THB #12: How Can The Academy Save Itself?

I could not be less happy to say it, but yes, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences is at a crossroads and could well become a minor, marginalized institution by the time my 11-year-old graduates college.

The problem is not diversity, accomplished or sought. The problem is not streaming. The problem is not the quality of the Oscar show. The problem is not money.

The problem, dare I say it, is not Dawn Hudson. She is, however, the embodiment of the problem. She has taken every interesting idea within The Academy and found a way to do it the wrong way. She has build consensus… only consensus that already agrees with her. She has promoted inclusivity… but only inclusivity that empowers her. She led the building of what is surely one of, if not the most, expensive museum(s) in history measured against square feet of exhibition space open to the paid public visitors and not a thing in it feels permanent or of major importance to the arts.

But she hasn’t been the problem that created…