The Academy Awards has been the second most-watched program on US TV behind professional football's Super Bowl.(telegraph.co.uk) |
Producers for Sunday's Oscars ceremony will be hoping that the show does not lose its status as the second most-watched TV event in the US behind the Super Bowl, after a strong showing by the Grammys. The world's top film honours are in jeopardy of losing their status if the show can't lure more than 40 million viewers, which could be difficult. Producers have brought back popular host Billy Crystal for laughs, but the best solution for a lively TV awards programme, sponsors at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences say, is a group of surprise winners or ones who give genuinely emotional or rousing acceptance speeches. "Be memorable, and you will be remembered," co-producer Don Mischer told nominees at a recent luncheon. It is hard to forget 73-year-old Jack Palance doing one-arm push-ups on the Oscar stage after winning best supporting actor for 1991's "City Slickers," or more recently the heartfelt speech by writers Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova of best song winner "Falling Slowly" from 2007 film, "Once." The Oscars need a few surprises because silent movie romance "The Artist," while critically lauded, has generated only around $30 million (£19 million) at US and Canadian box offices, and the Oscars generally enjoy larger TV audiences when popular hits like "Avatar" are in the hunt for best movie. The show annually is the second most-watched program on US TV behind professional football's Super Bowl, but this year's Grammy Awards, music's top honours, lured 40 million viewers the night after Whitney Houston's death and could easily surpass the Oscars. Oscar producers also hope a return of popular comedian Crystal as host of the programme for the ninth time will lure viewers. He has not been emcee of the show since 2004 when it drew roughly 44 million viewers and box office smash "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" was the big winner. (Read by Emily Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
今年的奧斯卡頒獎典禮于當(dāng)?shù)貢r間上周日舉行,在格萊美頒獎典禮大出風(fēng)頭之后,制片商們希望奧斯卡頒獎禮不會失去僅次于美國橄欖球超級杯大賽的全美收視率第二的寶座。 如果無法吸引到超過4千萬名觀眾,這場全球頂級電影頒獎典禮會失去昔日的榮光,而想吸引這么多觀眾非常困難。 制片商已經(jīng)請回了受歡迎的主持人比利?克里斯托來為大家?guī)硇β?,但美國電影藝術(shù)與科學(xué)學(xué)院的贊助商們表示,對于一個現(xiàn)場直播的電視頒獎節(jié)目來說,最好的辦法是有一些出人意料的獎項得主,或者是一些能發(fā)表真誠感人或引發(fā)贊同的獲獎感言的得主。 制片人之一唐?米斯徹最近在一次午宴上告訴提名者:“有讓人印象深刻的表現(xiàn),你就會被大家牢記?!?/p> 人們很難忘記73歲的杰克?帕蘭斯憑借1991年的影片《城市鄉(xiāng)巴佬》獲得最佳男配角后,在奧斯卡舞臺上做單臂俯臥撐的情景;或者幾年前作曲者格蘭?漢薩德和瑪可塔?伊爾格洛娃憑借2007年的影片《曾經(jīng)》中的歌曲《緩緩下墜》獲得奧斯卡最佳原創(chuàng)歌曲獎時,發(fā)表的感人肺腑的獲獎感言。 奧斯卡需要一些驚喜。盡管無聲愛情電影《藝術(shù)家》受到評論家的贊譽,但在美國和加拿大僅收獲了大約三千萬美元(1900萬英鎊)票房。而只有當(dāng)諸如《阿凡達》這種受人歡迎的熱門影片參與角逐時,才會有更多觀眾收看奧斯卡頒獎禮。 奧斯卡頒獎典禮每年都在美國電視節(jié)目排行榜中名列第二,排在第一的是職業(yè)橄欖球賽事“超級碗”。但今年的樂壇最高獎格萊美頒獎典禮前一天,惠特尼?休斯頓去世,導(dǎo)致這場頒獎典禮吸引了4千名觀眾,輕易就能趕超奧斯卡頒獎典禮的收視率。 奧斯卡制片人還希望,請回喜劇紅星克里斯托做主持人會吸引觀眾,這也是克里斯托第九次擔(dān)任主持人。自2004年來他就沒有擔(dān)任過奧斯卡主持,那一年的奧斯卡頒獎典禮有大約4400萬人觀看,當(dāng)年的最大贏家是熱賣影片《指環(huán)王3:王者歸來》。 相關(guān)閱讀 (中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 Julie 編輯:陳丹妮) |
Vocabulary: luncheon: 午宴,正式的午餐會 push-ups: 俯臥撐 emcee: 主持人,司儀 |