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Instep Today

Oscar producers look ahead

By Instep Desk
Tue, 05, 17

This year’s Academy Awards got plenty of things right but when the ceremony is discussed, the envelope disaster surrounding the Best Picture nod is what most people remember.

Producer Jeniffer Todd speaks about the 2018 edition, teaming up with

Jimmy Kimmel as host and leaving behind the best picture debacle.

This year’s Academy Awards got plenty of things right but when the ceremony is discussed, the envelope disaster surrounding the Best Picture nod is what most people remember.

 Oscar producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd, however, are looking ahead to next year’s ceremony which they hope will be remembered as a celebration of cinema and will include Jimmy Kimmel as host.

Todd, while speaking to Variety, noted that surprise elements continue to occur because it’s live television. “Obviously I would like a mess that didn’t disrupt people’s experience, especially winners being told they won and not. But it’s funny, right before the show last time Mike and I were like, ‘We hope for Sacheen. We hope for David Niven, the streaker.’ We said exactly that. We were excited about the unexpected moments. We didn’t know how that was going to come to us, but it’s something we learned as first-time live television producers. There’s only so much in your control. You’re not responsible for a lot of elements that go sideways, and in truth, up until that moment, we really loved our show. We were very happy with it. It was what we wanted it to be creatively. So I guess it comes with the territory.”

Jimmy Kimmel will host the prestigious Academy Awards in 2018

Jimmy Kimmel will host the prestigious Academy Awards in 2018

A bigger question on everyone’s mind is that next year’s edition will see the Academy finish 90 years of existence and with such a huge milestone, expectation of acknowledgment exists and the producers will keep that in mind.

“I think obviously, even in the last show, we had a love of the nostalgia of film. I think we would do the same this year. Looking back is important. Acknowledging and reflecting on 90 years of Academy history will be important. Hopefully we’ll get a lot of talent involved in the movies that have led up to here, involved in the show, and again, still reminding people about the excitement of going to the movies. So we’ll figure out how to land all of that in the coming months.”

Todd also admitted that Kimmel was the first choice to host this prestigious gig despite past mishaps.

“He’s so funny, so quick, so warm,” Todd told Variety. “He understands how important the night is to the people there. He loves movies himself and he just understands what the night is. He’s never mean-spirited, always self-deprecating, even the joke about the envelope being all his fault. I’m thrilled to get to do it with him again. I don’t know that I would want to do it with anybody but him because he’s such a pleasure to work with. And I’m sure giving him this much lead time is a fantastic thing, because he will come up with amazing stuff.”

– With information from Variety.com