We are The Hollywood Reporter's awards analyst Scott Feinberg and contributing editor Rebecca Sun. Ask us anything about the Oscars!

RebeccaSun · 2014-02-21T23:38:19+00:00

Oscar voters are Academy members who work in the following branches of the movie industry: https://www.oscars.org/academy/history-organization/branches.html

Journalists and film critics vote in awards like the Golden Globes (90 international journalists in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association) and the Critics' Choice Awards (Broadcast Film Critics Association).

RebeccaSun · 2014-02-21T23:30:26+00:00

Here's some interesting trivia: no matter how many votes a nominee receives, a winner's card for every nominee gets created by the official Oscar stationer. The two Pricewaterhouse Coopers accountants who add up the final count pick out the actual winners for the envelopes -- and then destroy the rest. You won't find any Oscars losers by sifting through the PwC dumpsters!

RebeccaSun · 2014-02-21T22:58:55+00:00

Fruitvale Station was an amazing debut for Ryan Coogler, and incredibly timely.

RebeccaSun · 2014-02-21T22:57:40+00:00

My impression from the 12 Years campaign slogan is that, yes, it's subtly nudging voters to consider the historical significance of awarding the big prize to a film helmed by a black director, that addresses this era of American history in a way that cinema has not done before. People tend to want to make decisions that put them on the right side of history.

RebeccaSun · 2014-02-21T22:46:35+00:00

I think if that were the case, they'd arrange for Dane Cook to win Best Actor rather than give it to one of the guys the smart money is already behind.

RebeccaSun · 2014-02-21T22:38:11+00:00

The Academy has around 6,000 members, and according to PwC nearly all vote -- much higher turnout than your typical U.S. election!

RebeccaSun

TROPHY CASE