iPad ad debuts during 2010 Oscars 
 
 
 
 
 
 BY MARK W. SMITH 
 
 FREE PRESS WEB EDITOR 
 
 Apple debuted its new iPad commercial during last night's 2010 Academy Awards telecast, sparking immediate buzz on Twitter and leading tech blogs. 
 
 The iPad ad isn't a departure from Apple's established creative style and doesn't show off any features we haven't already seen. 
 
 You have to wonder if the computer maker has some more tricks up its sleeve as the iPad's April 3 release nears. 
 
 Tech blog Mashable posted a picture from earlier in the evening showing Apple CEO Steve Jobs on the red carpet Sunday at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. 
 
 Jobs is a board member at Walt Disney, which owns Pixar -- the studio that produced last night's animation Oscar-winner "Up." 
 
 What do you think of the commercial? Will you be getting an iPad? 
 
 Contact MARK W. SMITH: msmith@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @markdubya or follow a feed of blog updates at @browserblog. ||||| Days after the 90th Academy Awards telecast aired in March to record-low viewership, Disney-ABC Television Group executives met with leaders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to convey a message: 
 
 You are facing irrelevance. 
 
 Just a year and a half earlier, Disney-ABC had set a long-term pact with the Academy to broadcast the Oscars through 2028 — long past the point where anyone can predict what linear-television consumption will look like. Then the ratings fell off a cliff. The 26.6 million viewers averaged by the 2018 Oscars, according to Nielsen live-plus-same day numbers, represented a 19% decline from 2017, and 39% drop from the show’s recent peak in 2014. Numbers for younger viewers were even worse. Ratings in the 18-49 demo fell 24% from 2017 and 47% from 2014. The 18-34 demo was down 29% from 2017 and 56% from 2014. 
 
 Other awards shows, such as the Primetime Emmys and Grammys, have also faced recent ratings declines, but none nearly so steep. 
 
 Disney-ABC executives had for years pressed the Academy to impose changes that would shorten the Oscar telecast and incorporate more widely recognized films. (The 2018 Oscars clocked in at an unwieldy 3 hours, 53 minutes; the nine best-picture nominees this year averaged $78.7 million at the U.S. box office.) But at the come-to-Jesus meeting after March’s show, the TV people walked through the lousy ratings at a granular level, identifying precise moments during the show that prompted viewers to stop watching. They made several recommendations about the ways that the telecast’s length could be reined in, and proposed a “best blockbuster” category that would reward films that had been seen by larger audiences. They also argued that viewers had become fatigued by the ever-increasing number of televised awards shows — including the Golden Globe Awards, whose viewership has been relatively stable in recent years — and that the Oscars should be moved to an early calendar period. 
 
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 Academy officials acknowledged that the ratings situation was dire. At a meeting several weeks ago, AMPAS board members discussed the changes proposed and pushed for by ABC. On Tuesday night, the board voted to move the Oscars up to Feb. 9, 2020; to cap the telecast length at three hours by moving several awards categories into commercial breaks; and to create a “popular film” category, the criteria for which has not yet been divulged. 
 
 ABC has not commented on the changes. But sources at the network expressed relief Wednesday that the Academy had finally taken action. The Oscars telecast is the biggest piece of event programming for the Alphabet — the only one of the Big Four broadcasters without an NFL package, and thus lacking the boost that its competitors get from television’s most powerful driver of live viewing. Network insiders were also unmoved Wednesday by evident social-media backlash to the announcement, particularly to the addition of the popular film category, noting that changes to longstanding institutions such as the Oscars often yield complaints, and predicting that audiences would ultimately embrace the new format. 
 
 The Oscar changes came just two days after the Big Four and the Television Academy announced a new deal for telecast rights to the annual Primetime Emmy Awards. The networks and the TV Academy had wrangled over similar issues, with broadcasters pushing to move several Emmy categories out of the telecast. Both sides agreed to effectively punt on proposed telecast changes, however, and revisit them in 2019. 
 
 With a new format locked in, the Academy is expected to next turn to naming producers and a host for the 2019 Oscars. Sources told Variety on Wednesday that no conversations have taken place with Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd, who produced the last two telecasts, or with Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted the last two years. 
 
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 After some shocking oversights with last weekend's Golden Globes contenders and some surprising nods from the Screen Actors Guild , the big day has arrived: the Academy Award nominations are in!As usual, some of the year's frontrunners and favorites of critics and moviegoers alike didn't wake up to congratulatory messages. Most notably, no actors of color were tapped in the individual acting categories – the second year in a row From Johnny Depp to Straight Outta Compton, here's who and what was left out in the cold for the Oscars, which airs on Feb. 28.Straight Outta Compton was only recognized for Best Original Screenplay after surprise nominations at this season's other award derbies.The snub further exemplifies the lack of diversity among this year's top categories.The pint-size Room star scored a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild but was ignored at last weekend's Golden Globes and, now, by the Academy.At only 9, a nomination for Jacob Tremblay would have set him up to be the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award. Helen Mirren 's portrayal of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper in Trumbo earned her nods from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Screen Actors Guild, but, unfortunately she won't face off against Rachel McAdams and Alicia Vikander.Mirren's costar Bryan Cranston , however, is nominated for his turn as the blacklisted screenwriter.Elba's portrayal of a West African battalion leader in Netflix's first feature film offering Beasts of No Nation seemed like a sure thing.Unfortunately, Cary Joji Fukunaga's gripping drama received no love from the Academy.While Sylvester Stallone has received an overwhelming amount of love for reprising his role as Rocky Balboa in Creed, the film's lead actor has been shut out of the award circuit. Jordan may be one of Hollywood's most promising rising stars, but this is the second time the 28-year-old actor has been overlooked by the Academy – he was snubbed for his breakout role in Fruitvale in 2013. Now, despite his impressive physical transformation in Creed – and the film's impressive $106 million domestic haul – he's been ignored again.Stewart received the French equivalent of the Oscar, the Cesar Award, in December 2014 for Clouds of Sils Maria. Her Best Supporting Actress trophy was the first time an American woman has ever been given the honor, so it's a surprise the Academy didn't follow suit.While 99 Homes was a sleeper hit when it was released this past September, Shannon's portrayal of a merciless real-estate broker was recognized by the Screen Actors Guild.Instead, Sylvester Stallone 's latest turn as the iconic Rocky Balboa nabbed the coveted fifth spot at the Oscars.Depp will not be up for an Academy Award, despite an eerie transformation into Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger in Black Mass and early raves for his menacing performance.While the beloved Inside Out – a big winner at the Golden Globes – scored a nod, Pixar's other 2015 offering, The Good Dinosaur, did not.The movie was Pixar and Disney's second offering of 2015 – up next is Finding Dory, the Finding Nemo spin-off, and then the third Cars installment. 2017's Coco will be the next completely new story from the studio.While Carol's stars Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett scored individual nominations, the film – an assumed shoo-in for Best Picture – was left off the list of eight.Instead, Bridge of Spies – which wasn't recognized in the picture category by either the Hollywood Foreign Press Association or the Screen Actors Guild – nabbed a coveted spot.While Scott's The Martian was tapped with a Best Picture nomination and a Best Actor nod for Matt Damon, the director wasn't among the five names released on Thursday.Scott has been nominated three times in the category – for Thelma and Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, with no wins.Going Clear was something of a phenomenon when it debuted on HBO in 2015. The documentary, which examined life inside the Church of Scientology, garnered a ton of attention and even inspired an Saturday Night Live spoof – despite backlash from the church.While he's garnered lots of love from the Academy in years past, Tarantino went largely unnoticed for his latest effort, The Hateful Eight The auteur has been previously nominated five times, including two wins for Best Original Screenplay, but went largely overlooked this year. The Hateful Eight did receive nods for Best Supporting Actress ( Jennifer Jason Leigh ), Best Original Score and Best Cinematography, but was not nominated for Best Picture despite generating considerable buzz.Despite taking home the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay for Steve Jobs, Sorkin was not even nominated for the Academy's equivalent award.The wordsmith already has one gold statue under his belt for The Social Network in 2010, and was nominated again in 2012 for his adaptation of Moneyball.
– The Apple iPad made its television debut last night with a 30-second commercial on the Academy Awards telecast, which you can view above. The keen eyes at Mashable caught CEO Steve Jobs on the red carpet, and the spot "explains" why he was there. Alternatively, the Detroit Free Press reports, the Disney board member could merely have been supporting subsidiary Pixar's Up, a best picture nominee.