Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 25, 1990 TAG: 9003222277
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN HORN ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: HOLLYWOOD LENGTH: Long
Opening the Oscar telecast a year ago, an atonal Lowe and a phony Snow White labored through their own rendition of "Proud Mary." In the background, a dancer bobbed under the weight of a huge headdress resembling Hollywood's landmark Chinese Theater.
The rest of the show, produced by campmeister Allan Carr, was so rude that when the curtain finally fell, 17 industry figures pounded out an angry note to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Signed by such luminaries as Paul Newman and Gregory Peck, the letter attacked the broadcast as "an embarrassment to both the Academy and the entire motion picture industry," even though it was a ratings hit.
Walt Disney Co. brought a federal trademark infringement suit against the Academy, claiming the Snow White impostor (actress Eileen Bowman) diluted the character's value. The suit was filed after the Academy refused to apologize for the unusual use of Snow White, and was dropped a week later when the Academy apologized.
This year's 62nd annual Academy Awards program airs Monday night at 9 on ABC (WSET, Channel 13, in the Roanoke viewing area). Will it draw similar catcalls and problems?
Gilbert Cates, the producer of the show, has been hired to make sure the only groans heard in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion will be made by chair hinges as Oscar guests jump up for standing ovations.
Unlike Carr, who celebrated Hollywood glitz by showcasing young Hollywood "stars" like Matt Lattanzi and Savion Glover in an endless song-and-dance routine, Cates plans to focus this year's program on the global film community.
The broadcast will include satellite feeds from companion Oscar parties in Moscow, Sydney, Australia, Tokyo, London and Buenos Aires, with awards announced in all except Tokyo.
"Each show is a kind of historical document," Cates said after viewing 25 Oscar telecasts to prepare for this year's event. The 1990 show, he decided, should reflect the exploding international market for movies as well as the political changes sweeping the world.
"I hope that we get a sense of the fact that the world is smaller, and by showing the international nature of the film industry that we're all really interdependent on one another," he said.
This year, besides the five nominees for best foreign film, overseas contenders include: "My Left Foot" from Ireland, five nominations including best picture; "Camille Claudel" from France, two nominations including best foreign film; and "Henry V" from England, three nominations including best director.
The program, which Cates said will run longer than 3 hours, will be seen by about 1 billion people in more than 90 countries. The director is Jeff Margolis, whose credits include "Happy Birthday, Hollywood" and seven "American Music Awards" presentations.
"This is a monster," Margolis said. "My first thought was, `How are we going to put this together?' . . . It's been a scheduling nightmare because of the time differences."
When the ceremony begins at 6 p.m. in Los Angeles, it will be 5 a.m. in Moscow and 3 a.m. in London.
Carr's show continues to haunt the Academy, but Cates is confident his more tasteful approach can push recent history out of memory.
"I think that everybody who's involved in this show is here without reference to the past show," he said. "I get asked about Allan Carr a lot. And I always said what I think is true: He worked very hard, he did the best show that he could and it's very easy to Monday-morning quarterback.
"The truth of the matter is that if these satellites work out well, we'll all be heroes on Tuesday. If two of them crap out, people will say, `What a stupid idea, why would anyone try it?'
"So you're really at the mercy of a lot of things you don't control."
For the first time, envelopes with the names of winners will be unsealed outside the United States. Price Waterhouse will send bonded couriers to each foreign venue bearing envelopes with every possible winner.
Each envelope will have a code on the outside and when the big moment comes, the accounting firm will then tell the overseas presenters which marked envelope to open.
"There are certainly possibilities for things to go awry," said Price Waterhouse's Dan Lyle. "But they won't."
The art direction award will be announced in London, two documentary prizes will be revealed in Buenos Aires, the foreign-language winner will be made known in Moscow, and sound and sound-effects editing will be announced in Sydney. Winners will be in Los Angeles.
Cates said the international segments of his Oscar presentation should consume about 20 minutes of show time. The rest of the broadcast will be dedicated to the awarding of prizes and performances of nominated songs.
"I think this institution has gone back to our earliest childhood," he said. "Most people knew about the Academy Awards when they were 3, 4 and 5 years old. And they've been kind of watching every year.
"There are very few annual events. It's almost like a national holiday in a way. It's like Labor Day, the Fourth of July. People watch the Academy Awards show."
by CNB