As you may have heard, Oscar is planning a new technique this year to streamline the annual awards show: stars are encouraged to give the TV cameras their excitement and “You like me! You really like me!” A-list material, but are supposed to save their name-dropping thank-you’s for a behind-the-scenes webcam. Well, one of this year’s sure-to-be-big-winners is “Avatar,” and when producer Jon Landau stopped by our studio recently, he couldn’t help but get a laugh out of the fact that he was one of those bad apples who had created the need for a “thank-you cam.” (Editor's note: It should be mentioned that our Landau interview came before the change in procedure was announced.)
America, meet the man responsible for this year’s lack of thank-you’s.
“I got criticized for my thing, I guess I thanked like 53 people in my thank-you speech,” said Landau, who speed-read a huge list of names after winning best picture for “Titanic” -– and whose likelihood of speaking again on behalf of “Avatar” may have single-handedly driven the “thank you cam” pre-emptive strike. “All the people in the press criticized me.”
At the time, Landau’s lengthy speech was considered such a disaster that the Oscars even used it as a teaching tool. “The Academy said to me, ‘Jon, we do a luncheon the following year and we want to use your Academy speech [as a ‘What Not to Do’ clip],” he recalled. “We’ll cover up your face so people won’t know it’s you’, but of course they’d know it was me!”
“[The Academy said] we’ll say this is a good speech [and show someone], and then we’ll go this was a fair speech [and show someone], and then we’ll say: this is what not to do [and show you],” he revealed. “They said ‘Would you mind doing that?’”
Meanwhile, Landau’s director and friend -- James Cameron -- was busy declaring himself “The King of the World” and giving the Academy exactly the kind of soundbite that could be used for decades to come. Although some people did view it as a wee bit cocky.
“He quoted his movie,” Landau was quick to point out. “Let’s just make that clear….”
With “Avatar” leading the pack this year in nominations, the odds seem pretty good that we’ll once again hear from Cameron and Landau. So, what are their plans?
“I don’t think Jim looks back on [his Oscar speech as a bad thing]; he looks back on that and meant to say ‘I’m feeling the way Jack Dawson felt, that moment on the bow of the ship,’” Landau explained, fighting off any notion that Cameron’s declaration was arrogant. “I think that if Jim found some moment to say what Jake Sully feels or Neytiri feels, then he might do that.”
And what about Landau? With a film as technologically advanced as “Avatar,” one would think that he could read names from now until the sequel is in theaters. So does he have any plans to save all those thank you’s for a backstage webcam?
“[I told the Academy in ‘98], honestly I don’t mind them doing that at all,” he said of his inclusion as the Oscar’s “Don’t Do This” video. There was one condition though: “As long as you tell people that if I am ever lucky enough to be up there again, I’m going to do the exact same thing.”
“We have a lot more than 53 people that contributed to ‘Avatar,’ I’ll tell you that,” Landau said, flashing a mischievous grin. “We’ll see what happens.”
What do you think? Should Landau save his thank-you’s for the backstage camera? Or should he whip out his note-card again on Oscar night and let ‘er rip?
See full article at MTV Movies Blog »
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