Illinois Entertainer February 2016 | Page 14

By Lori Vernon THE AWARDS SEASON Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool T he culmination of the 2016 Awards season takes place on February 28th with the presentation of the 88th Annual Academy Awards. The Oscars have not been without their controversies over the years, but this year has been particularly volatile with the obvious lack of diversity among nominees sparking a public backlash, including a call for boycotts from several high profile celebrities. For the second year in a row, all of the nominees in the acting categories are white. It’s not much better for women either. There are no females nominated in the directing category. Of the 17 writing nomi- nees, only four are women; none are minorities. Everyone seems to have an opinion about the fact that minorities and women are not equally represented by the Academy’s membership. In response to the