1.  You get an Oscar!  You get an Oscar!  Everybody gets an Oscar!

Apparently, the latest kerfluffle to come out of Hollywood is the slate of actors, actresses, and directors nominated for an Academy Award.  Somehow, the slate came out more of a beige color this year, which seems to be relatively rare, and that has caused a lot of sad pandas.  Apparently, the actor who played Martin Luther King, Jr., in “Selma” wasn’t nominated for best actor, nor was the director of that movie, who is a carrier of the double X chromosome pair with recent ancestors from Africa.  However, it should be noted that “Selma” was nominated for both best picture and for a music award.

Now, I don’t think I’m saying anything too controversial when I state that there are many supremely talented artists in the entertainment industry whose ancestors did not primarily come from Europe.  Whether they act, write, direct, compose, or whatever, they are out there.  It just seems that, this year, the people who vote for who gets nominated and who wins didn’t feel that they made the cut.  I guess the successful artists in Hollywood who feel they were snubbed will just have to go home and wipe away their tears with $100 bills.

For the rest of y’all who seem miffed that the Academy couldn’t find someone who isn’t as white as the driven snow to nominate, here’s my suggestion:   Quit supporting the industry until they start doing things the way you want them done.  Quit buying tickets to the shows.  Quit renting or streaming the movies and soundtracks.  Quit giving the industry money if you don’t like the way the industry is treating actors who aren’t alabaster.  Once the pocketbook starts to hurt, they’ll do it your way.  If you complain about this kind of thing for a week or so, then go to see the latest reboot of Spiderthingie or “Fast and Furious XIII:  If You Can’t Find It, Grind It!”, you’re just wasting precious electrons.

2.  Charlie Hebdo and the Rosary Factory

It would appear that Pope Francis is a supporter of free expression, but also believes that the bar for limiting that speech is pretty low.  You see, the Pontiff says that society should limit speech that would “provoke” others, or “insult” their faith.  What I get from the Pope’s remarks is that the limit of speech should be where it makes others feel icky, or maybe even causes them to take a look at their beliefs and see if criticism of it is valid.  Francis went on to explain that if his assistant insulted his mother, he would hit him, so I guess the answer to speech that insults someone is violence.  So much for turning the other cheek.

Here’s my suggestion to the Holy Father:  Take your opinion, fold it a few times, and shove it.  Yes, the pictures of Mohammed, the Pope, Jews, and whoever else Charlie Hebdo put on its cover and in its pages tended to be boorish, rude, and disrespectful, but I think that was kind of the point.  I’ve seen them, I don’t care for them, and I certainly won’t be paying any money to own them.  But to suggest that we should limit even the most obnoxious political, satirical, or social commentary is beyond the pale.  Here’s an idea:  why don’t you and the head of the Catholic League take a break, go read the United States Constitution, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man, and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, then come back and explain why your reaction to this is basically to say that a person should watch who they criticize, or they just might wake up with a bullet in their head, which I guess is more modern than burning at the stake.

3.   Good For Them

Papa John’s Pizza has announced that the company will not be firing a delivery driver who used a firearm to protect her life when she was robbed during a pizza delivery.  Instead, the woman is going to be reassigned to a position in the restaurant and offered counseling.  The company has a policy against carrying a firearm on the job, and she was at risk of termination for defending her life with an effective tool.  My suggestion on this one is that we all send a note to Papa John’s praising them for this action, and to consider giving them a little business the next time we order pizza.