The Internet is full of interesting things to read outside of The A.V. Club—no, really! In our periodic Read This posts, we point you toward interesting or noteworthy pieces that caught our eye.
More people in the entertainment industry die each year than can be squeezed into the three minutes or so at the Academy Awards that are supposed to tell the public exactly who mattered. Yesterday’s New York Times included a fascinating report on the decision-making process, which boils down to a secret committee of the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences and lots of attempted lobbying.
The piece examines some of the particular choices the anonymous committee has made, including 2009’s inclusion of Maila Nurmi (Plan Nine From Outer Space) while excluding Eartha Kitt. It also gets in some horserace coverage of who might make it into this year’s reel, from Nora Ephron to Tony Scott.