LOS ANGELES — Even before Will Smith’s onstage assault of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards on Sunday decidedly changed the vibe of Hollywood’s biggest night, sharp criticism of the telecast flew fast and furious from viewers at home and industry insiders alike.
Complaints began well before the Oscars hit the air, when eight categories relegated to an untelevised pre-show by producer Will Packer were awarded with less fanfare than usual.
As winners in editing, makeup and hairstyling, production design, score, sound, animated short, documentary short and live-action short took the stage, the academy’s own Twitter account did not immediately post the news, leaving movie fans to learn about winners from the tweets of journalists and filmmakers inside the Dolby Theatre.
