Should the Oscars Give Separate Acting Awards for Comedy/Musical and Drama?

frazzledspice · #1 01-20-2002, 10:26 PM

As I watch the Golden Globe Awards, the following thought occurred to me:

The Emmys have separate acting awards for comedy and drama.

The Tony's have separate acting awards for musicals and drama.

So do the Golden Globes.

Should the Oscars?

kurt_messick · #2 01-20-2002, 10:39 PM

I'd vote for separate categories. However, there are a good many films that don't neatly fit into one category or the other. I suppose, though, if the Golden Globes can handle that, so could Oscar.

Cynon · #3 01-20-2002, 11:31 PM

I vote no, because I find it hard to stay awake for the length of time required to watch the whole special. So if there were less chategories I think It would be easilyer for me to stay awake and not get bored half way through. In fact I think they should just show best actor, actress, director, best foreign film and best movie of the year and then have the rest of the awards shown off camera, so I wont have to struggle to stay awake the whole time. :p

Rob

Grouch · #4 01-21-2002, 11:57 AM

I voted "yes," simply because, as you said, the more movies which have the chance for an award, the better. I've often felt that picking only 5 or 6 contenders for the Best Picture prize limits the number of good choices too much. Like this year, I could root for both Moulin Rouge and Lord of the Rings

.

However, one problem with splitting it down the line between comedy and drama is that there are some movies which don't fit neatly into one or the other. Some of the best movies are a delightful blend of both (off the top of my head, ones that come immediately to mind might be As Good as It Gets and The Apartment). Categorizing is where Oscar would inevitably run into trouble.

**MrsNormanMaine**[$] · #5 01-21-2002, 12:34 PM

The categorizing would come from the studios which would submit films for consideration in one category or the other. For a comedy-drama, they would probably size up the competition, Hollywood politics and the like and make a decision based on those kinds of factors.

It wouldn't bother me if the Oscar show would expand in that way - as it stands, the comedy performers usually get shafted (the number of Oscars awarded to comic performances is very small - they have better luck in the supporting categories) in favor of the dramatic performers and it's often an apple/orange comparison. In many ways, a good comedy performance is actually a better acting job, and certainly much harder to sustain than a dramatic performance but Oscar has never been about who's actually the best.

MNM

kuuleimomi · #6 01-21-2002, 12:41 PM

You want to make it additional two hours? You're on the right track. Though I don't mind a 6-hour Oscar show, Russian network will never show it.

As for comedy, I'm all the way for it. Ten years ago my dad told me that comedies are not getting nominations for Oscar. Of course, it was not so, but indeed Academy doesn't favor comedies all too much. I really lost interest back then, because for a 9-year-old there's no more fun than comedies, aye?

Finn

CurtisEdmonds · #7 01-21-2002, 07:54 PM

I absolutely disagree with this. I think there should be as few Oscars as possible; adding more Oscars cheapens the value of the honor.

Redlass · #8 01-22-2002, 01:53 PM

Just to throw another log onto the fire...

It's bothered me somewhat that they have separate actor/actress categories. Isn't this outdated?

But then, I can't imagine how difficult it would be to pick only one best actor.

frazzledspice · #9 01-22-2002, 03:54 PM

Generally the field is much more competitive for best actor, Bridgette.

There are many more plum roles for actors than actresses.

Look at "Fellowship of the Ring."

Two very minor female parts--and my son complained that Arwen's role was expanded beyond the context of the book.

I am happy with the dual gender awards, but would like to see comedy/musical as a separate acting category. So often gifted comic actors don't get any recognition until they turn to drama--Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Whoopi Goldberg (although Goldberg did win for "Soapdish.")

eplovejoy · #10 01-22-2002, 04:49 PM

Adding a new award would ensure that quite soon we would have a mediocre winner in one category dimming some of the spotlight for the superior winner in the other. I'd rather not see a year, for example, in which Annie Hall and Julia are both named Best Picture, or one in which Unforgiven has to share with My Cousin Vinny.

eplovejoy · #11 01-22-2002, 05:21 PM

Dear Maryanne,

I think I understand your argument, but adding new categories would just make things more confusing, and your response suggests that they already are confusing enough.

Quote:

Originally posted by frazzledspice
So often gifted comic actors don't get any recognition until they turn to drama--Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Whoopi Goldberg (although Goldberg did win for "Soapdish.")

Goldberg's Oscar is the Best Supporting Actress she won for Ghost.

Best wishes,
Peter

poseidon · #12 01-23-2002, 02:14 PM

I answered "No" not because I really care, but because it keeps another twenty minutes out of the long and boring televised broadcast of Hollywood patting themselves on the back for the 400th time in the last 365 days.

vania · #13 01-23-2002, 02:51 PM

I've often wondered at the logic of separating Drama, but lumping Musicals and Comedy together at the Golden Globes. Not all musicals are comedies, you know. Maybe there should be THREE distinct categories...

Only there usually aren't enough musicals during any given year to really justify a Musical category.

So maybe a movie which is a musical should just go into either the drama or comedy category, whichever is most appropriate.

Then again, some people have already pointed out that some movies aren't strictly dramatic or comedic, but a mixture of both.

Oh well.