The Academy Strikes Out: Lame ‘Fix’ for the Oscars

Responding to declining ratings, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to add a new “popular film” category to the Oscars and limit the show to three hours (“The Oscar for dumbest move goes to,” Raquel Laneri, Pulse, Aug. 10).

Hollywood continues to ignore the real problem, which is that outside the La La Land bubble, many Americans will no longer tune in to hear their morals, culture, elected leaders and nation be the target of cruel jokes and diatribes.

As the late studio mogul Samuel Goldwyn is credited with saying, “If you want to send a message, use Western Union.” Jay Taikeff Brooklyn

Good for the Oscars. After long catering to elites and snobs, the Academy Awards is throwing a bone to the hoi polloi.

The new “popular film” category is a godsend for average Americans. Enough with subti- tles, weird angles and complicated plots. Regular folks just want to see explosions.

Maybe this decision blazes a trail for other things beloved by the masses. Let’s pray Michelin stars for McDonald’s aren’t too far behind. Oliver Mosier Astoria

If the dimwits at the Academy were smart, they’d have an enthralling awards show that people wanted to watch. But they don’t. Which is proof enough that they have no clue what they’re doing.

Creating a new “best popular film” category won’t draw anyone I know to watch the miserably boring show. They do everything perfectly wrong.

The Academy should get some smart people to rethink every aspect of the show. If I ran it, I’d have a trap door at the podium, so if a speech ran overtime or bored us to tears, down the chute they’d go.

As it stands, nothing in that terrible show is any good. So throw it all out. Janice Amato Manhattan

The Academy doesn’t get it. The number of viewers is decreasing because people want to be entertained, not subjected to vitriolic statements on politics. Fred Frey Coram