I watched the 2026 Oscars and enjoyed it. I thought the host Conan O’Brien did a good job, except for one dig at the current administration he kept well away from U.S. politics which I thought added class to the night.

The inaugural Academy Award was for Best Casting and for the first time a woman in a mans world, Autumn Durald Arkapaw won Best Cinematography for her work with the movie Sinners. She made history as the first woman and the first Black cinematographer to win the award in the Academy's 98-year history. In her acceptance speech when she said, “This is for all the women in the industry” she received a standing ovation.

Most of the reviews following the 2026 Oscars were well .. kind, but all mentioned the increase in streaming and the diminishing tv viewer ratings which is why when ABC saw this coming, in 2029 they’ll pass the annual Oscars ceremony on to YouTube.

And an industry employing many thousands around the world, today facing the threat of AI, is way far worse than when sound first
came to silent movies and all the worlds movie theatres had to install sound gear.

One aspect that was apparent, in the ‘In Memoriam’ review when we were all teenagers, the last of the Hollywood film stars we admired and grew up with, are now passing away.

However on the upside, the best Oscars closing theme was in 2020. It was composed by Ludwig Göransson. He won the Best Original Score Oscar for his work on the film Black Panther in 2019. He also received the Best Original Score Oscar for his score in Sinners at the 2026 Academy Awards, his third Oscar win.

In 2029 YouTube probably won’t have a theme for their Oscars presentation too expensive, so except for two more in 2027 and 2028 this will be the last time you’ll hear one. This really is an Oscars theme, recording bongos in a big orchestra is not easy. Sound UP, enjoy …

https://youtu.be/_czNLzYvKG4

I don't watch the Oscars, but I sure did notice this post-event photo. Tells me more than hours of television would.

Andrew

That brings back memories. The first big event I went to as a kid was a Blackhawks hockey game at Chicago Stadium. The only memory I have from that day is how great it was just to be able to throw your trash on the ground! I thought that was cool and it stuck in my head.

Yep Doug first impressions stay with you. At about 7yrs. my folks took me to my first circus. One of the acts was this colourful clown in the main ring. After his final bit, he bowed stood up, took his straw hat off and taking it by the brim he spun it away and it flew straight out the entrance door.

Big applause and he bowed again and when he straightened up, his hat flew in the opposite door behind him and hit him in the back of his head. The audience went crazy and it took me a while to figure out how he did that.

Did you hear that 2020 Oscars theme. I worked recording orchestras and that version is great, it has anticipation, excitement, announcement, award and acceptance, all the ingredients for an Oscar award.

Beautifully balanced it was played live at the Dolby Theatre. At 3.25 in the final credits nearby Capitol Recording Studios gets a nod. There the 42 piece 2020 orchestra conducted by Rickey Minor, had to prepare approximately 134 separate pieces of music, including excerpts from the five nominated musical scores during the show, as well as category intros, play-ons and transitions over 4 x 3hr sessions. Just imagine the work for the folk handling all the musical scores.

Here’s the brass section at Capitol, those guys stay in top form and earn the big money …

I'm sure the Oscars broadcast was a lot of work but I haven't watched that show in more than a decade, and even if I did, I wouldn't be watching the credits at the end. However, the clip above sounds perfectly appropriate for the end of an awards show.

On a similar note, for the last few weeks I've been streaming the Danish National Symphony Orchestra's YouTube channel for hours on end while I work in my office. It is really a fantastic resource, especially if you enjoy film music. Some really talented people over there. Why did my forefathers emigrate to America? I'd rather live there.
https://www.youtube.com/@Koncerthuset

The last movie I watched was Harry Potter. Considering I work with actors on stage, I haven’t even paid to watch a stage show in years either. A quick dib into the Oscars and other awards ceremonies reveals I don’t even know who most celebs actually are nowadays. Even worse, I’m so out of touch I don’t even know what many musicians even look like any more. Managing a large event in Northern Ireland, there was an annoying old fella, I figured was somebodies grandad going from dressing room to dressing room, so I got the people to get rid of him. I didn’t even know van Morrison was Irish? At a commemorative music event for a well known drummer who had passed, I got chatting to another guy similar age to me. Saw him on TV the other day - Iron Maidens drummer. The Oscars is now just odd, as I only know the veterans!

Okay, now you've got me going down memory lane. Like you, I have no idea who a lot of celebrities are and I don't care.

On the eve of 9/11 back in 2001 (an easy date to remember), I was hired to shoot interviews with members of the Back Street Boys in their green room at TD Garden in Boston before they went on stage.
So, we got all set up with nice lighting, etc. about an hour early and then me and my audio tech were just hanging out, eating the food, and chit chatting with people as they were coming an going.

After awhile someone said, "well, are we ready to shoot the interviews?. And I said "Yes, we're all setup and ready to roll as soon as the band gets here". Well, it turned out I was talking to the lead singer and it was the band we'd been shooting the breeze with for about a half-hour. That was awkward.

The next all hell broke loose and we spent the next two weeks at ground zero in NYC.

Also, when shooting in the locker rooms or tunnels at NFL, NBA, and baseball games the producers would say, "we gotta interview _______, and we need b-roll of _________ so keep and eye out for them". And nine times out of ten, I'd have to say, "You gotta give me jersey numbers because Tom Brady and maybe one or two other high profile players are the only ones I know on sight."