Is the Oscars fair?
From the voting system's perspective, it's pretty fair!
Every judge gets a vote, and the data is handled by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The selection process mirrors a presidential election, using a preferential voting system. There's no room for rigging in any of these steps.
But does that mean the Academy, which runs the Oscars, has zero influence over the results?
Of course not.
The Academy has to make sure the Oscars reflect American values and serve as a cultural export!
When war breaks out, tons of entertainment awards like the Golden Globes keep chugging along without a hitch. But the Oscars? No way. Even now, the organizing committee still hasn't confirmed whether this year's ceremony will go ahead as planned.
Why? Because political correctness is the Academy's top priority!
Take the previous lifetime, for example. At this year's Oscars, Best Actress went to Halle Berry, and Best Actor went to Denzel Washington.
Why? Simple—they're both Black!
During a tense time of national conflict, handing out awards like that fits the big-picture goals of racial equality and harmony. It's all about aligning with the wartime theme of uniting the public.
So here's the question: Did Halle Berry and Denzel Washington really deserve those Best Actress and Best Actor awards based on their performances?
Halle Berry didn't win at the equally prestigious British Oscars or the Golden Globes.
Her Oscar win was the "expected" upset of the night!
And Denzel Washington? Even more laughable. Training Day is a crime-action flick—a straight-up commercial movie!
In Oscar history, no action star has ever snagged Best Actor.
Not even big names like Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, or Will Smith could pull it off.
Compare that to the Golden Globes, which aren't swayed by politics—tonight, Best Actor in a Drama went to Russell Crowe for A Beautiful Mind, and Best Actress in a Drama went to Sissy Spacek for In the Bedroom.
Halle Berry and Denzel Washington? They'd be lucky to even get nominated there—they didn't stand a chance of winning.
So it's obvious: their Oscar wins had the Academy's fingerprints all over them!
But the Oscar voting system is airtight—anonymous ballots, stats managed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, no loopholes to exploit.
So how does the Academy control the Oscars?
The answer's staring us in the face: they control the judges through influence!
Right now, there are over 3,500 Oscar voters.
More than 80% are American filmmakers, and over 45% are retired "old-timers."
With so many movies submitted for the Oscars each year, most of these judges—pushing seventy or eighty—barely have the energy to eat, let alone watch films.
And all that in just two or three months?
Even if every movie was a timeless classic like The Godfather or Schindler's List, they couldn't keep up.
Watching them all would probably kill them!
Ironically, this group is the backbone of the voting pool!
A lot of foreign voters and active actors are too busy with work and don't need Academy connections to get by. Most of them don't vote or only toss a vote at a few well-known projects.
But these "old-timers"? They've been left behind by the industry, with no direct sway in Hollywood anymore. To stay relevant, they lean on the Academy.
It's a natural alliance—two groups with shared interests, united at least when it matters most!
In this wartime atmosphere, they're teaming up with the Academy to crown two Black winners as Best Actress and Best Actor.
Kirk Douglas fits into this mess too.
His clout in Hollywood runs deep—master filmmaker Kubrick was his protégé, Francis Coppola worked under him, and a ton of those "old-timers" were his subordinates. His influence is massive.
He can even meddle with the Golden Globes, making sure Natalie doesn't snag a single nomination.
A Beautiful Mind is too iconic, with too much buzz.
Messing with that film would spark a public uproar, so they can't touch it.
But taking down Natalie Portman? That's different. Juno was already divisive, and this year's actress lineup is stacked—competition's fierce.
Suddenly, Dunn's confidence wavers.
With Unsinkable as last year's global box office champ, he'd smoothly unlocked the "Steal the Heavens, Swap the Prize" skill through the Sunglasses System. It's a rare treat—once a year max, insanely powerful, letting him swipe an Oscar win without anyone noticing!
With that skill in his pocket, Dunn had been brimming with confidence, even ready to take on Kirk Douglas. If that old geezer pulled any dirty tricks, Dunn would activate the skill and snatch Best Actress for Natalie!
Racial unity? Political correctness? Playing to the wartime tune? Screw all that!
To Dunn, none of it mattered more than Natalie.
But now, things are tricky. Kirk Douglas has serious pull!
He's managed to keep Natalie from even getting nominated!
That's awkward as hell!
If Natalie doesn't even make the shortlist, imagine the Oscars night—cameras panning to the five Best Actress nominees in the audience, and the presenter calls out "Natalie Portman." That'd be a disaster!
It'd shred the Oscars' credibility and turn Hollywood into a global laughingstock.
A full-blown scandal!
And Natalie would take the heat.
So now, Dunn has to secure an Oscar Best Actress nomination for Natalie!
Otherwise, it's all over.
The Golden Globes ceremony drags on, covering both film and TV awards.
Dunn uses the time to think hard.
"Hey! What's on your mind? You haven't congratulated me yet!" Nicole Kidman beams, glowing with excitement, waving her pale hand in front of him.
Dunn cracks a small smile. "Congrats! Best Supporting Actress—not bad. Told you, going for Supporting Actress instead of Lead would boost your odds!"
Nicole Kidman stars in A Beautiful Mind, but her screen time's limited. By runtime rules, entering as Supporting Actress made sense.
"Even for the Oscars?"
She's already nabbed a Golden Globe Best Actress before—this Supporting Actress win doesn't impress her much. She's got her eyes on the Oscars.
Dunn leans in, whispering, "I've got a hunch—this year's Oscars are in the bag!"
A Beautiful Mind is a masterpiece, with standout performances from Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman. But politics means Russell won't defend his Best Actor title. As a consolation, the Academy's almost guaranteed to hand Supporting Actress to Nicole—no question!
"Thanks." Nicole's in a good mood, then teases Dunn. "What about you? Best Director's coming up soon—think you'll win?"
Dunn snorts. "What do you think? Nat can't even get nominated—me, win? Hmph! If I wasn't worried about the PR fallout, I'd bet I wouldn't even get a nod!"
Nicole bites her lip, lowering her voice. "Film awards… they're all the same worldwide. Our Australian awards, even Europe's big three—they're all rigged behind the scenes. It's just about who's got the most juice."
"You think Kirk Douglas has more juice than me?" Dunn shoots her a sideways glance.
Nicole isn't fazed, rolling her eyes. "So far, yeah. At least this awards season, you're not beating him. Even Nat's getting dragged down because of you—what's your excuse?"
"Hmph! We'll see about that!"
Dunn's face darkens, frustration simmering.
Nicole's perfect brows furrow slightly. "Watch yourself—cameras are rolling."
Dunn's expression doesn't budge. After a pause, he mutters, "Nicole, what if…"
He trails off.
"Huh? What?"
Dunn hesitates, then slowly says, "What if I just burn bridges with the Golden Globes for good?"
"What?!"
Nicole gasps, nearly shrieking!
She knows Dunn too well—this guy's capable of anything.
Cutting ties with the Golden Globes? For anyone else, it's unthinkable.
For Dunn? Totally plausible!
"Dunn, you… don't do anything crazy, okay?!"
Nicole panics, losing her cool.
Right now, she misses Natalie—when Dunn's about to blow up like this, only she can rein him in.
Dunn's face hardens, lips purpling as he grits his teeth. "Depends on the Golden Globes' results. I'm giving them one last chance!"
Nicole's stunning face pales, words tumbling out in a mess. "Dunn, you… you've gotta calm down! Best Director's a tough race—Spielberg's in it too. Even if you don't win, it's… it's fine!"
"Best Director? I never counted on that!"
"Then what're you talking about?"
"I mean Best Screenplay!"