Oscars 2019: 9 Ups & 8 Downs

Ups...

9. The Host-Less Oscars Really Works

After Kevin Hart "stepped down" from hosting the Oscars following a PR controversy, the Academy decide to move forward with a host-less Oscars, which was met with a lot of pre-show scepticism by fans and commentators alike.

But you know what? The result was the least cringe-worthy and most slickly paced Oscar ceremony in years if not decades. Clocking in at around 3 hours and 20 minutes, it was more than 30 minutes shorter than some recent Oscar ceremonies, and the shortest since 2012.

Gone was the typically bloated, overbaked opening speech - replaced with a quick intro from Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph - and there was a surprising lack of the usual "skits" peppered throughout the show.

Nobody ordered food for the ceremony's attendees, there were no selfies, and nothing involving random members of the general public.

Even with the overabundance of commercial breaks, this was a fast-moving show that kept the focus on awards without needing to sacrifice any of the 24 nominees (as was originally planned).

Regardless of how the show's ratings turn out, this should be the formula moving forward, and if they can get it even closer to a square three hours, all the better.