17414: Discerning The True Lesson On Culture From This Year’s Oscars.

Advertising Age published a perspective titled, “What marketers can learn about culture from this year’s Oscars.”

 

The author opined, “The most compelling moments [at the Academy Awards] all came from collision—across cultures, art forms, generations, and ways of seeing the world.”

 

Can’t help but think the op-ed presented an optimistic notion bordering on pollyannaish delusion.

 

For starters, marketers—and their partnering White advertising agencies—were likely more interested in the commercials that aired during the 98th Academy Awards versus the actual Oscar victories.

 

The advertisements did not represent a collision across cultures; but rather, a domination of White culture—from content to creators.

 

In short, what everyone can learn about Adland’s culture from this year’s Oscars—based on viewing commercials that aired during the broadcast—is the industry runs on privilege, exclusivity, and cultural cluelessness.

 

Adland deserves an Oscar for outstanding performance of systemic racism.

 

What marketers can learn about culture from this year’s Oscars

 

By Aaron Walton

 

If you watched closely, a pattern kept showing up at this year’s Oscars. The most compelling moments all came from collision—across cultures, art forms, generations, and ways of seeing the world.

 

And that matters, because we’re living in a moment that rewards division. Social feeds sort us. Algorithms separate us. Even storytelling is often reduced to sides. But the work that breaks through doesn’t avoid difference. It brings it together.

 

One of the most talked-about films of the night, “Sinners,” takes this idea to new heights. The film brings together creative perspectives that don’t typically sit in the same room—a Swedish composer scoring a deeply American story, a Filipina-Black cinematographer shaping its visual language, and a narrative that draws echoes between Irish and Black histories, to name a few.

 

The Best Original Song category told a similar story. “Golden,” from “KPop Demon Hunters,” became the first K-pop song to win an Oscar. K-pop is, by design, a hybrid—Korean music shaped by hip-hop, R&B, electronic production and global internet culture. It was built for audiences who don’t live inside a single cultural lane.

 

On its best day, Hollywood isn’t just exporting culture anymore. It’s collaborating with it.

Another striking moment came with the presence of legendary artists Misty Copeland and Buddy Guy. At first glance, ballet and Chicago blues don’t exactly share a playlist. One comes from centuries-old European tradition. The other from African American musical innovation rooted in lived experience. And yet, there they were—part of the same cultural moment.

 

At the request of filmmaker Ryan Coogler, Copeland wore a Firebird costume created by Geoffrey Holder, on loan from the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s landmark 1982 production. Embedded in the design was a Sankofa symbol, a West African concept meaning “go back and get it,” a way of saying: draw from the past to move forward.

 

It’s hard to imagine a more precise metaphor for what was happening across the night. Film borrowing from dance. Music shaping narrative. History informing the present. That’s what cultural collision looks like at its best. Intentional. Layered. Forward-moving.

 

And let’s not underestimate the recognition of Amy Madigan. In an industry that often equates relevance with youth, her win felt like an awakening. Because experience brings something different to storytelling. Some things that can’t be rushed.

 

And yet, age remains one of the least talked-about dimensions of inclusion. Brands chase what’s next and often overlook what endures. Longevity isn’t the opposite of innovation. It’s often what makes it possible. Persistence and resilience don’t describe anything that happens overnight.

 

This year also introduced Casting as a new Oscar category. It’s also easy to overlook, but I agree with those who say it’s one of the most important additions in years. Because casting is where culture ignites the story.

 

Who gets placed at the center determines who gets seen, who gets heard, and who feels invited in. Great casting is about more than identifying great talent. It’s about cultural insight, understanding nuance, recognizing authenticity, and seeing what a story can become when the right person steps into it.

 

In many ways, casting is strategy. It shapes the story before the first scene is ever shot.

 

Even the tone of the Oscar ceremony reflected collision. Conan O’Brien approached the night with satire as he tested the audience’s appetite for political humor, and acknowledged tension without losing the room. Jimmy Kimmel, in contrast, took a more direct route, leaning into political commentary.

 

Both approaches worked. And together, they pointed to something brands are still figuring out. Do you meet people where they are, or do you push them somewhere new? There’s no single answer. But taking a position, however you do it, is part of staying relevant.

 

The Oscars are easy to dismiss as entertainment. But they’re also a real-time read on what resonates. And this year, the signal was clear.

 

The work that breaks through doesn’t come from a single perspective. It comes from intersection, which requires different voices in the same room, different histories in the same story, and people who don’t see the world the same way—and aren’t supposed to.

 

Because that’s where something new happens. For years, the conversation around diversity has focused on fairness. And we shouldn’t forget how much that matters. But we also need to focus on something more active.

 

Not just inclusion. Integration.

 

Not just representation. Collaboration.

 

Because division may be louder. But collision is more powerful.

 

Division narrows the story. Collision expands it.

 

And the most interesting work right now, the work that moves people, is doing something even more ambitious. It’s reaching back. Pulling forward. Holding multiple influences at once. Not smoothing them out but letting them shape something new.

 

Because if this year’s Oscars showed us anything, it’s that the future doesn’t come from choosing sides. It comes from what we’re willing to bring together.

 

Aaron Walton is CEO at Walton Isaacson

15785: An Historic Day Of Judgment(s).

 

Such a missed opportunity that no one thought to ask new U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to draft an opinion on the Will Smith sentencing.

 

15773: Bad Apples & Poor Apple TV+…

 

Adweek published a lengthy report titled, “Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock Overshadows Apple TV+’s Historic Oscar Win,” whining about how the Apple TV+ streaming breakthrough was upstaged by the Smith + Rock screaming brouhaha. Ironically, the Adweek report also spent more screen space on the TKO versus CODA. Poor Apple TV+ was denied its monumental moment. Oh, the humanity! Heaven forbid anyone should feel slighted that proper respect was not awarded to the fifth Best Actor Oscar in history going to a Black man.

15772: Will Smith v Chris Rock, Round Zillion.

 

There is already plenty of commentary regarding Will Smith smacking Chris Rock at the Academy Awards show—including discussions about race-based inequities and gender-based insults—but here’s one more.

 

The New York Post wondered if Smith could lose his Oscar should the Academy enforce its 2017 code of conduct that “emphasizes the importance of ‘upholding the Academy’s values,’ like inclusion, fostering supportive environments, and ‘respect for human dignity.’”

 

The Post story stated that when the code of conduct was issued, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Dawn Hudson wrote, “There is no place in the Academy for people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates recognized standards of decency. The Academy is categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, or nationality. The Board of Governors believes that these standards are essential to the Academy’s mission and reflective of our values.”

 

Indeed, the Academy was quick declare that it “does not condone violence of any form” after the Smith-Rock altercation. 

 

The scenario poses a diversity-related dilemma for sure. After all, if Smith were reprimanded for his violent outburst, could Rock also be subject to disciplinary action for his joke? As has been reported, the recipient of the off-color remark—Jada Pinkett Smith—is affected by alopecia, an autoimmune disease. In short, Rock’s “G.I. Jane” joke could be deemed as publicly shaming a person with a disability. That’s grounds for dismissal in most professional settings.

 

The incident definitely presented opportunities for a variety of teachable moments. And it underscores the need for forgiveness across the board. In the words of Marvin Gaye:

 

Father, father

We don't need to escalate

You see, war is not the answer

For only love can conquer hate

15700: The Red Carpet & The Dead Carpet.

 

The Academy Awards annually plays a video commemorating all the Hollywood figures who died in the previous year. Seems like the 2022 tribute might take up the majority of airtime. Ironically—at least during the somber segment—there will finally be equitable racial and ethnic representation at the Oscars.

14543: In 2019, An All-Black Academy Awards Was Possible.

The 2019 Academy Awards presents decent Black representation in the top categories. This is the year, however, where outstanding Black and Black-themed films could have made it possible to stage an all-Black Best Picture lineup:

Black Panther

BlacKkKlansman

Blindspotting

Green Book

If Beale Street Could Talk

Sorry To Bother You

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

And since every year has at least one WTF entry, the final slot would be a toss-up between the following:

Whitney

Widows

A Wrinkle In Time

Finally, such a lineup might have inspired Kevin Hart to rethink his rejection to host.

13699: Breaking Cannes Color Barrier…?

Oh, look! Halle Berry is coming to Cannes Lions. Berry is still the only Black woman to win an Academy Award for Leading Actress. Will she also be the only Black woman featured at Cannes? Maybe she’ll gush, “And it’s for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened. Thank you. I’m so honored.”

13534: Badgering Bullshit.

Advertising Age reported on the latest diverted diversity directive designed to ban gender bias at Cannes. The declaration was spearheaded Badger & Winters Chief Creative Officer Madonna Badger, who proclaimed, “This will make every ad agency rethink the type of advertising they’re doing and whether or not it’s award-winning, and because Cannes is the absolute Oscars of advertising, they will set the tone for all the other awards all over the world.” How fitting that Badger would reference the Oscars, which has mirrored the advertising industry by historically excluding racial and ethnic minorities from its festivities. The Academy Awards, however, made dramatic and deliberate efforts to change. In contrast, Madison Avenue and Cannes dodge the dearth of diversity by promoting White women and handing out trophies for doing so.

Cannes Bans Gender Bias With Help from #WomenNotObjects

By Lindsay Stein

The ad industry’s largest annual event and awards program, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, has agreed to caution jurors not to recognize work that reflects gender bias.

“Work that objectifies, perpetuates negative and harmful inequalities and gender bias hurts all of us,” the festival will now tell all jurors in their briefings before judging. “The criteria for knowing if a submission is objectifying or gender-biased is empathy. Use your heart and mind to determine if the submission is acceptable to you. What if the person portrayed in image or copy was you? Or your daughter or son, sister, father or mother … would you be O.K. with the portrayal? Do you feel they are being treated as whole, human and equal, and how you would like to be treated?”

The new guidance comes amid a roiling conversation about sexual equality and gender bias in advertising, both in employment and in representations of gender roles in ads. And it results from a petition written after last year’s Cannes Lions by Badger & Winters Chief Creative Officer Madonna Badger, who helped ignite the gender conversation with her “#WomenNotObjects” initiative started a little over a year ago.

The 2016 Cannes Lions included an award for Bayer ads by AlmapBBDO that were roundly decried as sexist. One, for example, said, “‘Don’t worry babe, I’m not filming this’.mov” above two boxes of aspirin. They were so-called scam ads, created for the purposes of entering awards contests, and they were subsequently disowned by Bayer and the prize was returned. But their recognition at Cannes, and plenty of more subtly sexist advertising in the real world, helped fuel more than 1,000 signatures for Ms. Badger’s petition.

“This will make every ad agency rethink the type of advertising they’re doing and whether or not it’s award-winning, and because Cannes is the absolute Oscars of advertising, they will set the tone for all the other awards all over the world,” Ms. Badger said.

Philip Thomas, CEO of Cannes Lions parent company Ascential Events, who previously served as chief executive of Lions Festivals for nearly 10 years and ran last year’s Festival of Creativity, said the organization worked with Ms. Badger to craft the new criteria.

“She’s a hugely respected figure for the work she’s done and the position she’s taken in the industry, so we’d been talking about the best way to position this and bring it to people’s attention,” he said.

When Mr. Thomas saw one of the “#WomenNotObjects” presentations, Ms. Badger said, he was “astonished at how ads in the ‘50s used to show naked women selling cigarettes, and today they show naked women selling shoes—the same mentality is still happening.”

Including the criteria in jury briefings felt like a natural step for the festival because it has been working on gender issues for a number of years, Mr. Thomas said. In 2015, Cannes added the Glass Lion: The Lion for Change, which rewards outstanding efforts challenging gender biases, and a year before that, it launched the See It Be It mentorship initiative for young women. Ms. Badger will serve as the ambassador for the 2017 See It Be It program. The festival has also named more female jury presidents, and more female judges in general, over the past few years.

Unlike the official Cannes rules, such as rule No. 3b, which says Ascential has the right to refuse entries that “offend national sentiments, religious sentiments or public taste,” the criteria around gender bias and objectification will serve more as a “guideline,” said Mr. Thomas. The criteria, he said, could possibly become a rule in the future, but he’s hoping a more mindful industry will make that unnecessary.

Traditionally, each jury must sign off on every piece of work that is short-listed for the Lion in which they are responsible, essentially publishing the short lists in their names. With the new criteria in place, they will now also have to affirm that they believe the work does not objectify women or perpetuate gender bias.

Badger & Winters President Jim Winters said that by implementing the criteria, Cannes “sends a very powerful message to the chief creative officer of every agency that they will need to be stringent in terms of what meets their standards, not only in terms of what they submit, but ultimately it will make them more conscious and thoughtful about any work they do in their agency.”

“I think it’s a good idea,” said David Lubars, chairman and chief creative officer of BBDO North America. Mr. Lubars has chaired three Cannes juries in 10 years: Titanium in 2006, Film & Press in 2009 and Branded Content and Entertainment in 2015. “Every jury I’ve headed killed ads like that. No one wants to award work with mean undertones. And agencies shouldn’t do things like that.”

There might be blurred lines in certain areas, like fashion, where nudity is a factor, Mr. Lubars said. But he said people, including Cannes jurors, are for the most part decent rather than mean-spirited. “It’s good to have a heightened awareness of things,” he said.

Over the last year, “#WomenNotObjects” and its hard-hitting videos have caught the eyes of media outlets, awards shows, conferences and celebrities like actor Ashton Kutcher, singer Alanis Morissette and George Takei, known for his role on “Star Trek,” who posted about the campaign on social media. The initiative is planning to release another video in a few months, said Ms. Badger.

Ms. Badger, who began “#WomenNotObjects” partly to honor her three daughters, who died along with her parents in a 2011 house fire, said she believes that ending objectification in ads will also lead to more women getting into creative roles and leadership positions.

“#WomenNotObjects” has helped Badger & Winters reshape itself as an agency and focus on assisting clients across all industry categories to connect with women in genuine ways, said Mr. Winters. Some of its project-based creative consulting includes work for MetLife, Starboard Cruise and Peloton.

As for Ms. Badger, she said she plans to speak about the campaign at corporate offices and events throughout the year, such as Google, the Women in the World Summit, the 3% Conference and, of course, Cannes.

In June, for the 2017 Cannes Festival of Creativity, Ms. Badger will speak on a panel about gender, diversity and objectification of women with Procter & Gamble Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard.

Mr. Thomas said the request for speakers to discuss issues around gender this year at Cannes has been “huge,” which makes the new criteria in the jury briefings even more relevant.

“The reason it’s important for Cannes to include is because it’s important to the industry,” he said. “We don’t necessarily try to lead the industry, but we try to reflect it because Cannes is the industry’s event.”

13151: Advertising Hall Of Same.

Oops. Missed the deadline to join the AAF in congratulating the all-White honorees being inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame. Will Chris Rock serve as emcee for the gala ceremony? Oh, and check out the stock photography displaying clichéd diversity on the AAF website.

13106: Best BHM Bullshit Ever.

CNN asked, “Was February 2016 the best Black History Month ever?” From #OscarsSoWhite to Beyoncé’s So Black, CNN declared a plethora of progress took place in a 29-day span. Okay, except it sure didn’t happen in the advertising industry. For starters, there appeared to be a dramatic decline in BHM advertisements. White advertising agencies allegedly held meetings to discuss avoiding another Campbell Ewald debacle. USA TODAY claimed Super Bowl 50 ads put diversity on display—ignoring that the “diversity” was created via exclusivity. Benetton blew diversity big time. Bartle Bogle Hegarty celebrated Black sheep with White shit. The AAF mimicked the Academy Awards with its 2016 Advertising Hall of Fame inductees. There was IPG, IPA and IPO bullshit—as well as bullshit from another White man who diverted diversity in defense of dames. Ogilvy helped NASCAR and IBM reach diverse audiences with Caucasian campaigns. Sure, Michael Houston and Vann Graves presented positive moments, but their achievements did not offset the diversity business as usual on Madison Avenue.

13105: Kohl’s Is Mixed Up.

Did Kohl’s try to bring diversity to the Academy Awards with its interracial family? The retailer deserves a nomination for Best Patronizing Pap.

13104: #WatsonSoWhite.

Advertising Age spotlighted the Ogilvy-created IBM Watson commercials slated to run during the Academy Awards. IBM VP-Content and Global Creative Ann Rubin gushed, “With the diversity of the audience watching, we wanted to reach out in a way that is very consumable through humor and ignite the conversation about cognitive computing.” Huh? Once again, an advertiser allegedly sought to reach a diverse audience, yet hired a painfully White advertising agency. And Ogilvy once again shat out an exclusively White campaign starring Ridley Scott and Carrie Fisher. Hell, even the robots in Fisher’s spot appear to be White.

13095: Dusting Off Ashes And Embers.

From The Los Angeles Times…

Ava DuVernay’s Oscar-week gift: a rare screening with the Broad of Haile Gerima’s ‘Ashes and Embers’

By Carolina A. Miranda

In 1982, the Ethiopian American director Haile Gerima released a feature-length film on the struggles of a black veteran in the wake of the Vietnam War. “Ashes and Embers” told the story of Ned Charles, a man contending with the psychological scars of conflict, both in the U.S. and abroad.

But the film was never widely seen in its day; it never received full theatrical distribution. Since then, it has been practically impossible to catch on the big screen, only rarely materializing at festivals.

“Mr. Gerima is a master of cinema who has been overlooked,” Ava DuVernay says via telephone from New Orleans, where she is directing the television series “Queen Sugar.” “This film is a singular part of the black cinematic canon.”

Well, now “Ashes and Embers” is set to get some valuable screen time. And the timing couldn’t be better as #OscarsSoWhite reaches its climax with Sunday’s Academy Awards.

Thanks to DuVernay’s efforts, as well as the Broad museum, Gerima’s drama shows at REDCAT on Thursday as part of the series called Array. Curated by DuVernay, Array is presenting half a dozen films over the course of several months — principally those directed by women and underrepresented minorities.

“There is nothing we would rather be doing the week of the Oscars,” Ed Patuto, director of audience engagement at the Broad, says of the screening. “The Oscars will come and go. The controversy — we will see how that plays out. But we will keep doing what we are doing, observing the creativity of filmmaking.”

The series is part of a long-running project undertaken by DuVernay to promote and distribute work by artists who are frequently overlooked by the Hollywood distribution machine. Gerima’s film will not only screen in Los Angeles, it will also land on Netflix at the end of February — and Array will host other public screenings at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington and the Schomberg Center in New York.

“That’s been a major objective of Array,” Patuto says. “It’s to take these gems which have been important to filmmakers of color, and to make them accessible to a broader audience.”

The series is an extension of a distribution collective that DuVernay launched in 2010 called the African American Film Festival Releasing Movement (Affirm). Its goal: to distribute work by black filmmakers, including DuVernay’s own early movies — “The Middle of Nowhere” and “I Will Follow” — made before DuVernay achieved renown as director of the Martin Luther King Jr. biopic “Selma.”

“That’s how I got ‘Middle of Nowhere’ into the world,” she says. “And that’s what led to me directing ‘Selma.’ There is a connection.”

Last summer, the collective changed its name from Affirm to Array, adding films by women and other underrepresented directors to its roster. (The Times Glenn Whipp wrote about it.)

And late last year, DuVernay teamed up with the Broad to present these and other works to the public as a series.

For the screening of “Ashes and Embers,” Gerima will be in attendance — interviewed by cinematographer Bradford Young, of “Selma” and “A Most Violent Year.” Viewers will also be invited to go to the Broad’s galleries to learn about works inspired by social justice issues.

The intent is to put work such as Gerima’s top-of-mind — especially at a time when Hollywood is grappling with issues of diversity.

The director was part of the L.A. Rebellion, an important group of black Los Angeles filmmakers that emerged out of UCLA in the 1970s that included figures such as Charles Burnett (“Killer of Sheep”) and Julie Dash (“Daughters of the Dust”).

Like many of his fellow filmmakers, his work shows a view of Southern California that isn’t always depicted in the movies.

“You’re not seeing much of black Los Angeles on film,” says DuVernay. “You’re not seeing Watts. You’re not seeing Compton. You’re not seeing South L.A. This is the Los Angeles we should see in movies — with all of its texture and its nuances. It has not been seen or explored enough.”

13028: Oscars Seek Diversity.

From The New York Times…

Academy Board Endorses Changes to Increase Diversity in Oscar Nominees and Itself

By Michael Cieply

LOS ANGELES — Confronting a fierce protest over a second straight year of all-white Oscar acting nominations, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Friday that it would make radical changes to its voting requirements, recruiting process and governing structure, with an aim toward increasing the diversity of its membership.

The changes were approved at an unusual special meeting of the group’s 51-member governing board Thursday night. The session ended with a unanimous vote to endorse the new processes, but action on possible changes to Oscar balloting was deferred for later consideration. The board said its goal was to double the number of female and minority members by 2020.

“The academy is going to lead and not wait for the industry to catch up,” the academy’s president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, said in a statement. Ms. Isaacs referred to an often-repeated complaint that the academy, in its lack of diversity, reflects the demographics of a film industry that for years has been primarily white and male.

The most striking of the changes is a requirement that the voting status of both new and current members be reviewed every 10 years.

Voting status may be revoked for those who have not been active in the film business in a decade. But members who have had three 10-year terms will have lifetime voting rights, as will those who have won or been nominated for an Academy Award.

The academy’s membership is made up of roughly 6,200 movie professionals around the world, and it was not immediately clear how many would be purged from the voting rolls by the new rule.

The changes, and possible balloting adjustments, will not affect this year’s awards, which will be presented on Feb. 28.

In the short term, the new rules and processes may tamp down some of the criticism that resulted when no film focusing primarily on minority characters was among this year’s eight best picture nominees, and all 20 acting nominees were white.

Ava DuVernay, who was not nominated last year for her direction of the best picture nominee “Selma,” declined to comment on the changes, but tweeted the academy’s letter, and added, “One good step in a long, complicated journey for people of color + women artists.”

But the moves by the academy, which aims to replace older members with a younger, more diverse group, are certain to be met with some criticism, and perhaps resistance. Academy voting rights rank among Hollywood’s more coveted marks of status, not least because of the screening invitations and flattering attention that come with them.

“I’m squarely in what I would call the mentorship phase of my life,” said Sam Weisman, a member of the academy’s directors’ branch since 1998. While working steadily in television, he has not had a feature directing credit since “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star” in 2003.

“I judge the Nicholl fellowships and the Student Academy Awards, but am I not qualified to vote?” asked Mr. Weisman, referring to academy mentorship programs in which he has been involved.

The academy will also expand its governing board by adding three new seats. Those are to be filled by the group’s president with an eye toward increasing the number of women and minorities on the board. Currently, about a third of the board members are women and Ms. Isaacs is its only African-American.

In a parallel move, the academy will add new members from diverse backgrounds to its various committees.

Stephanie Allain, a producer of “Beyond the Lights” (2014) and “Hustle & Flow” (2005) and a member of the academy, said she was elated, especially with the addition of three members to Board of Governors who, she assumed, would be women or people of color.

“The world is watching, basically, so what are we going to do?” said Ms. Allain, who is black. “Are we going to do the right thing? And I think that we have.”

Many in the industry say that especially in the studio world, opportunities have been slower to come to female filmmakers, an imbalance that the academy’s proposed expansion is unlikely to fix.

“The academy is the endgame,” Ms. Allain said. “But the beginning of the game is the industry responding to the curated talent that comes through programs like Film Independent, the folks that go through the Sundance Film Festival and the LA Film Festival. They just need jobs. That’s how we’re really going to solve the problem — not by more programs or committees, but by jobs.”

Without providing details, the academy’s statement also said it would “supplement the traditional process” by which members are recruited — an invitation process meant to focus on achievement — with “an ambitious, global campaign to identify and recruit qualified new members who represent greater diversity.”

One person briefed on the changes, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of confidentiality strictures, said the supplemental recruiting would be a year-round process, and would be heavily influenced by staff and officers rather than traditional membership committees. While Will Smith, who was overlooked as a nominee for his role in “Concussion,” has said he will not attend this year’s ceremony, Charlotte Rampling, who was nominated for best actress for “45 Years,” condemned much of the protest on Friday as being “racist against whites.”

“One can never really know, but perhaps the black actors did not deserve to make the final list,” Ms. Rampling said in an interview with the French radio network Europe 1 that was done before the academy made its announcement.

Still far from certain is whether the voting changes, and further possible tweaks to the Oscar ballot — for instance a return to the 10-film field of best picture nominees used in 2010 and 2011 — will restore the more diverse set of nominations that prevailed in the decade leading to the choice of “12 Years a Slave” as best picture in 2014.

In those 10 years, 24 of the 200 acting nominees were black, approximately matching the proportion of blacks in the North American movie audience and population, according to statistics compiled by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Black actors who won Oscars during that period included Octavia Spencer for “The Help,” Mo’Nique for “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” Jennifer Hudson for “Dreamgirls” and Jamie Foxx for “Ray.” When Mr. Foxx won, in 2005, he was also nominated for best supporting actor for his role in “Collateral.”

In 2014, Lupita Nyong’o was named best supporting actress for her role in “12 Years a Slave,” John Ridley won an Oscar for writing its adapted screenplay, and Steve McQueen, who is also black, was nominated as the film’s director, but lost to Alfonso Cuarón, who is Mexican. Last year’s best director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, is also Mexican.

Last year, however, along with Ms. DuVernay being left out, David Oyelowo was not nominated for his critically acclaimed role as Martin Luther King Jr. in “Selma.”

This year’s shutout of minority actors caused particular outrage among those who had believed Mr. Smith might be nominated, or perhaps Michael B. Jordan for his role in “Creed” or Idris Elba as a supporting actor for “Beasts of No Nation.” The director of “Creed,” Ryan Coogler, who is black, was also overlooked.

“Straight Outta Compton” faced a tougher climb in the acting categories, because its young cast was an ensemble, with no obvious leads. But the film has been nominated for a Screen Actors Guild ensemble award, and for a best film award from the Producers Guild of America.

“I think it’s completely ridiculous to bring in ethnicity to the evaluation of creative performances and filmmaking and acting,” said Kieth Merrilll, 75, who won an Oscar in 1974 for his documentary “The Great American Cowboy” and was nominated in 1998 for best documentary short. He also noted that he had an adopted black daughter and four black grandchildren. “We’re supposed to be evaluating talent in categories, and one of the categories is ‘What is their ethnicity?’ To make it one of the categories is ridiculous.”

The speed and breadth of the board’s Thursday night action surprised even some academy insiders, who at midweek were predicting no action until a regularly scheduled board meeting on Tuesday, and who were strongly playing down any steps to trim the voting rights of older members.

How the academy deals with the intricacies of “activity” in the film business may raise complex questions, said Mr. Weisman, the director. If, like Mr. Weisman, a director has had development deals that did not result in a film, will he be ruled inactive? Will writers who have generated scripts that were not bought, or made, likewise lose privileges? Might a cagey executive put a dormant publicist on low-cost retainer during Oscar season, protecting and perhaps influencing that member’s vote?

In its statement on Friday, the academy said those members who are moved to emeritus status because they have not met the new activity criteria would not pay dues, but would continue to enjoy the privileges of membership other than voting.

Cara Buckley contributed reporting from Park City, Utah; Rachel Donadio from Paris; and Lorne Manly and Melena Ryzik from New York.

12541: Lupita’s Oscar Loss.

From The Los Angeles Times…

Lupita Nyong’o’s $150,000 Oscar dress stolen; detectives investigating

By Joseph Serna

Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives are investigating the theft of what is believed to be the $150,000 pearl-adorned dress worn by actress Lupita Nyong’o to the Academy Awards on Sunday.

Sheriff’s officials received a call about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday that a dress estimated to be worth $150,000 was stolen from a room at the London West Hollywood hotel, said Lt. William Nash of the sheriff’s West Hollywood station.

TMZ reported the victim of the theft was Nyong’o and the dress was the one she wore to the Oscars. The dress was a white Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein gown decorated with 6,000 pearls.

Detectives were at the hotel Thursday morning investigating the theft, Nash said. He said the value of the dress is part of the investigation and no arrests have been made.

A call to Nyong’o’s representative was not immediately returned. The London West Hollywood hotel declined to comment. Detectives were reviewing security camera footage.

12527: Award-Winning Exclusivity.

Leave it to Grey London to produce an advert for The Sunday Times on the 100 Greatest Oscar Winners that perpetuates the culturally clueless exclusivity of the Academy Awards and the UK advertising industry.

12470: Vanity Fair-Skinned.

The 21st Annual Hollywood Issue of Vanity Fair reflects the 2015 Academy Awards in its predominately White casting, despite the inclusion of David Oyelowo.

12441: Rewarding Exclusivity.

As Hollywood and Madison Avenue head through their respective award seasons, it’s disturbing to see the similarities in regards to exclusivity. That is, White men drive both industries, and it shows in the work that is ultimately lauded as being the “best” in the business.

The 2015 Academy Awards have already received criticism for the nominees’ lack of diversity. Film Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs tried to coordinate damage control, yet her response seemed disturbingly clueless.

The Best Picture nominations underscore matters with an exclamation point. It’s no secret that the academy is roughly 94 percent White, overwhelming male and old. With the exception of Selma, the nominated films essentially depict White males overcoming physical and/or emotional obstacles. But that’s the result when the criteria for excellence—as well as the privileges of production—are viewed and established through a mono-cultural lens.

On the other hand, Madison Avenue appears completely oblivious to its dearth of diversity at award shows, despite past attempts to publicize the problem. Integrating White women into the jury processes is a recent smokescreen—or Caucasian flesh-toned BAND-AID®—that avoids the real root issue of White man dominance. In the end, the advertising award winners are as blatantly Caucasian and male in appeal as the 2015 Best Picture nominees.

If Selma hoped to win accolades, the creators should have taken the Italian approach for hyping 12 Years A Slave. That is, just as an Italian promoter created posters highlighting Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt for 12 Years A Slave, Selma could have presented itself as a Tom Wilkinson vehicle spotlighting the heroism of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The film’s chances of securing the Oscar would have significantly improved.

12408: Oscars President On Diversity.

From The Associated Press…

Academy president responds to lack of Oscars diversity

By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Responding for the first time to the firestorm of criticism over the lack of diversity in this year’s Oscar nominations, film academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs says the all-white acting slate inspires her to accelerate the academy’s push to be more inclusive. She also hopes the film industry as a whole will continue to strive for greater diversity.

The first black president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences spoke out Friday night in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press about the Oscar nominations and the widespread criticism that followed.

All 20 of this year’s acting contenders are white and there are no women in the directing or writing categories. After the nominations were announced Thursday morning, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite started trending on Twitter.

The Asian Pacific American Media Coalition issued a statement Friday saying the nominations balloting “obviously reflects a lack of diversity in Oscar voters as well as in films generally.”

Yet Boone Isaacs insisted the academy is “committed to seeking out diversity of voice and opinion” and that outreach to women and artists of color is a major focus.

“In the last two years, we’ve made greater strides than we ever have in the past toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization through admitting new members and more inclusive classes of members,” Boone Isaacs said. “And, personally, I would love to see and look forward to see a greater cultural diversity among all our nominees in all of our categories.”

A 2012 survey by the Los Angeles Times found the academy was 94 percent white, overwhelmingly male and with a median age of 62. A more recent survey determined the percentage of older white males had dropped by one point, the Times said. But with nearly 7,000 members and no requirement to retire, diversity is going to take some time.

Boone Isaacs declined to address whether she and the academy were embarrassed by the slate of white Oscar nominees, instead insisting that she’s proud of the nominees, all of whom deserved recognition.

She explained that while each branch comes up with its own criteria for excellence and each nominates its colleagues, all voting is individual and confidential.

For instance, only directors can suggest best director nominees and only actors can nominate actors. But the entire academy membership can submit suggestions for best picture.

“There is not one central body or group of people that sit around the table and come up with nominations,” she said. “It really is a peer-to-peer process.”

With all the accolades the civil rights drama “Selma” has received since its Christmas opening, some felt its failure to garner nominations for director Ava DuVernay or star David Oyelowo reflected a racial bias.

“What is important not to lose sight of is that ‘Selma,’ which is a fantastic motion picture, was nominated for best picture this year, and the best picture category is voted on by the entire membership of around 7,000 people,” Boone Isaacs said.

Besides best picture, the film received just one additional nod — for original song — in what was widely viewed as a significant snub. But fans shouldn’t feel that way, she said: “It’s nominated for the Oscar for best picture. It’s an award that showcases the talent of everyone involved in the production of the movie ‘Selma.’”

Boone Isaacs says the five best actor nominees — Bradley Cooper (“American Sniper”), Steve Carell (“Foxcatcher”), Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game”), Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) and Michael Keaton (“Birdman”) — “are all at the top of their game.”

“There are quite a few actors this year at the top of their game,” she said. “There are five nominees and this year, these were the five.”

Diversity outreach is spread among the academy’s 17 branches, she said, since existing members recruit new ones.

“This is a membership organization, so we are all involved in this discussion and moving the subject of diversity forward,” she said. “It’s very important for us to continue to make strides to increase our membership and the recognition of talent.”

In its Friday statement, the Asian Pacific coalition said the responsibility for diversity in film should be industry-wide.

“It behooves Hollywood — as an economic imperative, if not a moral one — to begin more closely reflecting the changing face of America,” the statement said.

Boone Isaacs agrees, saying that as the academy “continues to make strides toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization, we hope the film industry will also make strides toward becoming more diverse and inclusive.”

Though she repeatedly stressed the Oscars are a competitive process and that she’s proud of the year’s nominees, Boone Isaacs acknowledged that diversity needs to be mandatory in both story and storyteller.

“It matters that we pay attention to, again, the diversity of voice and opinion and experience, and that it doesn’t slide, it doesn’t slide anywhere except for forward,” she said. “And maybe this year is more just about let’s kick it in even more.”

12407: Oscars Snub Diversity.

From USA TODAY…

White, male field spurs Oscars diversity backlash

By Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY

One year ago, 12 Years A Slave triumphed as Oscars’ best picture — the first time the top prize went to a film directed by a black filmmaker, Steve McQueen.

It’s a stark contrast to Thursday’s 2015 Academy Awards nominations, which have come under fire for a glaring lack of diversity. Social media erupted after the slate revealed that the 20 contenders for lead and supporting actor and actress are all white for the first time since 1998.

“It was a total blow, it was like getting hit in the stomach,” says regional Fox network film critic Shawn Edwards, who runs the website ILoveBlackMovies.com. “It was like, ‘Here we go again.’”

Selma, centered around Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights struggle, received two nominations, for best picture and best song. The film’s Golden Globe-nominated director Ava DuVernay, who would have made history as the first female African-American director nominee, was notably shut out. So was her much-touted star David Oyelowo.

The director category is dominated by white men: Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game) and Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher), along with Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu (Birdman), who is a native Mexican. Angelina Jolie’s high-profile directing effort, for the epic Unbroken, went unnoticed. No women were nominated in the two screenwriting categories, including Gone Girl’s Gillian Flynn.

DuVernay took the setback in stride, tweeting a “Happy Birthday” to Dr. King and urging her team to “march on.” But the Twitter hashtag #OscarsSoWhite took flight and voices such as actor Patton Oswalt expressed disdain.

“SELMA? One of the best pics of the year. But the directing, script, all the acting, & cinematography? Meh,” Oswalt tweeted. “Nice song, though.”

Edwards says he “was not surprised to see a complete shutout” of people of color in the major acting categories. “The writing was on the wall. I was disappointed but not shocked.”

He considers last year’s awards race, which included diverse films such as Mandela and Captain Phillips, a “once-in-a-lifetime fluke, the likes of which we will probably never see again.” He cites the voting body of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, made up of members of the film industry, as the issue: A 2012 Los Angeles Times report found that Oscar voters were 94% white and 77% male.

“You have to want to go out of your way to recognize quality cinema outside of your main scope,” Edwards says. “It’s an issue of understanding.”

The Academy’s first African-American woman president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment, but told New York magazine’s Vulture blog that the organization doesn’t have a diversity problem “at all.” Last year, the academy inducted 271 new members, including 12 Years A Slave supporting-actress winner Lupita Nyong’o and comedian Chris Rock.

Still, coming off of last year’s nominations, which included a black best-director nominee and three acting nominees of color, “this year’s all-white lineup in the major categories seems like a bit of a step backward,” says Dave Karger, host of movie site Fandango.com’s awards show Frontrunners. “I don’t think anyone is saying that black filmmakers should be held to a different standard. But today’s nominations suggest that the academy should continue its efforts to bring more minority members into the fold.”

Pete Hammond, awards columnist for the industry website Deadline.com, addressed the outcry in a column titled “Oscar’s bumpy ride.” He blamed other factors, such as an overcrowded actors’ field, for any snubs.

“But people are talking about this,” he says. “And it’s significant that we are talking about this.”

There was a silver lining for Selma heading into the awards, which will be given out Feb. 22.

“It’s the first film directed by an African-American female to be nominated for best picture,” Karger says. “That’s a fantastic achievement.”

Contributing: Arienne Thompson and Brian Truitt