Academy Shakes Up Oscars Show Team For 96th Edition In March

In March, the Oscars will assemble a panel of live television industry veterans to preside over their 96th season.

The film academy announced Tuesday that Katy Mullan will serve as executive producer and showrunner, Raj Kapoor will serve as executive producer, and Hamish Hamilton will return to direct for the first time in nearly a decade.

Additionally, Kapoor has produced “Adele: One Night Only,” the Grammys, the Emmys, and the Oscars for the past seven years. Mullan, on the other hand, oversaw “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” and the opening and closing ceremonies of the London Olympics. In contrast, Hamilton has already appeared on three Academy Award telecasts, including the 86th and 82nd Oscars, co-hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, respectively. Furthermore, he has also appeared in 14 Super Bowl halftime performances and the London Olympics opening ceremony.

“Their profound passion for film, innovative outlook, and extraordinary mastery of live television are ideal complements to our revitalised programme,” Academy President Janet Yang and CEO Bill Kramer said in a joint statement.

As of yet, no host has been announced.

The Hollywood actor’s strike has disrupted much of the traditional run-up to awards season, as actors cannot promote projects. However, the Academy Awards, which honor every facet of cinema, continue progressing with their strategies. The 96th Academy Awards are slated to occur at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 10.

Walt Disney Television executive Rob Mills stated, “Having collaborated with Raj, Katy, and Hamish on numerous memorable and special projects over the years, we have complete faith in their vision for the 96th Academy Awards.”

In March, the Oscars will assemble a panel of live television industry veterans to preside over their 96th season.

“Their sincerity, invigorating enthusiasm, and inventiveness will guarantee that this year’s ceremony is an unforgettable occasion,” Mills further stated.

Additionally, Lisa Love and Raúl Övila will devise the “red carpet aesthetic,” which completely obviates the need for a red carpet as they did the previous year. In its place, a champagne-colored pathway led to the theatre.

The Oscars, similar to numerous other award programs, have experienced a decline in viewership in recent years, not just due to the pandemic editions.

However, they have also experienced a moderate resurgence in their last two performances. Jimmy Kimmel presided over this year’s ceremony, which garnered 18.7 million viewers in March. It was the third lowest-rated program, despite a significant increase in viewership from the 10.4 million who watched the Union Station Oscars in 2021 and the 16.6 million who witnessed Will Smith strike Chris Rock in 2022. Before 2018, there had never been a decline in viewership below 32 million.

Conventional wisdom holds that the notoriety of the films nominated for the highest awards directly correlates with viewership. This year may yet provide the answer, but that is a tremendous amount of burden to place on “Barrenheimer.”

SOURCE – (AP)