ENVELOPE

A group of 25 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members of Asian descent have sent a letter to academy leaders objecting to jokes mocking Asians during February's Oscar show.

"We are writing ...

When comedian Chris Rock took to the Dolby Theatre stage to start the Oscars telecast Sunday night, the track “Fight the Power” by rap group Public Enemy played in the background. That same song, used by Spike Lee to cap his seminal film “Do the Right Thing,” also played at the end of the show as the credits rolled.

This time last year, few people would have looked at "Spotlight," the movie that just won this year's Oscar for best picture and predicted, "That is a film the academy is just going to love!"

Meanwhile, "The Big Short," the Producers Guild picture winner, wasn't even on the 2015 schedule at this point last year.

"Spotlight" won the best picture Oscar on Sunday, rewarded for its overall craft and quality, yes, but also for the way it became part of the conversation (and prodded the discussion) about the ongoing investigation into the Catholic clergy's sexual abuse of children and how the church had suppressed the scandal.

Where do you find a headliner who can draw a crowd and command an audience’s attention on a night when seemingly every star in the galaxy is in Hollywood for the Academy Awards ceremony?

If you’re Elton John, you look no further than your bathroom mirror.