10 days before show time, a full-on revolt over the Oscars

(AP) – Ten days before show time, the 91st Academy Awards are beset by rancor over plans to keep the broadcast to three hours.

After a litany of public-relations disasters, backtracks and missteps, the latest dust-up surrounds the film academy’s plans to remove four categories from the live portion of Feb. 24’s broadcast, including cinematography and editing. The academy, desperate to reverse sliding ratings, says a shortened show must go on.

On Wednesday evening, dozens of Hollywood heavyweights – including Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Brad Pitt, cinematographer Roger Deakins and director Damien Chazelle – issued an open-letter to the academy’s leadership blasting the decision to not air the four awards live.

The academy responded with a letter of its own, blaming “inaccurate reporting and social media posts” for “a chain of misinformation.”