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When the Academy needs a good mea culpa, who ya gonna call? Special Oscar!

 

The Academy Awards aren’t exactly known for handing out their precious hardware to whom many believe to be actually deserving of the honor on a year by year basis, and they are even less inclined to follow market trends by awarding films or film franchises that are super popular with audiences. That’s why the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and the Harry Potter series would perennially walk home empty-handed after another round of Oscar disappointment.

 

Agent 007 is no different, having nary found himself in Oscar’s good graces even after being a box office mainstay for 50 years. In the entire history of the franchise, James Bond films have taken home exactly TWO Academy Awards, both way back in the 1960s, and both for visual effects. In the years since, the franchise has collected only a handful of nominations, usually in special effects or music categories; the last Bond movie to receive any Oscar recognition at all was 1981’s For Your Eyes Only!

 

But 50 years is pretty impressive legacy for anyone or anything, one which even the Academy can’t ignore. To that end, it has been announced that the upcoming 85th annual Academy Awards ceremony will feature a special tribute to our favorite British superspy (no, not Austin Powers). Details on what exactly this will entail are vague at this point, but one thing is for certain – all 6 men who have donned the magic tux are still alive and well, and if all 6 of them do not end up on the Dolby Theatre stage at some point, then don’t even bother!!!

 

Well, at any rate, it’s still nice to see the Academy finally giving this franchise the attention it deserves. It might not be Masterpiece Theatre, but you don’t last for half a century without doing something extremely right!

 

 

- Katie Marzullo, YH Staff Editor

katie@younghollywood.com