Two separate polarizing debates attached themselves to the 87th Academy Awards long before the red carpets were unfurled. Are the dearth of African American nominees and the low count of Selma nods indicative of a colorblind selection process? Or of entrenched racism? Is American Sniper a chilling view of the personal costs of war? Or unadulterated propaganda? There’s a chance these pressure points will pop up during Sunday night’s broadcast from the Dolby Theatre. But will any potential 87th Academy Awards eruptions dislodge one of these ten historical moments of political theater as played out live on the Oscar stage?
