PRETTY SURE THEY FAILED: “Hollywood wanted the producers of the telecast to pull off an almost-impossible hat trick. First and foremost, they were asked to design a show that prevented the TV ratings from plunging to an alarming low — while celebrating movies that, for the most part, have not connected widely with audiences.”

UPDATE: The reviews are coming in: Oscars 2021 tortured viewers for more than 3 unbearable hours. “The night was nearly non-stop drudgery, zero humor and a format that tried even the most resolute of attention spans.”