Spotlight On…. Montages

In attempts to keep the length down to a reasonable amount (showing clips of the 10 films nominated for best picture would seem like it would go on longer than the typical 3-4 hour event), there have been a few strategies put in place for the Academy Awards.  First of all, the nominees for best song will not be performed live by the artists.  Instead, audiences will be treated to (drumroll, please)… yet another in an array of MONTAGES.  A short piece from each of each song will be presented throughout the evening with scenes from their respective movie.  I don’t even recall the nominations for best song nor score so, as a viewer, it may be for the best.  However, how about the songwriters of the nominated pieces?

Another attempt to limit the time is a change in the acceptance speeches.  Each nominee is being asked to provide two speeches: one signifying what winning the award means to them.  The second is the traditional laundry list of thank you notes which will be actually delivered back stage shown later via internet.  I guess there will be no way that someone can forget to thank Fido plus cut down on the emotional impact that may not be as important to the average at home viewer (especially as the evening/early morning wears on).

So… what do you think about the two changes to the gala event?  Should the Best Original Song nominees be allowed their moment in the spotlight?  Should the winners be given stipulations on when and what to say?  Or is it just the show’s producers way of getting all the Best Picture nominees in there?  I’d add a poll but I think there are too many possible responses so I’ll let the comments speak for themselves.