This week, the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Spike Lee would be among the recipients of its Honorary Awards (another one will go to Gena Rowlands). The decision prompts serious questions about the message the Academy is trying to send. Lee, after all, hasn't made a big studio project in years, and rarely gets along with Hollywood — yet one of the most influential institutions in town has decided to honor his career. Is the Academy trying to offer a mea culpa?

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