Officers of the Board of Directors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and the Sciences (AMPAS) has sent a letter to members trying to allay concerns about the decision to hold four Oscar presentations away from the live broadcast on February 24.
“As the Academy’s officers, we’d like to assure you that no award category at the 91st Oscars ceremony will be presented in a manner that depicts the achievements of its nominees and winners as less than any others,” the letter read, reports a website..
“Unfortunately, as the result of inaccurate reporting and social media posts, there has been a chain of misinformation that has understandably upset many Academy members.
“We’d like to restate and explain the plans for presenting the awards, as endorsed by the Academy’s Board of Governors.”
The letter states that show producers have “given great consideration to both Oscar tradition and our broad global audience. We sincerely believe you will be pleased with the show, and look forward to celebrating a great year in movies with all Academy members and with the rest of the world.”
The letter was signed by President John Bailey, Vice Presidents Lois Burwell, Sid Ganis and Larry Karaszewski, Nancy Utley, Treasurer Jim Gianopulos and Secretary David Rubin. (IANS)