![]() ![]() ![]() My approach is to bring everybody together around the idea of a love for cinema. We have to make a show that is entertaining and appeals to a broad swath of the viewing public. You need something other than just a chance to see stars. So how do you make the telecast relevant again? ![]() You had no idea back then what a big star might be wearing on a Sunday night, whereas now you know what they’re having for breakfast on a Tuesday morning. Growing up, I just remember there was this revered night when - whether or not you knew the person who was getting the award or knew what the movie was - it was the one time when all the biggest stars and biggest celebrities came out and you just had to be a part of it. I don’t know that I have a specific memory. What are your earliest Oscar memories? Were you a big fan as a kid? ![]() “He and his co-producer Shayla Cowan have turned over every part of the show.” In a recent interview with THR, Packer discusses why he took the job, why he chose not one but three hosts - Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes - and what surprises may be in store, including a possible performance by Beyoncé and/or Billie Eilish. “Will is not afraid of taking big swings he’s not afraid of anything,” says Hudson. While Packer understands why many are upset, he insists everyone will be celebrated - and that this may be the best course if the Oscars are to draw more viewers. Instead they’ll be awarded during the hour preceding the telecast, and taped highlights of these presentations will be interspersed during the official telecast. The Twitter Oscar has jarred and struck some as incongruous - after all, smaller, art house movies have come to dominate the awards - but the biggest firestorm this year has come out of the Academy’s decision to strike eight categories from the live three-hour show airing on ABC. “The idea is at the core of Will’s vision for the show - to unite all kinds of movie lovers,” says Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences outgoing CEO Dawn Hudson. As part of that campaign, he came up with #OscarsFanFavorite, a controversial plan in which people on Twitter can vote for their favorite movie the winner will be recognized during the telecast. While he’s coy about specifics, Packer’s plan is to up the telecast’s entertainment value and, alongside nominated films, showcase movies that aren’t nominated but are popular with the public (think Spider-Man: No Way Home). And if he doesn’t succeed, he can say that he tried, as living proof of what he always tells his kids to do: face what they are most afraid of. Packer has a first-look film deal at Universal, where he’s close to studio head Donna Langley, or “Queen D,” as he calls her. That list includes Little, What Men Want and the Think Like a Man and Ride Along franchises. His films have earned north of $1 billion at the box office. If he pulls it off, the Atlanta- and L.A.-based producer will add another win to a career that spans feature films, streaming and television. It’s the first time in history that an all-Black team has been tasked with the job. Packer is producing this year’s March 27 Oscar telecast in the Dolby Theatre with Shayla Cowan, chief of staff at Will Packer Productions. Lukas Dhont's 'Close' Wins Lux European Audience Award ![]()
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