Kenice Mobley

If watching the Oscars this year has taught me anything, it’s that it pays to be deliciously evil.

Moderat-ely menacing or just plain bad won’t do.

The two winners who everyone predicted, Javier Bardem and Daniel Day-Lewis, portrayed characters who play with the line of sanity and captivate audiences from the moment they appear onscreen.

Past Oscars confirm a trend toward the deranged, notably Charlize Theron in “Monster,” Denzel Washington in “Training Day” and Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland.”

Other trends come to light after several viewings of the Academy Awards over time.

Drama wins over comedy. Comedies may be nominated, but rarely get best picture or acting awards.

People also can expect not to see science fiction or action films winning Oscars in the major categories.

If the last two years are any indication, it also helps not to be too popular.

Four out of five of this year’s nominees for best picture were not released in most theaters nationwide.

This year, European birth also seemed to be beneficial. All the awards for acting were presented to English, Irish, French or Spanish actors.

Above all, it doesn’t hurt to have exorbitant amounts of money. In the major categories, only one film, “Once,” was produced for less than $10 million, and it only won best song.

While large sums of money can help producers get the best talent or polish the overall look, the lack of it seems to limit access to this form of approbrium.

As a result, more independent, urban, and honest pieces are often left out of awards nominations.

In addition to being expensive to create, films nominated by the academy are typically aimed toward a more educated, affluent audience.

Recent conversations with classmates suggest that the show is out of touch with the general American public.

And it seems that biases within the awards reflect industry-wide trends.

While film production necessitates certain amounts of capital, do films, regardless of quality, need to be expensive to gain recognition or popularity?

Even with all the flaws in the Academy Awards (and the industry as a whole), the show is still watched by millions of people around the world and occasionally expresses a progressive ideology.

While much of the country was embroiled in a debate over a Constitutional amendment to ban homosexual unions, the Academy recognized a film with a homosexual love story.

“Brokeback Mountain” focuses on two cowboys who form a delicate relationship that spans decades.

In many ways, the Oscars awards have improved in the last decade, awarding prizes to a greater variety of artists.

I hope inclusion is a trend that will become more prevalent in future Academy Awards ceremonies.