LOS ANGELES — Another year, another Oscars controversy — and another effort by academy leaders to tamp down criticism of their decisions.
Facing protests over last week's announcement that eight awards will be shifted out of the upcoming live Oscars telecast, film academy leaders defended the move and offered further clarification on Tuesday, while indicating that they are unlikely to walk back the changes.
The academy's decision to hand out five below-the-line awards and the three short film awards in the hour before the March 27 Oscars telecast begins has been characterized by various guilds, industry organizations and academy members as an offense to some of film's most vital crafts.
