All About the Oscars

Patrick Goldstein’s The Big Picture column “Just in Case, Steven: Here’s an Award-Winning Plan (Feb. 6) has confirmed what I’ve always known about the Academy Awards: They’re nothing more than a popularity contest (where only the insiders get to vote).

Year after year, one movie wins six, seven, eight or more awards while other wonderful films go unrecognized. Are we to believe that each year a single film was really the very best in so many categories? Absurd.

Now I learn that Oscar hopefuls are expected to mount a PR campaign in support of their nominations. It’s not merely a farce, it’s a corrupt farce. Why would anybody pay attention to such a ridiculous spectacle?

DAVID SALAHI

Laguna Niguel

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Re Richard Natale’s “It’s Pruning Season for the Oscar Field” (Feb. 6):

Didn’t I just read the same Oscar handicapping article about a week ago? Yes, I’m sure that this stuff is important to a lot of people, but does anybody really care at this point? We are inundated with so many critic’s Top 10 lists and award shows each year that Natale’s “analysis” is empty and redundant.

How many academy voters walked away from “Gladiator” unimpressed but will now give it a best picture nomination because they’ve been told it’s a “sure bet” over and over again and wouldn’t want to be left out? Some probably have never even seen it. Obviously,

the only way to have a meaningful Academy Awards would be to lock the voting members in a room for the year and force them to watch every eligible movie and have them make their own decisions without the benefit of trade ads or critics’ lists.

As for me, I’ll be watching the show as a fan of Steve Martin. I will continue to spend my money on films that appear to have original stories or performances that pique my interest as opposed to nominated ones that have buzz.

LEONARD BRADDOCK

Los Angeles