Briton Hamish Hamilton is power behind the scenes at Oscars

By Philip Sherwell in New York Published: 9:00AM GMT 07 March 2010

Hamish Hamilton, Director of the 82nd Academy Awards rite

But tonight, Hamish Hamilton will be directing the brightest lights in Hollywood as he takes the helm of the Oscars in a vital makeover for the movie awards ceremony.

The British song video and endowment show executive has been drafted in to assistance energise an eventuality that has suffered usually shrinking audiences notwithstanding the prestigious status.

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Aged 43, Mr Hamilton done his name directing vital live song events such as the MTV and BRITs endowment shows and unison debate performances by the likes of U2, Madonna and Robbie Williams.

He is right away one of the hottest general properties in air wave party and last month destined the half-time show starring The Who for the Super Bowl. That became the most-watched programme in story when some-more than 106 million people tuned in to the American football showdown. It is, however, a far cry from Mr Hamilton"s roots in north-west England. In his teenagers in Blackpool, he was an eager mod, rocker and punk - an heterogeneous low-pitched brew - but afterwards opted for the direction of an accountancy grade at Stirling University.

"Hamish is a most appropriate live-show executive who will move enthusiasm, experience and a uninformed eye to the table," pronounced Adam Shankman, co-producer of the 82nd Oscar ceremonies. "He"s additionally a master of operative with all the ultimate jot down in air wave production, that speaks to the kind of cutting-edge show we are planning."

Mr Hamilton"s career switch came after he became wearied of accountancy lectures at university and clinging ever some-more time to his college air wave station. After his studies, he became a trainee writer at the BBC, operative in Northern Ireland and Scotland on news, ask and in progress shows. In the process, he grown a ambience for live air wave - and song TV in particular.

Today he regarded as one of the world"s most appropriate in his field, nonetheless the pursuit can be far from glamorous. He spends most of his time in a large lorry in a car play ground - as he did during Oscar rehearsals in Los Angeles last week - and once destined a Robbie Williams unison from the men"s toilet in the Royal Albert Hall.

Despite his status, he suspected he was the plant of a antic when he was initial approached to approach the Oscars. "My phone rang at the finish of last year and I thought it was a holder call," pronounced Mr Hamilton, who in all avoids media interviews. "I overtly never dreamed I"d get to lay in the big chair."

The Oscars producers have introduced a form of changes to try and move at the back of viewers. US audiences slumped from a jot down 55 million in 1998 to only 32 million in 2008, prior to bouncing at the back of to 36 million last year.

There will be a revolving stage, hulk mirrors and an form of younger presenters such as Zac Efron, Kristen Stewart and Miley Cyrus to make known the winners, who are being urged to equivocate the teary-eyed interjection that co-producer Bill Mechanic calls "the singular most-hated thing on the show".

The series of most appropriate design nominations has been doubled this year to 10 and the rite will for the initial time have co-hosts, the stand up comic Steve Martin and actress Alec Baldwin. However, a blueprint featuring British stand up comic Sacha Baron Cohen, in that Avatar executive James Cameron is indicted of impregnating an visitor from the film, has been cancelled as as well risque.

Coming on the heels of changes to the format, the appointment of Mr Hamilton - whose new credits embody the Victoria"s Secret slip conform show 2009 - has stirred critique between a little traditionalists that an eventuality to honour the biggest talents in movie is being dumbed down. "Please...MTV does not have the same category as the Academy Awards," complained one entrance on a movie industry blogsite. "This is a frightful trend." Others queried the preference of a Briton for the high-profile role, nonetheless there was additionally copiousness of regard for Mr Hamilton"s "genius" as a multi-camera director.

It is not only the new format that has stirred a little debate - there has been a fusillade of critique of a little of the most appropriate design contenders. James Cameron"s 3-D blockbuster Avatar has been slammed by conservatives as "anti-American" for the anti-war, anti-imperialist and environmental themes.

And Hurt Locker, a unwashed movie destined by Mr Cameron"s former mother Kathryn Bigelow about a explosve ordering section in Iraq, has come underneath complicated glow in new days from fight veterans who contend it portrays their activities inaccurately. The timing of those stories has stirred suspicions of a unwashed tricks debate written to frustrate the Oscar hopes of a small bill movie that took only $12 million at US box offices. Yet whoever takes home the bullion statuettes, for the publicity-shy Briton at the at the back of of the cameras, it is on trial to be a big night.