But that sentiment has been hard to come by in the torturous and troubled lead-up to the 91st Academy Awards. After years of #OscarSoWhite backlash, one infamous envelope mix-up and the reckoning that followed the expulsion of Harvey Weinstein from the academy, this year’s Academy Awards drama has been self-inflicted. In response to last year’s all-time low of 26.5 million viewers, the Oscars — the grandest and most glamorous award show ever created — are shrinking. “They make about six or seven million dollars a year off of the Academy Awards on television which pays for the academy,” says Michael Douglas, a two-time Oscar winner. “People need to calm down about it before the Oscars and we only have like 10 days,” says Zophres.

Source: National Post February 14, 2019 22:18 UTC