quote:
Originally posted by Animalman:
In 1962, George C. Scott refused to even be nominated for an Academy award, stating that he was in no competition with anyone, and that he thought the entire thing was a joke. He was nominated anyway, for the Hustler, and twice more before he died('71 and '72). In 1971 he won, for Patton, and refused to accept his Oscar.

Marlon Brando refused to accept his Oscar in 1973 for the Godfather, and made a mockery of the entire ceremony by sending an actress pretending to be a Native American women to accept his award and then blast the Academy Awards for not nominating more Native Americans. He was nominated twice again after that.

Stanley Kubrick repeatedly said he didn't give a shit about the Academy Awards, and was nominated more than a dozen times.

Michael Moore won last year, despite being an incredible ass, and was promptly booed off the stage when he demonstrated why.
And yet, a lot of these guys were still very popular when they won. Brando, Kubrick, and Scott are very well known and idolized actors. Their popularities run past their own personal agendas and politics. They each have a cult status surrounding them. That's what gives them votes.

I've actually met people who are Academy voters. They admit that they are usually too damn busy to see half the films that have been nominated. They mark the names of the people who they recognize the most or like without even seeing the films and turn them in.

Polanski was given his Oscar mostly based on the fact that his name is recognizable and not on the finished film itself. His popularity outweighed the artistic merit of his movie.

The fact that the girl forgave him (which is one thing that many shrinks try and get their clients to do) does not excuse Polanski from the fact that he admited his guilt and then fled to keep from having to serve jail time.