The Oscars Are a Train Wreck. Here's How They Can Be Fixed

The Oscar ratings soared!

Ratings still at an all-time low!

The headline depended on the spin of the outlet. Both bits are true, but it's most interesting to see how it's been reported. Anyone with half a brain understands that the needle has moved dramatically when it comes to the way people view media today, so rating expectations should be adjusted accordingly. Alas, Oscar broadcast bashing has become an international sport and clickbait fodder –�this year, with good reason!

Smack-gate.

More has been written about this year's Slapcademy Awards because of the Will Smith incident. But let's not forget the show was a mess way before Will Smith went Everyone's-Italian-Aunt on Chris Rock. (Humor here does not condone violence in any, way shape or form.)

Oscar producer Will Packer claimed he wanted to unite movie lovers and honor the talented artists and craftspeople in the industry. The broadcast speaks for itself – from the wildly disrespectful 'In memoriam' segment (seriously, dancing?), to the trio of barely-funny hosts continuously bashing certain nominated films instead of celebrating them, to the lackluster "Godfather" tribute (Was Diane Keaton not available that we needed Diddy?), to the pathetic Bond salute (Dame Judi was right there in the audience), to the inept "most cheer-worthy moments," and "Fan Favorite" movie selections (Zack Snyder bots were super busy voting all month) – this show made us long for Snow White and Rob Lowe!

The desperate pandering on the part of Packer, with the full support of Academy President David Rubin, created a train wreck. And that was before the slap felt around the globe! And who were they trying to get to watch? Teenage boys, who wouldn't tune in unless something violent happened... oops... too soon?

But now that this year's fiasco is history...

We at EDGE have some sincere suggestions about how to improve the Oscar broadcast. Truly. We would like to see the Oscars once again become what they should be: A celebration of the best of cinema.

1. Hire a producer who knows and loves the medium and is respectful of the current crop of nominees. The mantra should be to honor the movies and the art form. The Academy must stop hyperventilating. Dazzle should never trump substance. And, along with that, find a host or hosts that has seen and can appreciate said films!

2. Invite film artists to present all the awards. Only film artists. Let the TV, music, and sports figures watch from home.

And not just actors, but directors, writers, and other craft persons. Why not have the most celebrated composer of all time, John Williams, present the original score award? (Unless he's nominated, which is likely).

3. Piggybacking off that, ask a slew of former Oscar winners and nominees to present. Don't wait until someone is in a wheelchair! There are so many iconic stars out there doing great work who would love to take part but are never asked. Invite them. Think Sigourney Weaver, Marsha Mason, Barbara Hershey, Ann-Margret, Sissy Spacek, Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Ellen Burstyn, Leslie Caron, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathleen Turner, Diana Ross, and Liv Ullmann (who was relegated to a few seconds on Sunday), to name just a few!

4. And, more piggybacking... the one decent idea from this show (although it's been done before) was that of the reunion so, yes, let's reunite artists! But have it make sense.

Have the cast of "Steel Magnolias" (Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, and Daryl Hannah) present the best Hair and Makeup Award. Then keep Dolly onstage where Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin can join her ("9 to 5") to present Best Song. Then bring Shirley back, reunited with Debra Winger ("Terms of Endearment") to present Original Screenplay. And if they're both still alive, send Debra away and bring out Meryl Streep ("Postcards from the Edge") to present Adapted Screenplay. You get the idea. (In our world, it's always female-dominated.)

5. We haven't forgotten the newbies. We'd love to see the gorgeous, exciting newbies present as well. On Sunday, Zendaya was in the audience! And so was Timothée Chalamet (and his chest)! Why didn't they present together? Tom Holland – the year's biggest box office sensation – volunteered to host, and they didn't invite him to present? Where were Margot Robbie, John Boyega, Scarlet Johansson, and Anya Taylor-Joy? Invite the future Oscar winners to the party!

6. Clips, Clips, Clips

Cut together several major clip packages – all with themes. We love to look back at the best in film, but don't give us the same old-same old ("Rocky" jogging up those stairs, yawn). Get creative! How about the greatest Oscar prostitutes (Jane Fonda in "Klute," Elizabeth Shue in "Leaving Las Vegas," Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman")? Or, for those young boys, the greatest chase scenes from Oscar films! Or a tribute to films that also deserved to win Best Picture, like "Citizen Kane," "Network," "Reds," "The Social Network," and "1917."

Oh, and how about confronting past scandals by presenting the most controversial moments in a clip package?

7. Incorporate said clips into all presented categories as well. They can be brief but, for instance, show us what film editing can do and how the costumes were designed.

And keep all categories on the show proper. No fucking with these artisan's speeches. The production designer and sound editor is just as vital to a movie as the actor. What ABC forced, and the Academy capitulated to, this year was disgraceful. Never allow this madness into the conversation again.

8. Ask one of the major streamers like Netflix, Apple, or Hulu to produce the Oscars instead of a network. Did presenting eight categories earlier and then bastardizing them on air work? No. Packer's plan to come in at three hours backfired (the show ran just under 3 hours and 40 minutes), so he caused so much anxiety and stress to beloved artists for nothing. Avoid this and move to a streaming platform.

9. For some fun and inventiveness, instead of stupid bits and gags why not assemble our best actors to read a few scenes from classic Oscar-winning screenplays? Casting these would be a treat. Think "All About Eve" starring Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Viola Davis, and Dianne Wiest, reading the Gertie role. Or how about "Some Like It Hot," but reverse the genders so Lady Gaga and Emma Stone play the Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon roles, and Andrew Garfield is Sugar Kane (the Marilyn Monroe part).

10. Finally, back in the 1970s, the Best Picture nominees were represented by one solid scene that was often well over a minute in length, not a 20-second trailer. Bring that back. It was powerful, and gave the audience a great sense as to why the film was selected, and why it was a part of the conversation.