Harvey Weinstein has been notorious for buying lavish gifts to Academy members for years.
I don't have a news article to back this up, but while at Miramax, Weinstein managed to get his companies movies over 120 Oscar nominations, and they would secure nearly 70 Oscar wins.
Weinstein most of the time delivered, and I don't think that he only did it out of the kindness of his heart.
It may not seem like much proof, but was "Shakespeare in Love" that much better than "Saving Private Ryan", or "Life is Beautiful"?