Hollywood last night honoured three black actors with Oscars, including its first ever award of Best Actress to a black performer. Halle Berry, the recipient, said now "the door has been opened" for many black people in the movie industry whose job currently consists of holding doors open for their wealthy white employers.

John Blank-Christian, of the organising committee, was similarly delighted. "People will look back on the 74th Academy Awards and see it was a time when black performers were finally recognised," he said, "and we won't have to acknowledge their existence again until 2016. With luck, it will also distract from the fact that there are no black executives in meaningful decision-making positions. We certainly wouldn't want to be promoting them there, too."