The Academy’s mission statement states that their goal is to “recognize excellence in the recording arts and sciences,” yet they don’t define what “excellence” is. Is it commercial success or critical acclaim?

In a recent issue of The New York Times, columnist David Brooks wonders whether people would willingly accept what he calls “the Sandra Bullock trade”—that is, winning an Academy Award one minute, discovering that your husband is “an adulterous jerk” the next.