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Oscar Fluff: Unjust honor

A person paying to get what they want is not a new concept, and the Oscars are no different. The glitz and glamour of the Academy Awards commences far before the actual show, even before the nominees are announced. The actors and actresses of potential Oscar-worthy performances hit the “campaign trail,” appearing on talk shows and making several public appearances at film festivals, among other things.

Perhaps they are hoping to influence voters or, at the very least, garner awareness about their respective films with the hopes of subconsciously swaying the public at large. It’s not only the Academy that matters, it’s the media that writes the predictions and expresses anger over the snubs. It’s the moviegoers, the bloggers and just about anyone with an interest in film.

Winning is a prestigious honor, considering many people rely on the Oscars to ultimately decide which movies they are going to watch or buy that year. It’s also about their net worth, even though there is a gender gap (what else is new). Best Actress winners earn about $500,000 more after a win, and Best Actor winners can ask for as much as a $4 million increase in pay.

This fact isn’t even significant when you consider that more than $10 million can be invested to influence academy voters on behalf of the Best Picture nominees alone.

This year, there seems to be even more lavish parties, because there is no clear front-runner across many of the categories. You got to fake it to make it. Spend that dough to win the show, and Best Picture nominees have been doing this for years.

It’s no surprise Leonardo DiCaprio is willing to fight for his first Oscar win, but he has gone above and beyond his usual press-shy demeanor, meeting the Pope and showcasing his environmental activism.

It’s still up for debate if someone can buy an award the same way businesses gain customers through marketing and advertising efforts. Whether or not it’s true, it’s certainly not going to stop them from trying. Even actors and actresses busy with filming for other flicks make the time to campaign and make rounds.

It truly is a shame. As Spielberg once said, it becomes an issue of the power of persuasion, rather than the power of the story, which is not representative of highbrow film critics’ values. Money already encroaches into all other aspects of society; let’s keep it out of this beautiful art.

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