4 Things The Oscars Did Right (And 4 Things We Don’t Ever Need To See Again)

By Matthew Hurd / February 25, 2013

4. The Obligatory Academy President Speech

Every year, the TV audience gets treated to a dry, dull mini-monologue from a high-ranking member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. And every year, that€™s the time to take a bathroom break or refill a drink. No disrespect to the position or the Academy, but you would think that by now, someone might have figured out a way to make the Academy€™s face time at their own awards more interesting and engaging. The only President I wanted to see speak tonight was Daniel Day Lewis. Good movies don€™t feature stale, monotone, or uninteresting performances. Neither should the Oscars.

3. Ceremonial Sound Mixing

Mixing sound for a live broadcast is undeniably challenging €“ but that€™s no excuse for the flubs and imbalances that often occur. Adele€™s performance was stunning, but it would have been even better if the music and her voice had been better balanced. Microphones crackled, sound dipped in and out, and thank-you€™s and jokes fell by the wayside more often than they should have. On the upside, at least the lights didn't go out for half an hour€