The Oscars. Look who's not coming to dinner.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

For the second year in a row, the Academy Awards is a pretty white affair.





International Business Times studied claims about a lack of women and minority representation in both academy nominees and winners. “The Oscar winners are voted on by members of the academy, and there are 6,028 voting members; 94 percent of them are white, 77 percent are men and 86 percent are over the age of 50.” There have only been 31 African Americans who have won an Academy Award in the history of the Academy Awards [the awards were started in 1927].

Comments

[garote]

I dunno. I've been a bit jaded about diversity in the Academy Awards, and the Academy Awards in general, for about 15 years. Since about the time they gave Halle Berry an academy award for Actress in a Leading Role. Haven't bothered to watch it or pay attention to the results since then.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Awarding Halle was the last straw?

[garote]

Halle Berry was not popularly considered to be a very good actress at the time. It was basically the Academy declaring, "we're so incredibly inbred and obtuse about diversity, that we're just going to shoehorn this actress in here, because it's all we could find."

God forbid they would go digging through their whole nomination/studio/representative process and actually pull in a really good film with a really good black actress (of which there were many, just not well known). You know, change the process - actually swap out people, even fire them - alter their "sponsorship" requirements - rather than just making a dramatic point and then patting themselves on the back about it in the press.

So yeah, I lost interest.

Let me describe it with a metaphor:

At this point, it's like hearing that an ex-girlfriend has given herself a "best girlfriend" academy award for her role in a subsequent relationship. The lack of impartiality has been eclipsed by a lack of relevance.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Plenty of shitty white actresses have held awards for shitty performances.

[garote]

Yes. They have. It's pretty clear that the Academy has always had a pretty self-serving record when it comes to awarding the "best" of any category, and that hasn't changed.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

It's all show biz baby!

I liked it when Michael Moore shook em up.

[icelore.livejournal.com]

I'm usually on board with the diversification of Hollywood, but tbh, I can't think of many (any?) movies with black actors that deserved a nod. Straight Outta Compton and Creed maybe? Concussion? None of them were good (despite the fact that I actually really like Will Smith, he just didn't deliver here).

I think this shows less that the Oscars are biased, but more then there is a systemic problem in Hollywood that there aren't that many movies with outstanding POC actors/actresses to choose from. :/

[garote]

Here's a few more to check out:
http://www.theroot.com/photos/2015/01/_15_best_black_films_at_the_2015_sundance_film_festival.html

[icelore.livejournal.com]

Let's be honest, the Oscars are primarily a popularity contest, there aren't a bunch of independent films that win.

Again, I think the problem is at the beginning of the line here, not as much with the end.

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

Yup. The Hollywood crowd does seem like a syncophantic bunch of lickspittle blatherskytes, and if you want to get ahead, the people to impress/the asses to kiss are all of a lily nature.

[ponitacupcake.livejournal.com]

I thought Straight Outta Compton was good but maybe not a contender for any Best Whatever awards.

Compton and Creed both got nominations though for the 4 white screenwriters for one, and Best Supporting Actor for Stallone.

Idris Elba was mentioned but I honestly forget what he was in this year.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

They gave a nomination to basically the only white guy in Creed.

I just like pointing that out.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

And the one nomination for Straight Outta Compton is for the white screenplay writers.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Saturday Night Live made fun of that a bit in this sketch:

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

I now have a VPN so I can actually look at these things :P

That's gold :)

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, but Elba is a Brit and all. Too Forn.

Although "Luther" was a fun romp of a series.

[ponitacupcake.livejournal.com]

But Redmayne and Clumberbetch get nominated for stuff i think.

That sound like names from bad furry porn

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Chiraq?