Mick LaSalle: Are Oscar voters racially biased?

Are Oscar voters racially biased?

Or is it that the producers don’t know how to market the movie, so it goes straight to DVD?

Dear Jo: “At Middleton” is a romance between middle-aged people.

Romances don’t sell, and middle-aged people don’t sell.

Basically, the audience for that movie doesn’t really go to the movies.

The real shame is that the audience for “At Middleton” doesn’t know the movie exists.

[...] let’s look at this century: 12 percent of the best actor nominees — and 20 percent of the winners — have been African American.

Only 5 percent of the best actress nominees have been African American, and there has been only one winner (Halle Berry).

[...] does the academy have a bias against black women? I don’t think so.

In any given year (counting co-starring roles in which two or more parts are equal), women star in only about 12 or 13 percent of the movies that get made.

Of those eight, how many star a black actress?

Basically we’re talking about women not getting a chance to make movies that could even be Oscar nominated.

Of all the actors you have met, who is most unlike the parts they play onscreen?

Include your name and city for publication, and a phone number for verification.

Letters may be edited for clarity and length.