overhaul in the sense that earlier it was merely recommended to Oscar voters to watch every nominated members have reacted to the change in a largely positive manner, insiders cited by Variety report said. The outlet also noted how Oscar voters would earlier often rely on buzz, publicists, and the word-of-mouth from close circles to cast their votes. With the new rule in place now, several members wonder if it will only encourage voters to circumvent the system using new deceptive also mentioned the prevalent practice of the era when ballots were sometimes completed by aides or even adult children of the voters. One of the key expectations from the new rule is that it will provide a level playing field for smaller projects that may be more deserving of an Oscar while lacking funds for a sizable promotion campaign.A comic who has written for more than two dozen Oscar shows also expressed his disbelief upon learning how common it was for Oscar voters to cast their votes without even watching all the nominated films. The comedian, Bruce Vilanch, said he was "shocked" by the discovery. As per The New York Times, he described the new rule as "kind of hysterical".Another comedian, who wrote for the 97th Academy Awards held in March this year, said she had to watch each and every entry just to write jokes about them. According to the NYT, she said she was unable to believe that Academy members could not be troubled to watch every entry for the purpose of voting till is to be seen now if the new rule will force voters to watch every movie, or will they still find a way to cast their votes after skipping to browse every nominated cited in a recent report by Variety claim that the response has been largely Academy hopes to provide a level playing field for smaller projects that compete against films that have a significant budget for promotions.
New York Times
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A New Requirement for Oscar Voters: They Must Actually Watch the Films
It has not always been necessary to read the book in order to write a book report, as many a devious middle schooler familiar with CliffsNotes or A.I. can attest. And it turns out that Oscar voters have not always had to watch all the films they passed judgment on. But now the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is trying to change that. The academy announced a new rule this week that most filmgoers could be forgiven for assuming was already in place: From now on, members of the academy will be required to actually watch all the nominated films in each category they vote in. Cue the collective side eye. 'Like 'Casablanca,' I am shocked, shocked to discover that there are academy members who don't watch all the movies,' said Bruce Vilanch, a comedian who has written for 25 Oscar shows, who added that the new rule was 'kind of hysterical.' Skyler Higley, a comedy writer who was on Conan O'Brien's writing team when he hosted the Oscars last month, called the new requirement 'un-American.' 'What we do in this country is we sort of vote based on vibes and preferences and biases,' he said. 'So to suddenly require that these guys know what they're talking about when they're voting, it's just not what we do in this nation.' Doug Benson, a stand-up comedian and host of the podcast 'Doug Loves Movies,' said the rule was 'crazy' because most voters were too busy making movies to watch them. 'This sucks for academy members,' he said. 'But the upside for moviegoers? Maybe award-bait movies will start clocking in at a more reasonable 88 minutes. If they implemented the rule this year, 'The Brutalist' would have won squat.' Laurie Kilmartin, a comedian who wrote for the most recent Oscars, noted that she had watched each movie just to be able to write jokes about them. 'I can't believe they couldn't be troubled to watch every movie to vote,' she said. The change will require commitment when it comes to voting for best picture, since the category now includes 10 nominees, up from five in the past. On social media, the move has been met with a mixture of relief and disbelief. 'It took them nearly a century to make this law?' Peter Howell, a film critic for the Toronto Star, remarked. In discussion threads on Reddit, some users noted how unfair it was that academy members could have voted for — or overlooked — films they had not seen. Some wondered which movies might have been robbed in the past. And in some academic circles, the subject revived critiques that the system has long been flawed. Racquel Gates, an associate professor of film and media studies at Columbia University, said she was not optimistic about the changes. 'It's a very necessary acknowledgment of the fact that the awards have not been based on the merits of the films or the performances,' she said, adding that too many awards had been won in the past based on the strength of the Oscar campaigns waged by studios, the popularity of films, or the familiarity voters have had with filmmakers. How will the new system work? Past writers for the telecast had a few ideas. Vilanch mused that it would be entertaining to watch academy officials try to round up and penalize people for not being honest about their Oscar ballots. 'The honor system has always worked very well in Hollywood,' he observed dryly. Kilmartin suggested that voters should be asked to write a short summary of each film before being allowed to vote. The academy plans to keep track of what members have seen in its digital screening room, and to require members to fill out a form noting films seen elsewhere, including in theaters or at festivals. If any film in a given category has not been viewed, the member will not be able to vote in that category. The new rule comes as the academy has grown in recent years. It now has roughly 10,000 voting members, up from about 6,700 in 2017. It is not the only awards show trying to make sure that voters actually see the works they are weighing in on. Several years ago, the Tonys implemented rules requiring voters to see every nominated Broadway production and mark their attendance in an online portal.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Comedy Writer Bruce Vilanch Looks Back at the Worst Shows in TV History
Comedy writer Bruce Vilanch has put words in the mouths of Hollywood's biggest stars for decades. His new book, It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time: The Worst TV Shows in History and Other Things I Wrote, is a look back at some of his lesser triumphs. He's won two Emmys, written 25 Oscar shows and even made a cameo on The Simpsons, but Bruce Vilanch thinks his flamboyant personality has always been his calling card. Aside from his bon mots, his mop of blond hair, bright red glasses and outrageous gag T-shirts have endeared him to generations of fans. During the 1970s and '80s, between writing variety shows for Dolly Parton, Bette Midler and Donny & Marie, Vilanch helped create some truly bizarre comedy gold like 1978's infamous Star Wars Holiday Special and 1976's The Brady Bunch Variety Hour that even he can't believe aired on network television. Q: Why do people still love to talk about these funny shows? A: People tend to remember things from their childhood, which is one reason the things I did resonate with people today. Star Wars and The Brady Bunch continue to be around with seven or eight iterations of each and airing on some channel you've never heard of. I only watched The Brady Bunch because I was a TV critic for the Chicago Tribune and irony of ironies, I was writing for these brilliant children. In her later years, Ann B. Davis was in a Jesus commune in Colorado and not doing anything Jesus wouldn't like but she was pretty hip and the life she had forsaken was a colorful one. Q: Would you call the shows in the book failures? A: Probably. It's a dainty phrase. Some of them got good ratings but were not remembered as being good shows or classic shows. The Star Wars special was dead and buried until fans unearthed it and went after George Lucas not understanding why a Star Wars special had Bea Arthur dancing. I hear from people who remember seeing it as an 8-year-old and loving it, but these were written by grown-up people for grown-up people. I think by that yardstick, they were failures, but they've lived on in the culture as curiosities. Q: Could shows like this get past the gatekeepers today? A: There are still gatekeepers, but now you can create your own comedy and put it on the internet and one of the gatekeepers will buy it and make you wealthy. I give you Randy Rainbow, who made a fortune online before he hooked up with corporate entertainment and made more. If I were 20 years old, I would create a character for Bruce and put him on the internet. It's far better than pounding the pavement hoping someone will read your script. Q: What is bad taste? A: Doing something you shouldn't do. Dropping your pants in front of your mother's card game. Not reading the room or knowing the rules and going ahead anyway. Kitsch is part of it, when people do something in earnestness that they think is wonderful but is truly awful.
