Academy Awards Makeover 奥斯卡奖整容了
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- 创建于 2010年3月05日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2012年3月29日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：241
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（译注：makeover原指改头换面，改变整体造型）
Change to Hollywood’s top prize is stirring controversy among moviegoers around the world 好莱坞电影界的最高殊荣有了新改变，而引发全球各地电影迷议论纷纷
At the ripe old age of 82, Oscar could do with a face-lift now and then.
高龄八十二岁的奥斯卡奖（译注：奥斯卡奖今年为第八十二届）偶尔也需要拉皮整容一下（译注：could do with指需要）。
But Jane Campion, among other voters, has reservations about the latest makeover of Hollywood’s most coveted prize.
不过，珍．康萍和一些影剧学院对奥斯卡奖有投票资格的成员，却对这个好莱坞影界最渴望得到的奖项最近的变革，持保留的态度。
The New Zealand-born filmmaker can’t comprehend why the best-picture list of nominees was expanded from five to 10 slots for the first time since 1943, when Casablanca took home the statuette.
纽西兰导演珍．康萍实在无法理解，奥斯卡奖为什么要把最佳影片的提名电影，从原本的五部提高到十部，这是一九四三年以来所首见。一九四三年是由《北非谍影》获颁小金人。
Campion isn’t the only one of the 6,000 or so academy members who was taken aback when the switch was unveiled in June.
美国影艺学院共有约六千位成员，而珍．康萍并不是对这改变感到震惊的唯一成员，还有其他成员也有同感。该学院是在六月间宣布最佳影片的变革。
“I think it dilutes the exclusivity of it,” says Willem Dafoe, a two-time acting nominee. “You know, some years there might not be that many movies that deserve it. I just worry it lowers the bar a little bit.”
「我认为，这样会淡化了这个奖项的独特性，」两度获得奥斯卡演技类奖项提名的威廉．达佛指出，「你要知道，未来有些年度里可能根本就没有那么多值得提名的电影，我只是担心这样做可能会略微降低奥斯卡奖的水平。」
Drawing viewers in 吸引观众
It’s all an experiment, assures Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
但影艺学院主席汤姆．雪拉克却安抚人心地说，这一切都只是实验性的做法而已。
The supersizing of the best-picture category was suggested during a postmortem with Bill Condon and Laurence Mark, producers of 2009’s ceremony, which boosted viewership from the previous year by 13 percent.
认为奥斯卡该增加最佳影片提名片数的建议，是在二００九年颁奖典礼后的检讨会中被提出来的，而典礼制作人比尔．康登和劳伦斯．马克也参与了这次会议。二００九年的颁奖典礼成功把收视率提高到比前一年度成长了百分之十三。
Still, considering the 2008 edition – when No Country for Old Men claimed the best-picture trophy – was the least-watched show ever, the increase was only a mild improvement. Which is why, to continue to draw more eyes, the academy would like Oscar to find room for more popcorn-type films in its diet.
只不过，如果再追溯到史上收视率最低的二００八年奥斯卡颁奖典礼，那么相形之下二００九年的成长率也只算是小幅改善而已。二００八年是由《险路勿近》夺走最佳影片小金人。也正因如此，影艺学院为了想吸引更多观众收看，于是就试图在最佳影片的提名名单中，挪出空间来容纳更多比较卖座的片子。
A fair chance for all 机会均分
One voter who enthusiastically supports the five extra finalists is John Lasseter, the big cheese of animation at Pixar and Disney. “I don’t think it diminishes anything,” he says. “Now there’s a whole generation of moviegoers who don’t relate as much to the Oscars, since the movies that they love so much are not represented. This will open the door.”
约翰．拉塞特是大力支持在决选名单中再增加五部片的学院投票成员之一，他是在皮克斯和迪斯尼动画领域赫赫有名的大人物。「我倒不认为，这样会减损奥斯卡的光芒，」他表示，「如今喜欢看电影的新世代，其实不太对奥斯卡奖有共鸣，因为他们最爱看的电影往往不会被提名，而新的改变却无疑敞开大门（透过更多卖座片的入选来吸引影迷青睐）。」
单词发音
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ripe [raɪp] adj. 成熟的; 老成的
face-lift [ˋfeslɪft] n. 整容；翻新；改装；拉皮
now and then 有时; 偶尔 occasionally; infrequently
filmmaker [ˋfɪlm͵mekɚ] n. 产生影片制作人及导演等(通常指导演)
comprehend [͵kɑmprɪˋhɛnd] v. 理解，了解，领会
best-picture 最佳影片的 referring to the award given annually for the best film of the year at the Academy ceremony
nominee [͵nɑməˋni] n. 被提名人
slot [slɑt] n.【美】【口】（在机构、程序、名单中所占的）位置，职位
statuette [͵stætʃʊˋɛt] n. 小雕像 a very small statue made from a hard material, especially stone or metal, often representing a person
take aback 使吃惊; 使震惊 to astonish or disconcert
switch [swɪtʃ] n. 变更，转换，更改
exclusivity [ɛkskluˋsɪvətɪ] n. 高档独特性
lower the bar 降低标准 if people change the standards required to make things easier, they lower the bar
assure [əˋʃʊr] v. 向…保证；使…确信；使…放心
supersize [ˈsupɚ saɪz] v. 大幅度增大; 扩大规模
viewership [ˋvjuɚʃɪp] n.（统称）电视观众
trophy [ˋtrofɪ] n. 奖杯; 奖牌；奖品
popcorn-type films 娱乐性丰富，没有沉重的议题，本来说是让人吃着爆谷轻轻松松入场看的电影 or popcorn movie; a movie is guaranteed to be, "eh". One that is sure not to win any awards. One only goes to see it as an excuse to eat popcorn and other junk food with friends. Sometimes with the intention of insulting it afterword.
finalist [ˋfaɪn!ɪst] n. 参加决赛的人
big cheese【俚】大人物 Slang an important person
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Redefining first place 重新定义最佳影片
In the past, voters simply picked one of the five nominees as best picture. Now, with 10 choices, sticking with that method could result in a winner with only 11 percent of the votes.
在过去，学院投票者只需要从五部提名电影中挑出一部最佳影片；但如今足足有十部片子可挑，因此如果继续采用过去的投票方式，最后结果可能导致最佳电影赢家只拿到百分之十一的少数选票而已。
Instead, the academy has reverted to a preferential system where voters rank the nominees from 1 to 10. If the title on top does not have at least 51 percent of the vote, then second and even third choices on ballots could be included in the selection.
因此，影艺学院就改弦易辙，采取偏好投票系统的方式，也就是投票者给予提名电影从一到十之间的排名。如果选票中排名第一的片子里，最高票者没能拿到至少百分之五十一的票，那么就可能会继续比较第二顺位或甚至是第三顺位的片子。
“The new procedure is bad,” says Damien Bona, co-author of Inside Oscar. “It means the least-offensive movie will make it, the one that everyone sort of likes but no one is passionate about.”
「新的决选方式实在很糟糕，」《奥斯卡内幕》作者之一的达米安．波那透露，「因为这代表最不具有冒犯性的片子比较容易脱颖而出，也就是大家都不讨厌、可是却没有任何人很热爱的片子。」
Box office trumps quality 票房胜过品质
When thebest-picture changes were announced, the Oscar year of 1939 was invoked as an example of what could happen with 10 nominees. Gone With the Wind, the box-office champ of all time when adjusted for inflation, was the victor. But also in the race was an abundance of enduring classics such as The Wizard of Oz, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Stagecoach.
影艺学院宣布最佳电影奖项的改变时，有人引用了一九三九年奥斯卡发生的现象作为例子，藉以推测十部提名电影可能产生的结果。在当时，若依照通货膨胀来调整票房收入应是史上票房冠军的《乱世佳人》是赢家，但同时角逐的还包括了《绿野仙踪》、《史密斯先生去华盛顿》（直译）和《关山飞渡》等许多旷世经典巨片。
“A lot more best-picture movies were made back then than now,” says longtime Oscar watcher Steve Pond. “The academy did what it could to expand the slate of films, but it is at the mercy of what is being released this year.“
「过去推出的好片比现在多，」奥斯卡长期观察家史提夫．庞德表示，「影剧学院卯足全力试图扩充提名名单上的电影片数，可是最后成败却完全取决于当年发行的电影（但那却是个未知数）。」
Statue-swapping fatigue 各种电影奖轮流上场令人产生倦怠感
Some voters suggest the real problem isn’t the ceremony or the nominees. It’s the fact that there are so many other awards shows that air before the Oscars, including the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild, the American Film Institute and the Broadcast Film Critics Association.
有些投票者认为，真正的问题其实并不在于颁奖典礼或被提名者上。事实上，在奥斯卡颁奖典礼之前，早就有好多种其他电影奖的颁节目陆续在电视上播过了，包括金球奖、美国演员公会奖、美国电影学院奖和美国广播影评人协会奖等。
As 15-time nominee and two-time winner Meryl Streep says, “The Oscars should be January 2. By the time we get to the Oscars, these same winners have trudged up on stage multiple times.”
十五度获得奥斯卡提名、两度得奖的梅莉．史翠普表示：「奥斯卡奖（颁奖典礼）应该选在一月二号举行才对（译注：意指之前其他电影奖已经陆续揭晓。奥斯卡真正的颁奖典礼是在三月七日），不然，等到奥斯卡奖举行时，相同的得奖者早就已经上台领过好几次奖了。」
“The best acting all year is when they act surprised.”
「其实全年度最精湛的演技，应该是这些之前已经得过奖的影星又被宣布得奖时刻意表演的惊讶表情。」
−by Susan Wloszczyna
单词发音
More Information
revert [rɪˋvɝt] v. 归属；回到
ballot [ˋbælət] n. 投票; 投票总数
box office 票房, 卖座力 how popular or financially successful a film is
trump [trʌmp] v. 胜过，赢
inflation [ɪnˋfleʃən] v. 通货膨胀 a continuing rise in prices caused by an increase in the money supply and demand for goods
in the race 在比赛中
swap [swɑp] v. 交换；交易
guild [gɪld] n.（互助性的）团体，协会，联合会
trudge [trʌdʒ] v. 步履沉重地走过
单词发音
Vocabulary Focus
reservation [͵rɛzɚˋveʃən] n. 保留（意见）；异议 a doubt or reason for not accepting or agreeing with something completely
coveted [ˋkʌvɪtɪd] adj. 渴望得到的；梦寐以求的 strongly desired by many
postmortem [postˋmɔrtəm] n. 事后检讨 a discussion of an event after it has happened; following the event
diminish [dəˋmɪnɪʃ] v. 降低……的声誉 to reduce or be reduced in importance
preferential [͵prɛfəˋrɛnʃəl] adj. 选择选举制的; 优先的；优惠的；优待的 better than that given to others
invoke [ɪnˋvok] v. 唤起; 援引 to cause something to be used; bring into effect
slate [slet] n.【美】候选人名单，提名名单 a list of similar things
at the mercy of 受……所支配 to be in a situation in which one is unprotected from something unpleasant; unable to protect yourself from something
Casablanca - trailer
Gone with the wind (trailer)
The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Trailer
1939 Mr Smith goes to Washington - Trailer
Stagecoach (trailer)