Now the criticism is coming from within. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ controversial plan to pre-tape Best Score and other categories on this month’s Oscarcast has hit a sour note with a Music Branch governor.
Laura Karpman said in a statement tonight that the Academy’s move to not air the live presentation of Best Sound Oscar is “literally a wound in the heart of the music community.”
Here is her full statement:
“I am shocked that the officers of the Academy denied the Board of Governors the opportunity to vote and participate in the decision to exclude the music branch in the live broadcast.
“This is literally a wound in the heart of the music community,” she continued. “Thank you to the many members of the music branch who have spoken out. I hear you loud and clear. I stand with you.”
The Academy revealed its plan to help reduce the Oscarcast’s running time and jolt ratings on February 22, and backlash was swift. Along with Original Score, the affected categories are Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design, Sound, Documentary Short, Animated Short and Live Action Short.
The Academy’s powers that be clearly felt the time was now — or never — to reimagine the Oscar show, but it is not a novel idea to pre-tape some select categories, edit them and then try to meld them in into the show. There was a suggestion in 2019 to do the same thing, but that was rolled back after an outcry. This always had been a red line for the Board, which consists of many Governors representing the affected categories.
Which brings us back to Karpman, who first was elected to the Board of Governors in 2016.
A Primetime Emmy winner for 2019’s Why We Hate and a five-time nominee, she is composer with a doctorate from Juilliard whose work spans film, television, concert halls, theater and video games. She has scores of TV credits, with the most recent including Lovecraft Country and What If…?
She also has four News and Documentary Emmy Awards, all for The Living Edens.
— Laura Karpman (@Laura_Karpman) March 1, 2022