Kevin Baker's book is here!

Kevin Baker's book is here!
"... an exemplary sports book..." Kirkus Reviews

Thursday, January 15, 2015

The Oscars should adopt a 16-movie playoff system

Let's hope the recent success of college football's new four-team tournament shakes up Hollywood's old fogy, creamed corn philosophy, when it comes to crowning a national movie champion.

It's time to disband with the old "Here are the nominees" claptrap, and pit the contenders against each other - in honest bare-knuckled scrapes - with each round of losers going home, and the winners ascending to the Super Sunday Night showdown.

A 16-movie tournament would settle things, once and for all. Nobody in "Boyhood" would be throwing their martinis against the wall in the post-Oscar party, if they know they lost fair and square to "Birdman."

The tourney should include the SAGs, Golden Globes and the People's Choice Awards, and maybe even People Magazine can host the first-round battles, which would pit the top seeds against the 16th ranked underdog. Imagine the excitement if Megan Fox shocks Meryl Streep in the first round. Only in Hollywood! What a story!

The format would run for four weeks, as the field is boiled down to two movies, two actors, two supporting actors, etc. Each year, one "Cinderella" movie will emerge, captivating the nation and rallying its fan base. Who knows? And the winner of the best picture goes to... "Guardians of the Galaxy!"

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