A long-overdue Oscar will come this year to classic movie star Lauren Bacall for a lifetime of achievement, but for the first time, the special, honorary awards will not be part of Oscar night in March.
Instead, Bacall, legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman, cinematographer Gordon Willis and longtime studio exec John Calley will receive their statuettes at a new Governors' Award banquet, scheduled for November 14, which will not be televised.
It's just one of several revolutionary changes the Academy is instituting for this Oscar season, including doubling the number of films nominated for Best Picture.
I agree with Pete Hammond at the LA Times, who notes that these special awards have sometimes provided some of the most memorable and meaningful moments in the usually overlong and dragging show.
Well, maybe they'll include highlights in the Oscar show. I expect the usually tart-tongued Ms. Bacall will have something fun to say, and Corman is always a hoot. We'll see.
Bacall in New York, February, 2008, by Andrew H. Walker, Getty Images
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