BLACKOUT - OSCARS OUTRAGE: 2016 Oscar nominations lack diversity, causes boycott (FULL LIST OF NOMINEES)
buzzz worthy. . .
By Mona Austin
The Academy Awards is no stranger to controversy over its lack of racial diversity. Last year the sparse number of Blacks among Oscar nominees sparked protest and a social media firestorm, spawning the hashtag #oscarssowhite. This year the absence of color is worse. The over 5,000 member voting body (which is 95% White and 77% male)selected the palest Oscar list of nominees list in the last nearly three decades of cinema, recognizing no people of color in the major categories, despite the slate of critically acclaimed films featuring Blacks.
Backlash over the white dominated awards has mounted since the nominees were announced in 24 categories in Hollywood Thursday morning by Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Guillermo del Toro, John Krasinski and Ang Lee. Boone Isaacs, the first African American President of the Academy who has held the position for the last 3 years, said she is addressing the issue with a longer term solution for inclusion. But the out spoken host of the Oscars, Comedian Chris Rock will likely not spare any venom and address the problem head on during the telecast.
Apparently, members of the Academy did not respect the work of their African American peers as much as the Hollywood Foreign Press did at the Golden Globes. Golden Globe nominees Idris Elba ("Beast of No Nation") and Will Smith ("Concussion") were overlooked for the Oscar. Michael B. Jordan ("Creed") did not garner a nod for his leading role. Not one of the talented Black actors from "Straight Outta Compton" (SOC) or its talented Black director picked up a nomination. The African American Film Critics Association named SOC the Best Film of the Year, yet it gets no love whatsoever from The Oscars.
Last year, "Selma" was the only Black film in the running, having been nominated twice and winning the golden statue for Best Song ("Glory"). "The Butler" was shunned altogether. Blacks rely on their own award shows such as the NAACP Image Awards to get credit for their contribution in entertainment. Regardless of the quality of the talent and work Blacks produce, getting fair recognition consistently is a by product of the struggle for equality throughout the film industry. This on-going problem is why Blacks have only had Oscar moments, but will never be considered dominant in the field of acting.
On MLK Day actress Jada Pinkett Smith called for a boycott of the Oscars saying, "Begging for acknowledgment diminishes dignity and power. And we are a dignified people." Director Spike Lee tweeted his support of the boycott; however, the original "Aunt Viv" (former star of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air" posted her heated disagreement with the boycott, saying Pinkett Smith's interest were self serving since her husband Will Smith was not nominated and the suggestion that Black Hollywood turn their backs on Hollywood could make getting work more difficult for other Black actors.
Meanwhile, "The Revenant" starring Leonardo Di Caprio was the most nominated film of 2015 with 12 nods. Di Caprio joins Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender and Eddie Redmayne in the Best Male Actor field.
Two hopeful films that had huge impact on past American Pop culture were nominated. "Straight Out of Compton," a film that re-raised the nation's consciousness about socially impacting Hip Hop, made the cut for Best Original Screenplay. Sylvester Stallone, who recently won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, was nominated again for his role in "Creed."
At 25, Jennifer Lawrence, the lead actress in "Joy" became the youngest actress to be nominated for 4 awards simultaneously. Cate Blanchett, Brie Larson, Charlotte Rampling, and Saoirse Ronan join Lawrence as nominees in the Best Actress category. Larson said on Good Morning America it was especially honorable to be recognized by her peers since she was home schooled.
The 88th Academy Awards® will air Sunday, February 28, live on ABC.
By Mona Austin
The Academy Awards is no stranger to controversy over its lack of racial diversity. Last year the sparse number of Blacks among Oscar nominees sparked protest and a social media firestorm, spawning the hashtag #oscarssowhite. This year the absence of color is worse. The over 5,000 member voting body (which is 95% White and 77% male)selected the palest Oscar list of nominees list in the last nearly three decades of cinema, recognizing no people of color in the major categories, despite the slate of critically acclaimed films featuring Blacks.
Backlash over the white dominated awards has mounted since the nominees were announced in 24 categories in Hollywood Thursday morning by Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Guillermo del Toro, John Krasinski and Ang Lee. Boone Isaacs, the first African American President of the Academy who has held the position for the last 3 years, said she is addressing the issue with a longer term solution for inclusion. But the out spoken host of the Oscars, Comedian Chris Rock will likely not spare any venom and address the problem head on during the telecast.
Apparently, members of the Academy did not respect the work of their African American peers as much as the Hollywood Foreign Press did at the Golden Globes. Golden Globe nominees Idris Elba ("Beast of No Nation") and Will Smith ("Concussion") were overlooked for the Oscar. Michael B. Jordan ("Creed") did not garner a nod for his leading role. Not one of the talented Black actors from "Straight Outta Compton" (SOC) or its talented Black director picked up a nomination. The African American Film Critics Association named SOC the Best Film of the Year, yet it gets no love whatsoever from The Oscars.
Last year, "Selma" was the only Black film in the running, having been nominated twice and winning the golden statue for Best Song ("Glory"). "The Butler" was shunned altogether. Blacks rely on their own award shows such as the NAACP Image Awards to get credit for their contribution in entertainment. Regardless of the quality of the talent and work Blacks produce, getting fair recognition consistently is a by product of the struggle for equality throughout the film industry. This on-going problem is why Blacks have only had Oscar moments, but will never be considered dominant in the field of acting.
On MLK Day actress Jada Pinkett Smith called for a boycott of the Oscars saying, "Begging for acknowledgment diminishes dignity and power. And we are a dignified people." Director Spike Lee tweeted his support of the boycott; however, the original "Aunt Viv" (former star of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air" posted her heated disagreement with the boycott, saying Pinkett Smith's interest were self serving since her husband Will Smith was not nominated and the suggestion that Black Hollywood turn their backs on Hollywood could make getting work more difficult for other Black actors.
Meanwhile, "The Revenant" starring Leonardo Di Caprio was the most nominated film of 2015 with 12 nods. Di Caprio joins Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender and Eddie Redmayne in the Best Male Actor field.
Two hopeful films that had huge impact on past American Pop culture were nominated. "Straight Out of Compton," a film that re-raised the nation's consciousness about socially impacting Hip Hop, made the cut for Best Original Screenplay. Sylvester Stallone, who recently won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, was nominated again for his role in "Creed."
At 25, Jennifer Lawrence, the lead actress in "Joy" became the youngest actress to be nominated for 4 awards simultaneously. Cate Blanchett, Brie Larson, Charlotte Rampling, and Saoirse Ronan join Lawrence as nominees in the Best Actress category. Larson said on Good Morning America it was especially honorable to be recognized by her peers since she was home schooled.
The 88th Academy Awards® will air Sunday, February 28, live on ABC.
Full list of 2016 Academy Awards Nominees
BEST PICTURE
- The Big Short
- Bridge of Spies
- Brooklyn
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- The Martian
- The Revenant
- Room
- Spotlight
BEST ACTOR
- Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
- Matt Damon, The Martian
- Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
- Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
- Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
BEST ACTRESS
- Cate Blanchett, Carol
- Brie Larson, Room
- Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
- Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
- Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Christian Bale, The Big Short
- Tom Hardy, The Revenant
- Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
- Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
- Sylvester Stallone, Creed
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
- Rooney Mara, Carol
- Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
- Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
- Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
DIRECTING
- Adam McKay - The Big Short
- George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road
- Alejandro G. Iñárritu - The Revenant
- Lenny Abrahamson - Room
- Tom McCarthy - Spotlight
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
- Anomalisa
- Boy and the World
- Inside Out
- Shaun the Sheep Movie
- When Marnie Was There
COSTUME DESIGN
- Carol
- Cinderella
- The Danish Girl
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- The Revenant
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
- Amy
- Cartel Land
- The Look of Silence
- What Happened, Miss Simone?
- Winter on Fire
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
- Body Team
- Chau, Beyond the Lines
- Claude Lanzmann
- A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
- Last Day of Freedom
MAKEUP AND HAIR STYLING
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
- The Revenant
ORIGINAL SONG
- "Earned It" - Fifty Shades of Grey
- "Manta Ray" - Racing Extinction
- "Simple Song #3" - Youth
- "Til It Happens to You" - The Hunting Ground
- "Writing's on the Wall" - Spectre
ANIMATED SHORT
- Bear Story
- Prologue
- Sanjay's Super Team
- We Can't Live Without Cosmos
- World of Tomorrow
SOUND EDITING
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- Sicario
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- The Martian
- The Revenant
FILM EDITING
- The Big Short
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- The Revenant
- Spotlight
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
- Embrace of the Serpent
- Mustang
- Son of Saul
- Theeb
- A War
ORIGINAL SCORE
- Bridge of Spies
- Carol
- The Hateful Eight
- Sicario
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- Bridge of Spies
- The Danish Girl
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- The Martian
- The Revenant
VISUAL EFFECTS
- Ex Machina
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- The Martian
- The Revenant
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- The Big Short
- Brooklyn
- Carol
- The Martian
- Room
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- Bridge of Spies
- Ex Machina
- Inside Out
- Spotlight
- Straight Outta Compton
JADA PINKETT SMITH BOYCOTTS THE OSCARS
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Carol
- The Hateful Eight
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- The Revenant
- Sicario
JANET HUBERT CALLS OUT JADA PINKETT SMITH FOR BOYCOTTING THE OSCARS
