Rethinking the Oscar Telecast

The producer for the 70th annual Academy Awards is due to be named any day now and the rumored favorite is veteran Gilbert Cates, who has produced the three-hour-plus extravaganza seven of the last eight years--and won an Emmy Award for the 1991 show.

As always, whoever gets the job is in for a lot of hard work--and a lot of Tuesday morning quarterbacking.

While an estimated 1 billion people around the world reportedly love to watch the Oscarcast each year, a huge chunk of that audience also loves to gripe about it.

The academy didn’t ask for any advice, but in the spirit of holiday giving, here’s some anyway.

Calendar asked other veteran producers how they would put on the Oscar show. One thing nearly all agreed: They would solicit advice from Cates, that most expert of Oscar producers. That aside, what they say:

PIERRE COSSETTE

Longtime producer of the Grammy Awards and producer of the Broadway musicals “The Will Rogers Follies” and the current “The Scarlet Pimpernel”:

I would move the Oscars to Madison Square Garden in New York City. Movieland was New York first and then it was Hollywood. It would be a shot heard around the world. We would have 16,000 screaming fans and when the stars talked, you would be able to hear a pin drop. It’s the communications center of the world and this would be the biggest Oscar celebration in history.

It would be the same show--the same general kind of show--and the set would be every bit as beautiful, if not more beautiful. I did this last year with the Grammy Awards. Of course, with the Oscars, they would take on a lot more opulence because that’s the nature of the beast.

If I did a theme, I would base it on a granddaddy theme. New York is the granddaddy of music, vaudeville, of concerts, of radio, of motion pictures, of writing, of television and publishing. It’s where it all started.

There will be a lot of motion picture people who will faint when they read this. “How can you take it out of Hollywood?” Doing this from New York would be a very, very strong idea and someone would have to unsell me because that is exactly what I would do.

GARY L. PUDNEY

Producer of “The World Music Awards” and a former senior vice president in charge of specials at ABC:

The public is interested more than anything in the stars, so the more stars the better. I would maybe try to encompass methods and ways to get more star power up on that stage. I would try to have a reunion of past Oscar winners, so that you would do a parade of stars.

The arrival ceremony of the stars is something that could be elongated slightly. You can’t get enough of that kind of thing.

I’d double up on presenters. The gimmick there really is that it gives you two or three more stars on stage. I don’t think viewers are as interested in what movie won as in the stars making these presentations.

I would try to retain Billy Crystal as host. Billy is terrific. When I was at ABC, one of the things I was most proud of was I was able to persuade Johnny Carson to host the Oscars. Here is a guy who reacts incredibly on his feet to anything that happens. Billy is the same way.

I think the nonproduction musical numbers work better. You would certainly highlight the nominated songs. I would like to have major, important vocalists perform the songs, like Celine Dion and Whitney Houston, and if the songs warranted it, I would ask Luciano Pavarotti.

A theme always helps with the formation of the show. Let’s face it, the theme of the show is the movies. Clips are wonderful.

I would certainly prefer if I were doing it to have it in the Music Center, as opposed to the Shrine. I think it’s a more elegant center. I’m not so sure it wouldn’t be an interesting idea to have a live satellite feed from New York, too. There are always Oscar parties and Oscar functions in New York. It would be interesting to give it a little texture.

GEORGE SCHLATTER

Producer of “The American Comedy Awards” and of the series “Laugh-In” and “The 25th Anniversary of the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon”:

I think if somebody put the Oscars in my lap, the first thing I’d do is hire Gil Cates to produce and then I’d try to convince Billy Crystal to host it and then I’d hire writers Hal Kanter and Buz Kohan and Bruce Vilanch and I’d give them a chance to do what they could do.

The problem is, unless the Oscars change the structure, it will stay as it is--and it should. The big dilemma would be: Is this a television show or an industry event being televised? As it is, it’s being broadcast on television. If you did it as a television event, it would still celebrate the Academy Awards, but it would be written, paced and staged and presented more for television.

I’m not sure they should, though, because I’m a big fan of the Oscars. I enjoy it and I realize a huge group of very talented, intelligent, passionate people really work very, very well, and maybe it just ought to be left alone.

But if they were going to change it, I would reduce the amount of honorary awards and cut a lot of the longer speeches.

There are only four actor awards, so I think I would add some awards to that. I would definitely add a comedy award. I think if there is a flaw in the Academy Awards, it’s that their devotion to comedy ends as soon as they set the host.

I think the arrivals are wonderful and I would allow more time for that. I would do more backstage activity.

If they put some of the technical awards on the night before, you would allow more room for the backstage activity, more room for on-stage accidents to happen--like when Billy Crystal introduced Hal Roach and the sound didn’t work, he took the time to say, “It’s only fitting. Mr. Roach started in silent films.”

DAVID L. WOLPER

Producer of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympic Games and of the 1986 Liberty Weekend; executive producer of the miniseries “Roots,” “The Thorn Birds” and “North & South”:

I was offered it at one time. I did the Olympics and Liberty Weekend and that was enough. If I was offered it again, I probably would not accept it. Not that I don’t respect the academy, but it’s a tough task. It’s a thankless task. You donate your time and everybody picks on you.

The fellow who is doing it now, Gil Cates, I think he’s doing a very good job. It’s distinguished.

JOEL GALLEN

Creator and producer of the MTV Movie Awards; also has produced the VH1 Fashion Awards and the MTV Video Awards:

I watch the Oscars every year and I think there are a few things that drag and don’t work that well, but I think it’s a pretty good show.

I would probably inject some lightheartedness and sense of humor into it, but I wouldn’t try to turn it into the MTV Movie Awards because the Academy Awards are something they take very seriously.

I definitely think there should be a category for best stunt--I’m being serious! I definitely would throw out the Arthur Hiller speech. I have a lot of respect for him and what he says, but I think there may be a way to do it without taking up 15 or 20 minutes of a TV broadcast.

I honestly think Billy Crystal is the perfect host for the Oscars, but if Billy stops doing it again, I really think Jay Leno would be a great host.

I don’t think I would do a theme. I think that would be limiting. I would also be very careful about my opening production number. They have had some winners over the years--how about the Rob Lowe one?

Has there been a lot of criticism of the Oscars? I know there’s been a lot of criticism of the Grammys. There’s a show I’d love to reinvent. But that’s a separate interview.