Ever since the nominations were announced for the 88th Annual Academy Awards on January 14, there has been much debate over the lack of minority nominees—primarily because there was a sizable amount of contenders from which to pick this year. The backlash has been swift, while many have been divided on the issue: actress Jada Pinkett-Smith and recent honorary Academy Award recipient Spike Lee both called for a boycott of this year’s ceremony (with Pinkett-Smith stating that she will neither attend nor watch, but sends her blessings to host Chris Rock); Snoop Dogg simply stated, “f*ck the Oscars,” while John Singleton, Whoopi Goldberg, George Clooney, Dustin Hoffman, Stacey Dash, and a host of others have chimed in with their stances on the controversy.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs (a Black woman) even issued a statement expressing her dismay over the lack of diversity and vowed to take a closer look at the Academy’s voting body, planning to take this into consideration when inviting its next class of newly-minted Oscar voters. While the debate is sure to rage on between now and the February 28th telecast, we’ve found nine ways that the Academy could have avoided this mayhem for yet the second consecutive year. #OscarsSoWhite
Michael B. Jordan in Creed (Best Actor)
Many were hopeful last year that Jordan would receive a nomination for his breakout turn on the big screen in Fruitvale Station. As he did in Fruitvale, Ryan Coogler directed him yet again in Creed, a performance that wowed both audiences and critics alike. He delivered an outstanding portrayal once more, and it would have been great to see the Academy recognize him.
The 88th Annual Academy Awards, hosted by Chris Rock, will air on Sunday, February 28, 2016 at 5:30pm PST/8:30pm EST on ABC.
