The Academy Voters Have Long Lacked Logic

By Allen Barra and Margaret Barra Feb 29, 2016 Is the "best picture" always the best picture? Not if history is any guide. And some observers will argue that a similar lack of logic is apparent in the shortage of minority representation in the major Oscar nominations. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Honoring Marion Dougherty, Who Made Movie Stars but Often Got No Credit

Allen Barra / Truthdig Feb 28, 2016 The casting director, who died in 2011, discovered or jump-started the careers of many of today's biggest Hollywood names, and she was known for placing African-Americans in parts intended for white actors. Yet her own name is missing from many of her most famous projects. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

To Make the Oscars More Diverse, Let’s Adopt Football’s Rooney Rule

Carrie Rickey / Truthdig Jan 30, 2016 Voluntary steps to include more people of color and women should be a priority throughout the entire Hollywood system of moviemaking, from studios’ executive ranks to casting. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

VIDEO: Oscar Nominee Mark Ruffalo Decries U.S.’ ‘White Privilege Racism’

Staff / Truthdig Jan 25, 2016 Backing calls for more diversity in Academy Awards nominations, Ruffalo last week joined other Hollywood figures in criticizing the overseers of the Oscars after no black actors were nominated for the second year straight. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Oscar Nominations Put On Yet Another Show of Whiteness

Kasia Anderson / Truthdig Jan 15, 2016 It's not as though there weren't plenty of options to mix up this year's lineup of Oscar nominees. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Golden Globes: A Contender for Best Comedy

Carrie Rickey / Truthdig Jan 12, 2016 The scandal-plagued awards show gets a nod for spotting groundbreakers, but the back-scratching nature of the ceremony makes it a little hard to swallow. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Our Anti-Immigrant Racism Is Rooted in History

Sonali Kolhatkar / Truthdig Feb 26, 2015 The political and cultural marginalization of immigrants, particularly those from Latin America, has a long and lurid background in the United States. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Hollywood Heroism: From ‘Citizenfour’ and ‘Selma’ to ‘American Sniper’

By Henry A. Giroux, Truthout Feb 23, 2015 Within the last few months, three films appeared that offer role models, however flawed, to young people while legitimating particular notions of civic courage, patriotism and a broader understanding of injustice. Dig deeper ( 15 Min. Read )

Calls for Social Justice Abound at the Oscars

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Feb 23, 2015 From “Citizenfour” director Laura Poitras' acceptance speech for the Best Documentary Oscar to host Neil Patrick Harris’ quip that the Oscars are for Hollywood’s “best and whitest,” political commentary and calls for social justice rang through last night’s 87th Annual Academy Awards ceremony. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

John Legend and Common’s Performance of ‘Glory’ Is a Special Moment at the Oscars

Natasha Hakimi Zapata / Truthdig Feb 23, 2015 With lyrics honoring Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and even the Ferguson protest movement, musicians John Legend and Common had many Academy Awards attendees in tears. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

In the New Gilded Age, Social Protest Dominates Academy Awards Ceremony

Juan Cole / Truthdig Feb 23, 2015 The committed artists honored at the 87th Academy Awards took advantage of their bully pulpits to make an amazing series of eloquent statements on behalf of minorities and the discriminated against. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

‘American Sniper’: American Hero or American Psycho?

Sonali Kolhatkar / Truthdig Jan 23, 2015 "American Sniper” exemplifies a sense of macho, white male braggadocio that is symbolic of all that is wrong with the right-wing, pro-war, pro-gun, bully culture of the United States. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )