Oscars nominees gathered Monday ahead of next month s 82nd Academy Awards to hear show organizers urge the stars to keep this year s acceptance speeches short and sweet.
A galaxy of Oscar-nominated stars descended on the Beverly Hilton hotel for the annual nominees luncheon, an informal gathering of Academy Award contenders just three weeks ahead of the March 7 awards season extravaganza.
Oscars show producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman told nominees including Meryl Streep, George Clooney and Morgan Freeman to make their speeches memorable.
Thank you speeches, which just recite an endless list of names that the public doesn t know, isn t just boring – it s the single most hated thing on the show, Mechanic told guests in a light-hearted address.
We want you to think about this more seriously than you have in the past. I can tell you from experience that being laundry listed didn t exactly make me feel great. I would rather have heard how much an award meant to somebody than have my name be one among many, he added.
Oscars show co-producer said Adam Shankman revealed that winners were being invited to give two acceptance speeches – a heartfelt one during the show and another to a special backstage camera dubbed the Thank You Cam.
Just as you leave the stage you can record a speech on the Thank You Cam, Shankman said.
You can thank everyone you know: your agent, your mother, your kids, your publicist, your Facebook friends, your pets, maybe even your next door neighbor.
Mechanic meanwhile jokingly reminded Oscar winners who did not abide by the 45-second time limit on acceptance speeches that producers could employ a variety of measures to keep the show running on time.
Orchestral music could be used to drown out a recipient s words or a microphone could simply be switched off. Our favorite was a trap door but we were talked out of it, he quipped.
You have 45 seconds to deliver your speech. Please let this be a kindler gentler show where we never have to use any of those devices.
Television ratings for last year s Oscars increased after organizers revamped the live telecast.
Academy officials are hoping that the expansion of the best picture race to 10 films – a move which has allowed crowd-pleasing movies such as The Blind Side and District 9 to enter the race – will lead to another ratings bump.
Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker is regarded as the favorite for the coveted best picture prize with science fiction blockbuster Avatar its main rival.
Both films lead the nominations with nine nods each. -AFP
