The New York Times > Movies > Oscars 2005 > Critic's Notebook: A Ceremony Stuck in the Past Clings to Its Old Glory

Too much history and not enough of "what's next." If you ask me, an dno one has, the best thing is to move the date, make the show earlier, and change some awards (stuntmen anyone?). Those are some cosmetic changes, that would help, but then again, they also need to look to other places that have had long lives and seemed to be able to change with the times.

Maybe eliminate the lifetime Academy "membership" voters? Require people live outside LA make up a certain portion of the voters. I've lived in some company towns and LA is definately a company town. This "groupthink" is not good for the awards because people don't care about what's happeneing LA or NY.

The most critical problem with the show is that the predictions are getting more and more accurate. Most critics had predicted most of the awards (especially the Big four) in the countless "who will" versus "who should" categories. That makes the show boring. As does the Golden Globes and the rest of the awards. Something needs to change.