cynics

There was a time when folks wondered if there even would be an Oscars in 2021. It’s easy to forget this now. After all, 12 months suddenly feels like several lifetimes, and the anxiety which accompanied theaters going dark in March 2020 was replaced by abject schadenfreude when one studio tried to open a blockbuster six months later. But the state of the industry—from theatrical releases to streaming, to, yes, awards shows—was shrouded in uncertainty for what seemed like an eternity. Apprehension even seemed to reach the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences when they announced last June that…