Let’s talk about the nomination process. How does an Oscar nominee become a nominee?

The early stages of an Oscar campaign start with special screenings for Academy members. Studios ply the voters with food and drink, then provide Q & A sessions with the picture’s director or an actor in an effort to create the aura of an Oscar-worthy performance.

For most Academy members, the single biggest perk of Academy membership is the DVD screeners. Each voting member receives upwards of 90…

Imagine you went to bed the evening of January 13, 2016 feeling smug in the knowledge that you are a member of a venerated organization that hosts an annual awards show watched by 45 to 55 million people.

Now imagine that when you wake up the next morning, your organization has been exposed as an exclusionary, old white people’s club. You are one of the 6261 members of the 94 percent white, 77 percent male, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Each semester I give my undergrad communication law students a writing prompt about the burden of proof. I explain the concept of a preponderance of the evidence then ask them to develop analogies to show that something is greater than something else.

Here are some of the most entertaining of the responses:

•  “Like rain boots on a sunny day, their evidence is irrelevant.”

•  “The evidence he has presented is like a hippo on a tight rope. It is fun…