Saying the road to the 91st Academy Annual Awards has been a rocky one would be the understatement of a lifetime. Controversy after controversy and bad decision after worse decision has made a mess of this year’s Oscars. It started with the announcement that the Academy was considering new categories for Best Popular Film. That was met with disdain from the public who saw this as a cheap attempt to get MCU fans to watch the Oscars and boost ratings. Things spiraled from there. Kevin Hart was announced and then retracted as Oscar host, leaving the show hostless. Then just a week ago, the Academy announced that four major awards wouldn’t make the live broadcast, including those for editing and cinematography. The universal backlash led the Academy to cave on that decision as well. Everything the Academy has done in an attempt to boost the dwindling ratings has backfired and alienated the people who actually still watch the awards show.

All this could have been for naught in a what I thought was a tremendous year for movies, but the Academy nominated a safe and underwhelming field of Best Picture nominees. In a year where exciting new and original filmmakers delved deep into a smorgasbord of issues, the Academy tried to placate the viewers with a satisfying yet overall unimpressive Top 8. I’ve seen all eight films and here is my ranking of the Best Picture Nominees of the year.

It’s amazing how much public outrage towards a bad decision can force an organization like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to reverse it. Last week, the Academy announced that it would present the awards for Cinematography, Editing, Make-Up and Hairstyling, and Live Action Short during commercial breaks instead of during the live broadcast as usual. It was something that did not sit well with anyone, especially those within those respective categories.

Now in a decision that will not surprise anyone, the Academy has decided to award the winners live during the Oscar telecast. More on the report here below.

So after the Academy resolved the Kevin Hart hosting debacle for the upcoming 91st Annual Academy Awards ceremony and the singing of only two Best Original Songs, they’ve managed to find themselves still mixed in controversy. With the annual awards show just 13 days away, the organization has announced that they will be presenting four Academy Awards during commercial breaks instead of during the live broadcast. So for those DPs out there who love Cinematography or those who love Editing, or those who enjoy Film Shorts, or those who create unique looks for characters with Makeup and Hairstyling, well, you won’t be seeing those awards being presented live because those are the four categories being given out during commercial breaks. More on the report here below.

Alfonso Cuaron‘s Roma is proving itself to be this year’s major awards contender. Having won multiple awards in various guilds and societies, Cuaron’s love letter to 1970s Mexico just nabbed even more awards at this year’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). The film took home Best Film and Best Director. A truly impressive run for the Netflix film. However, it fell short of winning some performance awards, some of which went to The Favourite‘s Olivia Colman, who won Best Actress, and Rachel Weisz, who won Best Supporting Actress.

The Grammys were held on Sunday night, February 10, 2019, and were hosted this time around by 15-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Alicia Keys, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles with the live broadcast on CBS.

Below are some of the highlights and clips from the broadcast of The 61th Annual Grammy Awards, along with the full list of Grammy winners at the end.

Having Keys host this year was a major change in tone from the previous two years, which were led by comedian and late-night talk-show host James Corden. Instead of comedy throughout, Keys focused on highlighting the talent and careers of the presenters, nominees, winners, and performers.