Hollywood’s memo to the Academy’s Directors Branch: “Argo F— Yourselves”

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how badly Ben Affleck got screwed when the Directors Branch of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts & Sciences failed to nominate him for an Oscar.

What we are witnessing now is a movement sweeping across Hollywood to rally around Affleck’s snub and to let the world know it wasn’t fair.

First came the Golden Globes that awarded Affleck’s superb directorial efforts for Argo and then, in a move that definitely surprised me, gave Argo its top prize for a movie drama. But I chalked that up to the idiosyncracies of the Golden Globes which just wanted to see glamor boys Affleck and George Clooney share a stage.

But then last night the Producers Guild, in a major shocker, named Argo best picture of the year, and tonight, in another upset, the Screen Actors Guild effectively named Argo best picture by awarding it the ensemble cast award.

Now Argo has suddenly replaced Lincoln as the favorite to win the best picture Oscar. Although I do think Oscar voters wanted to coalesce around a film other than Lincoln, a movie everyone respected but no one really loved, but (and I have no way to prove this) I would argue that alternative wouldn’t have been Argo if the Academy’s Director Branch had given Affleck the recognition he so justly earned and deserved.

Every once in a while, justice is served.