If It Ain’t Broke . . .

Just when you thought the Oscars were dead and buried until 1994, along comes The Times with its plans on how to fix the many things that are wrong with this annual exercise in the indulgence of egos. All of the solutions lack logic, and show how little insight this paper has about the film industry.

Take the idea of demanding that if a film is nominated for best picture, its director should be recognized too. Any woman who happened to direct a film would be excluded from two categories (instead of just the director category), as only one woman has been even nominated for best director. Is this progress? Besides, it would exclude someone who has truly directed fantastically, in a film that for some reason or another the academy deems unsuitable for best picture (“Blue Velvet,” “The Player”).

My solution? Just sit back and enjoy the show. Anyone who knows anything about movies knows that this award-fest lost its credibility years ago, and that the whole deal is pretty much a big joke.

MARY SHELTON

Riverside