So there
has been a lot of controversy over the last few weeks regarding this year’s
Academy Award Show and its lack of diversity in the nominees.
Nothing
new….
So this
year’s Academy Award Show will sadly have no actors or actresses of color
nominated in any of the acting, directing, or even picture categories.
Nothing
new…
There has
been an outcry by some actors and actresses to boycott this year’s award ceremony.
Nothing
new…
I am
thinking back to 1985 when The Color Purple was nominated for a slew of awards
and did not wing a single one that night. Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Avery, and
Oprah Winfrey all delivered exceptional performances and did not win a single
award that evening.
Flash to
1993 and Angela Bassett nominated for her spot on performance as rock legend
Tina Turner in What’s Love Got To Do With It? Bassett was considered the front-runner
especially since she had won The Golden Globe. Bassett Lost to Holly Hunter in
what one could argue was not a significant or as powerful for her role in The Piano.
Rewind to a
year earlier when Denzel Washington lost to Al Pacino in Scent of A Woman
instead of recognizing his performance in Malcolm X.
Nothing
new…
I am
extremely disappointed that the movie Straight Outta Compton was overlooked for
Best Picture this year. It definitely deserved a nomination. Having had the
privilege to attend the world premiere of the movie, I thought it was the best
movie I had seen all year and actually the last few years. The cultural and
historical impact this movie had on 2015 was huge and cannot be ignored. The
movie grossed over 200 million dollars at the box office. It was a global
success. The movie did for hip-hop what The Social Network and the Steve Jobs
movie did for technology and social media. It showed the cultural and
historical impact. So Straight Outta Compton definitely deserved a nomination.
I am
frustrated America, we are being overlooked.
Once
again…nothing new…
Having said
that, let’s focus on Jada Pinkett-Smith who made a video voicing her frustration
over the lack of nominations and that she would not be attending the award
show. I have respect for Jada, I have been a fan of hers since A Different
World. I am not sure however her not attending is going to make many waves with The Academy at this point.
Flash to a
few days later when actress Janet Hubert, the original Aunt Viv on The Fresh
Prince of Bel-Air made a video that has gone viral in which she basically calls Will and
Jada out. She basically says Jada is only boycotting because her husband Will
Smith did not receive a nomination for the movie Concussion. Hubert also throws
some shade at Smith’s performance saying he did not even deserve the Golden
Globe nomination because of “that accent”. I have to say maybe she should have kept that to herself, that makes her sound bitter.
While many have said that Ms. Hubert comes off bitter and
still reeking of animosity towards Will Smith due to the bad blood that they
have for the Fresh Prince drama (Hubert was fired from the show and she blames
Smith). I definitely feel like there was some bitterness from Hubert, but I
also agree with a lot of what she was saying. Hubert made some very valid
points.
1.
Asking
fellow actors and actresses to boycott is unfair and a career jeopardizing move. To be clear however, Jada never called upon other actors and actresses to boycott the show. However, actor/singer Tyrese and rapper 50 Cent did. My problem with that is that 50, Tyrese, and The Smith’s have made millions
of dollars and have a production company of their own. They are on the
Hollywood A-List and are among the “Hollywood Elite” so them not attending the
award show will not really hurt them because they have established themselves
already. However, asking up and coming ethnic actors and performers to not
attend is career suicide and while actor and singer Tyrese says that people
should not be afraid of jeopardizing their careers again its easier to say when
you are an established A-List actor.
2.
There
are bigger issues to worry about. With all that is
going on in Flint, Michigan, the economy, African-Americans being victims of
police brutality, the mass shootings, and poverty, how important is a
privileged actor not receiving a nomination in the grand scheme of all that is
going on in the world. Is this a big deal? Yes, absolutely. Should we address
it? Yes, absolutely, but in the grand scheme of things how important is this
compared to the other issues?
Whoopi Goldberg said on The View the other day, that she is
tired of this conversation. It needs to happen more than just once a year.
Instead of boycotting The Academy Awards, boycott the production companies that
are not featuring us, not making roles for us. Again, the best way to affect
someone through a boycott is to affect him or her financially. We need to be
having this conversation all year around. The question should be not “Why are
we not getting the nominations, but why are we not getting into the movies that
could earn us the nominations? It seems like we get made at Oscar time, the
show airs then its over and we move on, only to be angry again the following
year.
“You
can’t win for roles that are simply not there.” – Viola Davis, actress
Nothing new…
Inevitably, there will be people that disagree with what I
am saying and they will agree with Jada that is fine. I will be watching this
year’s awards. Tyrese and 50 Cent has asked Chris Rock to step down from
hosting this year’s show in solidarity of the lack of nominations. I disagree
with this because this is unprofessional. You are asking Chris Rock to
jeopardize his career and the future of other African-American hosts? Chris Rock
SHOULD host. The Academy is giving him plenty of ammunition. He is going to
address the elephant in the room, he is going to go in and go in hard. We need
that, let’s let him shake things up.
I do however disagree with comments made by actors Michael
Caine and Charlotte Rampling who called out the boycott. Rampling said that the
boycott was “Racist against whites” and Caine told African-Americans to be
patient. What?? Now Charlotte I need you to get your life with that and
speaking on something you know nothing about. Michael Caine asking us to be
patient is also disrespectful. It is easy to say when you have received several
nominations. Those comments are not helping either.
I agree that the conversation needs to happen, I agree that
changes need to be made, and however how that change occurs is where we start. There
has been some progress in the last few days. The Academy Awards president has
said that there will be changes and there will be a more diverse voting academy
but I caution to say, then what? You have to have movies to vote on? What good
will that do if there are not that many African-American movies made? You have to get the movies out there.
What are the other solutions? What are the other answers?
You can agree, you can disagree, let’s just have the
conversation so we can stop saying…
Nothing new…
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