Category: media

It’s no secret that the Academy is not diverse. A 2014 study found that its membership was 94 percent white, 76 percent male, and an average of 63 years old—so the most prestigious awards are governed by the tastes of very old white men. The Academy not only needs to diversify its leadership, but should also institute a cut-off age of 65 for members whose tastes no longer reflect the current zeitgeist.

“Counting television series is like counting lemmings. Hopefully they won’t all run off a cliff and plunge to their deaths in the ocean.”

“If Ted doesn’t give ratings, he shouldn’t then be saying, ‘This is the biggest hit in the history of blah blah blah.’ He shouldn’t say something is successful in quantitative terms unless you’re willing to provide data and a methodology behind those statements. You can’t have it both ways.”

“Netflix said it finished the year with nearly 75 million members, for a net gain of 17 million new members. That level was even higher than the 74 million Netflix had projected for the year back in October, bolstering its image as a growing power in entertainment. The growth in subscribers — a key metric for investors — fueled a 23% jump in revenue to $1.82 billion in the fourth quarter of 2015.”

“Decades from now, maybe it’ll be easier to discuss the Oscars without breaking everything down by ethnicity and gender. We’ll only need to change the entire makeup of the academy membership, not to mention the power structure of the film industry, for that to happen.”

A.O. Scott: “The nominations are a numbers game, and in each case you can offer a nonracial explanation for the oversight. Other movies and actors just had a few more votes.”
Wesley Morris: “But I also don’t think any voter wants to be told that he or she has to vote for a predominantly black film or: racism!”
Manohla Dargis: “The lived, embodied experiences of the membership greatly matter and that sometimes even the most well-intentioned white people just don’t see the racism and sexism in front of them.”

“Just two years after the much-touted breakthrough of “12 Years a Slave,” the best picture nominees announced Thursday, with a few notable exceptions, follow a dishearteningly repetitive story line of white men triumphing over enormous odds.”

“Director Spike Lee and the actress Jada Pinkett Smith announced they would not be attending the ceremony on Feb. 28.”

“While we celebrate their extraordinary achievements, I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes.”

“From the start, the subject hit too close to home. Out of security concerns in a country still in shock after the November terrorist attacks, Made in France, a French film about homegrown jihadists plotting strikes on downtown Paris, will head straight to video-on-demand this month and forgo release in cinemas.”