Oscar Winners Reduced to 45 Second Acceptance Speeches
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Thanking Mom, Dad and God will go out the window at this year’s Oscars.
Supportive parents, dedicated agents and God are likely to be highly disappointed at this year’s Oscars, as the Academy has restricted award winners to a single 45 second slot for acceptance speeches.
In recent years, speeches have become almost as much of a drama as the nominated movies themselves.
Whether they be witty, politically motivated or highly emotional, Oscar acceptance speeches have gained notoriety as “the single most hated thing on the show,” according to co-producer Bill Mechanic who spoke to The Guardian.
The Academy used to have a strict scheduling for acceptance speeches. When Cuba Gooding Jr won his Oscar for Jerry Maguire, he was cut off mid-speech by the ushering music as the Academy were keen to shuffle on to the next award.
By the time Kate Winslet got her Oscar last year for The Reader a single award took 10 minutes to get through, with a speech which, though emotional and heartfelt, dragged on for too long.
The new look Oscars will split acceptance speeches in two. Winners will be allowed 45 seconds to quickly and concisely explain how happy they are to have won the coveted statuette, before being whisked backstage to a “thank you cam” where they will be able to pour out their gushing praise for the considerate cameraman, the attentive nail stylist and “Binksy” the cat, who sadly cannot be with us tonight.
Videos will be uploaded online, which means the main Oscar ceremony should be mercifully short and sweet, whilst those who idolise the A-listers will be free to hang on their every saccharine-filled exposition at their own leisure.
Whether the Academy will be able to enforce such a short time limit is another thing altogether, but here’s hoping for a regimented and painless ceremony.
