Oscars Promise 'Movie-Like' Ceremony, Name Director

HOLLYWOOD, CA — The Oscars want to stand apart from other award shows, and now the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences believe they've found the right person to do just that. Producers announced Friday that Glenn Weiss, a veteran awards show director who has also won several Emmys, will direct this year's ceremony, which is set for April 25.

Weiss has directed five previous Oscars shows and 19 Tony Awards shows, which won him a combined 5 Emmys. He has also directed Peter Pan Live!, the Billboard Music Awards, and Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve, and recently directed the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

“Our plan is that this year’s Oscars will look like a movie, not a television show, and Glenn has embraced this approach and come up with ideas of his own on how to achieve this. We’re thrilled to have him as part of the brain trust,” said Collins, Sher and Soderbergh.

The awards show will be held at the Dolby Theater, Highland Center and Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles.

In a letter to nominees obtained by various publications this week, the show's producers said the event will not be a virtual affair with nominees and winners appearing via webcast or Zoom.

"For those of you unable to attend because of scheduling or continued uneasiness about traveling, we want you to know there will not be an option to Zoom in for the show," the letter reads. We are going to great lengths to provide a safe and ENJOYABLE evening for all of you in person, as well as for all the millions of film fans around the world, and we feel the virtual thing will diminish those efforts."

"Regarding the practical aspects of the show, our plan is to stage an intimate, in-person event at Union Station in Los Angeles, with additional show elements live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood,"the letter continued. "Of course, your first thought is CAN THAT BE DONE SAFELY? The answer is YES, IT CAN. We are treating the event as an active movie set, with specially designed testing cadences to ensure up-to-the-minute results, including an on-site COVID safety team with PCR testing capability. There will be specific instructions for those of you traveling in from outside of Los Angeles, and other instructions for those of you who are already based in Los Angeles."

The letter also warned nominees against going casual for the typically fashion-forward event.

"We're aiming for a fusion of Inspirational and Aspirational, which is actual words means formal is totally cool if you want to go there, but casual is really not."

Oscars viewership has largely declined over the past several years, with the 2020 ceremony setting a record low of 23.6 million viewers compared to 2014's high of 43.7 million. Ratings have fallen each year since 2014, with the exception of a jump from 26.5 million to 29.6 million from 2018-2019.

In the era of coronavirus, award shows have struggled to bring in their typical audience. Viewership at the 2020 Grammys dropped to a paltry 9.227 million viewers, by far the lowest in Grammy history. The previous low was 17.01 million in 2006. in which the ceremony was broadcast on a Wednesday without a true host.

Last year's Emmy Awards also hit a record low, bringing in only 6.1 million viewers.

City News Service contributed to this report.