Because broad appeal movies the likes of Spider-Man: No Way Home didn't exactly fit the mold for what Hollywood deems an exceptional work of cinematic brilliance, people complained, as they often do. Director Kevin Smith, for example, took to one of his many podcasts, namely Fat Man on Batman, to unleash his ire on the Academy,

"What the f*ck? They got 10 slots, they can't give one to the biggest fucking movie of like the last three years? Man, and they're like, 'Why won't anyone watch this show?' Like fucking make a populist choice, f*ck, man. You got how many slots? Throw in Spider-Man for god's sakes. Let him swing in there. Fucking poor kid's always getting crapped on and shit, show Peter Parker some f*cking love. I'm not even being facetious, with as many movies as they have nominated for best picture..."

Mind you, Spider-Man did get a nomination for Best Visual Effects, a category relegated for big-budget flicks for the most part.

In a bid to appease the masses who might have felt snubbed by the Oscars when their favorite tentpole blockbuster movie didn't get a nod for this year's consideration, the Academy has decided to create a fan-favorite category which anyone with a Twitter account can participate in. From February 14th through March 3rd people will be allowed to vote on films they want to see win by simply Tweeting the film's title with #OscarsFanFavorite and #Sweepstakes. Fans are allowed to do this up to 20 times a day through Twitter or The Academy website. The winning picture will get announced during the show, and the winner of the sweepstakes will win an all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles to present the award next year at the show.

Maryl Johnson, the Academy's vice president of digital marketing said this about the change,

"We're thrilled to partner with Twitter to help build an engaged and excited digital audience leading up to this year's ceremony. The Oscars are an opportunity to bring people around the world together through their shared movie love, and through these activities social media users around the world now have more opportunities to engage with the show in real-time, find a community and be a part of the experience in ways they've never been able to before."

Or you just ripped off American Idol.

We have a solution, rather than sully a time-honored show, which, don't get us wrong, has its faults, create new categories such as Blockbluster, Comedy, Horror, ect... This Award is voted on by peers in the industry, not by the masses, and not for nothing, most of these actors, directors, and producers bridge the gap by, say, doing a quiet little think piece and immediately turn around to be in a slam bang Marvel flick.

(Also, the internet trolls are going to come out of the woodwork to try and sabotage this endeavor.)

The Oscars need to evolve away from the old boy network, recognize excellence where it exists, and grow with the public consciousness. But just try to keep it classy, Hollywood.

Tags
The oscars, The Academy Awards, Kevin Smith, Twitter