If Leo doesn't win for Revenant, he's destined never to win one. I think he's an excellent actor and I hope he gets the nod tonight.

Why would anyone want to watch such a vulgar display of self adulation. On top of that it's completely racist. Yes, and I'm white. The only thing it has to offer is Chris Rock, who I'm sure will be great.

I think to label the Oscars racist is perhaps unfair and perhaps jumping on the popular bandwagon and scapegoating. The Oscar is not one person or even a committee who decide which film or which actor receives an award. There are over six thousand voting members of the Academy and maybe I'm naive but I cannot believe that all or even majority of these good people are racist. The root cause goes back to producers and financiers of movies. It is difficult enough to get any movie financed but getting a producer to come on board a movie that is about anything non-white or where the main character is non-white is virtually impossible. It is these people we have to persuade that movies about ethnic subjects or with non-white characters in principal roles will and do make money. Some would say that there are movies out there with black actors and non-white storylines that did not get a nomination. With all due respect to people involved in those movies, are these movies in the same category as those that did receive a nomination? Does the list of nominations have a movie or actor that is there purely for its 'white' credentials? I for one don't think so. I am sure no one will want to see a movie or actor who is nominated for their 'black' credentials. When more and more movies are financed that tell stories about people/characters that are from diverse backgrounds we will see a more mixed awards ceremony.

You're right kaos, very well said. I think the subject was covered very well last night and hopefully as you said we'll see more mixed awarded in the future.

You are missing the point though, calling the Oscars racist because of those statistics is at best shortsighted

Do a panel of all the top jobs / committees, in any industry, in the US, and they are going to look like those statistics.

This is a reflection of the racial (and gender) biases at play in the US as whole, not in the Oscars. 

(this is a very well documented variant of "base rate fallacy" if you are into cognitive biases)

Do you imagine the forum on which you participate has a radically different profile apart from the age statistic (and, most likely, far fewer women)?

I watched all four hours plus of the Oscars last night and think they deserve credit for realising that things have to change.

Which is more than many institutions do.

(I must declare an interest as it is my business).

Guilty of what? Idk what y'all are reading but I am not the one who called the Oscars racist... All I did was lay out facts of the demographics of the voting committee. Everyone who is accusing me of calling them "racist" is making an assumption.