Cut It Out

or those of us who have already been dubious about the Oscars—who have long felt that pitting films against one another in a highly, , and , but at least the pretense of value has long been sustained in acknowledging and identifying behind-the-scenes craftspeople. That this decision was clearly made at the urging of ABC in the face of sagging ratings renders it all the more suspicious: none of the categories given short shrift by the network (which also included awards for Makeup & Hairstyling and Live Action Short) feature films released by Disney, ABC’s parent company. Filmmaking heavies like Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro swiftly denounced this aggression, but even as the plan was scrapped in the face of the outrage, the mere suggestion of it was so bald-faced in its intent that one wonders where the art-commerce lines even exist anymore.