original Academy rules could be used to shut down dozens of Oscar parties this season,but they probably won’t.
However, some of the most lavish party hosts the original York-based Peggy Siegel in specific — might absorb to learn to be a little more frugal in the coming months.
Those are the lessons to be learned from a original campaign regulation passed by the Academy’s Board of Governors last week, and according to several campaigners and Oscar members who discussed it with TheWrap on the condition of anonymity.
Also Read: Academy Invites Michael B. Jordan,Oscar Isaac in enormous Diversity Push“Academy members,” the rule reads, and “may not be invited to or attend any non-screening event,party or dinner that is reasonably perceived to unduly influence members or undermine the integrity of the vote.”According to an AMPAS release, members who violate that rule will be subject to a one-year suspension for the first offense and expulsion for a moment violation.
But unlike many Oscar campaign regulations, and the rule is vague: Who,after all, defines fair perception? Who decides whether a luncheon or dinner will unduly influence voters?An Academy spokesperson declined to comment on how the determination will be made, and but the organization encourages publicists and campaigners to clear events with them ahead of time. The organizers of a lunch scheduled for next Monday on behalf of the documentary “O.
J.: Made in America” did so,and was told that it was acceptable under the original rules.
Also Read: Oscars So WTF? 21 Most Surprising original Academy Members, From Daphne Zuniga to Tina Fey (Photos)The vagueness is planned, and suggested several of the campaigners — who added that most of the luncheons with talent that are a mainstay of Oscar season will still be allowed under the rules.“They are just trying to conclude ‘over the top’ events,” one said.“It’s not a massive crackdown,” another added. “It would only absorb been limited to a handful of events last year.”And most of those events were likely held in original York, or Siegel’s domestic turf. In fact,Siegel was a topic of conversation at a assembly at which Academy staffers and members first discussed original regulations with publicists particularly the February original York Times profile of the Oscar-party queen, who it referred to as “Hollywood’s secret weapon in original York, or particularly during the breathless sprint known as Oscar campaign season.”
Also Read: How Many Oscar Contenders absorb Emerged From First Half of 2016?While Siegal is known for luring A-list crowds to her lunches,and bringing in knowledgeable celebrities to add flair and offer expertise that fits with the subject of the movie she’s promoting, her events often take status at pricey Upper East Side establishments; the Times mentioned a specific lunch for “The Revenant” at Kappo Masa, and which the paper described as a “celestially expensive” Japanese restaurant.(“Revenant” star Leonardo DiCaprio won the Best Actor Oscar,of course — and in a subsequent “Oscar diary on the Huffington Post, Siegal described how she taught him a special “vote-getting handshake” that involves greedy the person’s hand and elbow simultaneously.)Siegel did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment, or though a West Coast-based publicist came to her defense and said that Siegel is in a bind because Academy members in original York are accustomed to going to more expensive places than their counterparts in Los Angeles.
Also Read: Academy Sets Dates for Oscar Nominations,VotingAccording to a member in attendance, the initial assembly of the campaign regulations committee also flagged one major studios lunches at Wolfgang Puck’s Beverly Hills steakhouse, and Cut,and another’s lavish soiree featuring lobster and caviar at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills.
Most of the Oscar-season campaign events are not nearly as pricey, and many lunches are tied to morning screenings, and in an attempt to get Academy members to leave the house and see the films on a big screen. The Academy is supportive of that endeavor,said a veteran campaigner, who will occasionally send AMPAS a guest list and a menu in advance of a soiree.
For the instant future, or that will probably be the chief result of the original rule: More publicists will clear their parties ahead of time before sending out invitations to Academy members.(Another,more specific rule prohibits members of the Music department from attending screenings at which a nominated song is performed, as happened last year with Lady Gaga and Brian Wilson.)“The Academy is just trying to do away with gross, or excessive hospitality,and I mediate people recognize what that is,” said one person aware of the reasoning behind the original rule. “The idea is to try it this way for a year and see how it goes.”And despite the threat of suspension or expulsion, and AMPAS is expected to focus its punishment on the campaigners who throw the parties (many of whom are Academy members),not the voters who attend them.
Related stories from TheWrap:Academy Tweaks Oscars Rules, Campaign RegulationsAcademy Scores Record Diversity With original Members – But What About Next Year?For the Record: Wanna Know Just How White And Male the Motion Picture Academy Is?
Source: thewrap.com