In the week since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the plan for a new Oscar category honoring “popular film,” debate about the decision has raged online, even as the Academy sticks to their controversial plan. On an episode of Little Gold Men recorded moments after the news was announced, Katey Rich and Richard Lawson processed the news with hesitation and outright horror. How would a “separate but equal” Oscar do anything but diminish its winner? Would the craft branches revolt after learning their awards would be handed out during commercial breaks? And what would this do for the very real best-picture hopes for Black Panther?
If you listen to Mike Hogan, Vanity Fairs digital director and a Little Gold Men co-host, all of this worrying is for nothing. On this weeks Little Gold Men, Mike returns to the show for a persuasive argument in favor of the best-popular-film Oscar (or whatever they decide to call it), pointing to everything from the Oscars need to remain culturally relevant to the fact that, whenever Major League Baseball fiddles with the rules in order to better entertain their audiences, everyone gets used to the changes pretty quickly. Joe Reid, of Decider and the fantastic podcast *This Had Oscar Buzz,* joins for his own take on the news, including a look at films from the recent past (Straight Outta Compton? Inside Out?) that might have benefited from the new category.
The conversation also includes some excitement over the new trailer for Steve McQueens Widows, which may not exactly be a fun, female-led romp but still looks stunning, and some head-scratching over Emmys hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost, who suggested in a recent interview that they dont really even like awards shows. So, uh, why host one?
Listen to this weeks Little Gold Men above, and find the show on Apple Podcasts, where you can leave a rating and a review.
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Vanity FairVanity Fair features in-depth reporting, gripping narratives, and world-class photography, plus heaping doses of Oscar-blogging, royal-watching, and assorted guilty pleasures.
[contf] [contfnew] 
Vanity Fair
[contfnewc] [contfnewc]
