WENN.com

Even though the Academy Awards were last Sunday, we’ve learned quite a bit throughout the week about the people nominated, involved with the show and who just happened to show up. For instance, who knew that there was all this Anne Hathaway hate? Seriously, what’s up with a “Hathahater”?? Also we learned that Jack Nicholson is a bit creepy when it comes to the young gyals (just ask new Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence). And of course, some people weren’t too pleased with seeing Michelle Obama at the show, presenting the Best Picture award at the end of the night for the Ben Affleck directed movie Argo.

An Iranian news agency wasn’t feeling her gorgeous gown, so they Photoshopped her dress to make her look more covered, but mostly, the usual bitter suspects didn’t think she should have presented at all (even if she wasn’t physically at the show) because she has nothing to do with Hollywood. One Conservative we saw on a morning show this week said her appearance made the White House look “small.”

Haters. All of them.

Anywho, while making press stops to get people enthusiastic about her Let’s Move Campaign, an initiative to combat childhood obesity, on Today she commented on all the critics who always seem to have something to say about every move she makes.

“That’s just the nature of life. I mean, we live in a time when there are bloggers and tweeters and 24-hour news and everyone has a voice in this town square, and it’s a big one. That means at any point at a given time, somebody’s not going to like what you do. That’s the nature of things. It’s not really about me. I just happen to be in the public eye and along with everybody else in the public eye, you’re subject to conversation, opinion and all that sort of stuff. There’s nothing new about that.”

That Michelle, always keeping it cool as a cucumber. And from checking out the comments to her response via E! News, I can tell most of the people griping about her showing up at the Oscars are the same people who gripe about her doing everything else. From the clothes she wears to the places she goes and just being fabulous and chilling in the White House with her husband for a second term that they clearly didn’t want to see happen. I’m glad that the FLOTUS realizes that somebody is ALWAYS going to have something to say, but while they waste time doing that, you just have to continue to do you. Boom! Take that “critics.”

FLOTUS is making big news on the Internet after a surprise appearance on last night’s Oscar broadcast that’s getting as much discussion as the Academy Award winners themselves.

After being introduced by Jack Nicholson, Michelle Obama, who made the unannounced appearance live from the Diplomatic Room of the White House, paid tribute to Hollywood, celebrating movies “that lift spirits, broaden our minds and transport us to places we never imagined,” reports The Hollywood Reporter.

“These nine movies took us back in time and all around the world,” she said. “They made us laugh, made us weep, and they made us grip our armrests just a little tighter. They taught us that love can endure against all odds and transform our lives in the most surprising ways. And they reminded us that we can overcome any obstacle if we dig deep enough and fight hard enough and find the courage to believe in ourselves.”

The First Lady even made a fashion statement with a Naeem Khan dress, which she wore to the White House Governors’ dinner earlier in the evening.

White House communications director, Kristina Schake, told THR,  “The Academy Awards approached the First Lady about being a part of the ceremony. As a movie lover, she was honored to present the award and celebrate the artists who inspire us all – especially our young people – with their passion, skill and imagination.”

Besides the Oscars, a video of her “mom dancing” with Jimmy Fallon during her recent appearance on his show has gone viral. She had visited his show to promote her “Let’s Move” fitness campaign. In a sketch she did before a sit-down interview with Fallon, the pair struck many an awkward pose during a performance entitled “The Evolution of Mom Dancing,” reports the Global Post newspaper. So far, the video on YouTube has 4,153,252 views. Check it out below if you haven’t already.

The skit was a spoof on the wildly popular “Evolution of Dance,” which went viral and has been viewed more than 200 million times on YouTube, according to MSNBC.

Some are saying that the First Lady might be making too many appearances. Is it possible for her to become overexposed?

Viola Davis and her co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal in the movie “Won’t Back Down.” Rex Features via AP Images

It’s not quite Oscar time, but the awards season has already started.  Before that ultimate awards ceremony, there are a number of others such as Critics’ Choice Awards (Jan. 10, 2013), the Golden Globes (Jan. 13, 2013), Screen Actors Guild Awards (Jan. 27), and The Independent Spirit Awards (Feb. 23, 2013). There’s also the African-American Film Critics Awards, which last year held its awards ceremony in December. We didn’t see an announcement on their website for this year, but it should be around the same time. The awards season culminates with the Academy Awards on February 24th, 2013.

What does this mean for Black Hollywood? While nominations and awards have been increasing for black actors, they’re still few and far between. To be exact there have been just 27 blacks who have won an Oscar in the awards’ 84 years. Maybe one of the upcoming black films we reported on recently could be a contender.

Last year the awards season was all abuzz with The Help. And again this year actress Viola Davis is being talked about as a possible Oscar contender for Best Actress her role in Won’t Back Down. Jamie Foxx is in a film that has already taken home an award: Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, which took screenplay honors at the Hollywood Film Awards.

One sure contender is Lincoln, featuring Gloria Reuben, S. Epatha Merkeson, and David Oyelowo. Geoge Lucas’ Tuskegee Airman saga Red Tails has also been mentioned in Oscar talks; Nate Parker, Terence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tristan Wilds, Elijah Kelly, Ne-Yo, David Oyelowo, Michael B. Jordan all starred. Some critics are saying Whitney Houston should be considered for a supporting actress award for her performance in  Sparkle. Cloud Atlas, with Halle Berry, may get an Oscar—but for her co-star Tom Hanks.

One indie that has been getting lots of attention is Middle of Nowhere. At the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Ava DuVernay became the first African-American woman to win the Best Director Prize for her second feature film. And it may be well on the way to win more awards.

And Beasts of the Southern Wild, a fantasy about a six-year-old (played by Quvenzhané Wallis) set in the Louisiana bayou, has already won at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals. There’s talk that Wallis could be nominated for an Oscar, which would make her the youngest winner ever if she took the prize. She was five in the movie and is only nine years old now.

Money is what makes these awards so critical. According to stats, when a film takes home an award, tickets sales go up, especially if the award is an Oscar. “Best Picture winners typically earn an additional $14 to $15 million in box office revenue,” reports the Business Insider. It also means more money for the actors, may see a 20 percent boost in pay for their next film if they win the award for Best Actor or Actress.

Just being nominated is a big financial win as well, especially for indies which have a limited release. After a nomination, films usually get a wider release, and more theaters equals more box office money. “During the four years from 2007 through 2010, movies that were nominated but did not win, on average, netted an additional $20 million before the awards ceremony and $5 million afterwards,” writes Business Insider. Out of the theater sales even increase as more people rent films that have received nominations or awards.

Who do you think will win?

It’s been a good year for Black women on film, so the Oscars would have you believe. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer received well-deserved nominations, and Spencer joined the exclusive club of Academy Award-winning Black actresses. But, let’s not forget she is only the sixth Black woman to be recognized with this honor. The last African-American to take home the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role still struggles to find work and saw her latest performance go straight to DVD.

Black women may have been top of mind this awards season, but for the most part they remain invisible on-screen. A recent study by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism found that 32.6 percent of speaking characters from 2007 to 2010 were female, which translates into an on-screen ration of 2.1 males to every one female. Black actors accounted for 11.6 percent of speaking roles.

Who’s Telling Our Story?

There is an old industry adage in Hollywood – “write what you know.” Best Picture-nominated films with one or more female screenwriters show a higher percentage of female characters than films written solely by men. Only 14.3 percent of directors from 2007 to 2010 were female. The stories of Black women aren’t being told because Black women aren’t doing the telling. Furthermore, they aren’t the ones deciding which stories are told. As chief executive and chief creative officer of OWN, Oprah Winfrey is arguably the only Black woman in television or film with the power to control the images that are presented.

The old guard of Hollywood is still very much in place. It is one where a select group of decision-makers, largely non-minority males, pander to the lowest common denominator of audiences. They subscribe to ideals like films and television shows with Black leads aren’t successful domestically or abroad. Waiting to Exhale, The Cosby Show, and Will Smith are all flukes.

The media is a notoriously monopolized industry. Through a history of mergers and acquisitions, massive corporations; namely General Electric, Walt Disney, News Corp, Time Warner, Viacom, and CBS; now dominate the U.S. media. With everyone reporting to the same boss, it’s no wonder entertainment looks like one big homogenized, whitewashed mess.  But, a shift in the tide is brewing.

Source: newswhip.com

I was just having a conversation with my co-workers on Friday about Viola Davis and her natural hair. The actress wore her hair out for the world to see on the red carpet at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood luncheon event last Thursday, and to see her all dressed up with her perfectly coiffed and colored TWA really warmed my heart. While her natural locks made their national debut on the cover of the L.A. Times Magazine not too long ago (when awards season was really heating up), this was the first time she had actually showed up in front of industry heads without her favorite short wig. As a woman with an afro, I applauded her, and thought she looked stunning. But I also wondered why she hadn’t worn it that way in the past since she looked great, and if she was going to follow suit and do the same for the Oscars. While conversing on the topic and my thoughts, my colleagues in the office agreed that she looked fabulous, and explained that as a black woman in a pretty nitpicky and white-washed industry, she probably wasn’t fully comfortable with her hair yet, and clearly not ready to show it off. I felt that. But one co-worker said she could see why Davis had been so particular about showing off her natural hair in a way that had me thinking. She said, “You know, a lot of people used to say that natural hair wasn’t formal.”

At first, I wanted to contest that thought, but when I really pondered on it, many women I knew, including myself, hadn’t really felt comfortable for a while wearing their natural afros to special events and activities. And for Viola, special events are all people like her seem to go to. For my sister’s wedding, all my sisters, including the one getting married, and the bridesmaids with natural hair, went and had their locks pressed. My sister didn’t ask anyone to flatten out their curls, it was just something we sadly assumed should be done: a big ‘ol fro or head full of tight curls wasn’t wedding appropriate–straight hair was. Add that to the number of times I’ve seen influential naturalistas I know braid, press and throw a weave or wig on their bountiful heads for events, and I could somewhat understand where that sad saying came from. But that doesn’t make it true, it’s just something we’ve let people tell us and believed. Often our own people at that. It’s just like the belief that natural hair isn’t work friendly. Aside from certain types of jobs that won’t let you have your hair out (food anyone?), I’ve rarely heard anyone say that their job told them that wearing a fro wasn’t acceptable. And as for weddings and other big events, unless the bride says she wants everyone’s hair the same, why not rock them? Honestly, I think it’s just something many of us didn’t feel comfortable doing for ourselves because we were too worried that other people wouldn’t like our look.

So when Davis was asked by InStyle why she felt it was time to show off her own hair, Davis said her husband Julian Tennon was the one who helped her step out in her natural beauty: “He said, ‘If you want to wear it for your career, that’s fine, but in your life wear your hair. Step into who you are!’ It’s a powerful statement.”

It definitely is, and it probably took Viola a lot of time and thought to decide whether or not to let it all hang out for the biggest awards show out there, but she did it. As black women, knowing this, I think it would be nice to know that even if you weren’t feeling the look, we could all support her choice. Loving what your own hair looks like and stepping out with it at an event where people prefer bone straight hair that reaches down your back is something I think we can all respect, whether you wear natural hair or not.

Source: CBS

What’s an award show without a little racial controversy? We can thank Billy Crystal for bringing us our latest dose as the host of last night’s 84th Annual Academy Awards ceremony. The New York comedian is coming under fire for not only failing to be funny—which few hosts ever are—but for masking racism as comic relief.

There were two instances in particular that made audiences have a side-eye, what he say, get this dude out of here moment. The first is what is being referred to as “the blackface skit.” Essentially what was going on was Billy was continuing his tradition of spoofing the nominated films and in this instance he was putting a spin on Woody Allen’s film Midnight in Paris by appearing as Sammy Davis, Jr. in the movie. There are a few things to note about that: One, Billy Crystal used to do an impression of Sammy routinely on Saturday Night Live during the 80s; two, Midnight in Paris is a magical travel-themed film so Billy was likely trying to relive his SNL glory days and explain some of his relevance for hosting the Oscar’s in the first place by dredging up that character; and three, isn’t there a difference between blackface and an impersonation?

I personally see blackface as a white person painting his face brown and adopting certain mannerisms for the sake of appearing as any random black person on this planet and sparking controversy, i.e. stereotyping. A white man impersonating a well-known entertainment figure who happens to be black by means of darkening his skin with makeup just has a different feel to me. Sure, Billy could have asked a black character to portray Sammy Davis Jr. but the point was for him to be inserted into the films, and again, this was a character he assumed many times throughout his comedic past. Still, most viewers felt his use of “blackface” was inappropriate, outdated, and racist.

During the show, Pop culture blogger Jorge Rivas, tweeted: “And the Oscar for Most Racist Host goes to Billy Crystal’s blackface performance.”

Comedian Paul Scheer also tweeted after the announcement of the Best Supporting Actress recipient: “Octavia Spencer’s win shows just how far we’ve come since Billy Crystal performed in Blackface.”

“The Help” became a part of Billy’s controversy in more ways than one last night. If there was any chance the Midnight in Paris skit was going to be swept under the rug, his joke about black women in Hollywood kept it fresh in people’s minds. After Octavia Spencer’s win, he returned from commercial break with a joke many found to be not so funny. He said:

“I loved that movie [The Help]…when I saw it, I wanted to hug the first black woman that I saw. Which from Beverly Hills is about a 45 minute drive.”

Maybe I’m naive but I actually saw that joke as more of a commentary on the lack of black women in Hollywood—you know the very issue we’re screaming and kicking about every day. And apparently the problem we don’t have an issue with white people bringing up unless they don’t take it seriously enough.

Lots of viewers took issue with the crack and Kim Kane, a writer for The Global Grind said she was floored by the crass joke. She detailed her reaction in an article today, writing:

“It bothers me that none of the writers stopped to think about the feelings of the other black actors and actresses in the room. It bothers me that some in the audience were so de-sensitized that they laughed out loud. It bothers me that no one considered the sensitivity of the situation – Octavia Spencer had just won an Academy Award for playing a maid, a role she’s defended to those who feel blacks are rewarded with Oscar only when their character is subservient / enforces a stereotype onscreen. It bothers me that no one will be accountable for writing such insensitive copy. It bothers me to think about struggling black actors and actresses who fall in love with an industry that lets them down. It bothers me that I’m writing this blog in 2012…that society is still recovering from the damage done by bigots who advocated racial segregation. It bothers me that the Academy would go so far as to emphasize the sentiment that black women are invisible in Hollywood, as far as they’re concerned.”

I will say there was a part of the joke that was off to me; it was the idea that “The Help” was a film that made Billy Crystal love black women. That subtle jab makes me see Kim’s point entirely. The reason nominations for “The Help” stirred so much controversy is because we keep asserting that Hollywood is most comfortable seeing black women in servant roles—as evidenced by the awarding of those performances when a black actress takes on such a part. No one—black or white—could have missed that memo with all of the discussions that have taken place about this film. So, in that sense, it was insensitive of the writers and Billy Crystal to essentially confirm suspicions that racial prejudices are still the driving force behind the Academy’s old boy network of voters. But what do we expect from a comedian who gets paid to step on toes?

Overall, I think people are being a little too sensitive about Billy Crystal’s routine last night and we’re starting to find anything that touches on race to be racist. Pretty soon that double standard of black people being able to crack jokes about white people, but white people not being allowed to say anything about black folks is going to come back and bite us—hard.

What did you think about Billy’s impersonation and his joke about black women in Hollywood? Racist, insensitive, or are people overreacting?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Source: Digital Spy

Award season has come to a close with a couple of big wins for African Americans in the industry. At last night’s 84th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, Octavia Spencer took home an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “The Help.”

Octavia was moved to tears by the win, thanking the Academy for putting her with “the hottest guy in the room,” and also shouting out her family in her home state of Alabama, her LA family, and of course, her “Help” family.

Speaking of “The Help,” Cast mate Viola Davis who was up for an Academy Award for Best Leading Actress lost to Meryl Streep for her portrayal of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in “Iron Lady,” but the Oscar contender still made a statement. Taking her husband’s hair advice, Viola showed up au natural in an emerald Vera Wang gown and looked stunning on the red carpet.

In a surprising win, Diddy also garnered an Oscar last night for “Undefeated.” Diddy was the executive producer behind the high school football film and the Academy recognized the work with an award for Best Documentary. Diddy—shockingly—didn’t hit the stage to accept the award with the other members of the production team, but he did tweet his own form of an acceptance speech, writing: “Holy s***!!!! God is the greatest!!!! Thank you! #undefeated !!!!”

Check out Octavia Spencer’s emotional acceptance speech here. Did you catch last night’s ceremony?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Toni’s been really feeling herself lately, ya’ll! And we don’t blame her, she still looks great (not that she would be looking bad at 44). The beautiful star hit the stage and the red carpet in some pretty revealing ensembles this week, and we’ve got the lowdown on them both. We want to know which you prefer (if you actually end up liking one more than the other).

For a recent performance at the Nokia Theatre in LA during a concert, she opted out of something short and sassy and went for something colorful and long. Rocking a high-waisted gown by House of Chapple on Sunday, she did her thing for the crowd and had jaws dropping. In a bright purple Prince would be proud of, the dress was sheer and funky with dizzying prints and sequins all over. But I’m sure your eyes are on that shocking split on the side. Not only did it show off her underwear (or possibly the lower half of a bodysuit underneath), but it also showcased her strappy, sparkly heels. Very over the top, but that’s Toni’s style, you know?

The Academy Awards are on Sunday! With Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer getting a lot of love for their work in The Help, we hope that it will be an easy win from them on the big day (but you know how the Academy can play folks). While we’re happy for their accolades, we’d also like to acknowledge a few other actresses whose roles should have garnered a lot more love from the allegedly majority white, male, old guys in the Academy. Just on a side note, some of these ladies weren’t even nominated, but their performances deserved some recognition in our eyes. These are just a few of our favorite picks, but feel free to share your own faves in the comments.

Source: neebeep.com

Whoopi Goldberg as Celie in The Color Purple

Lost to: Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful

Not to stereotype, but I’m pretty sure most black folks have seen The Color Purple. While we can all attest to the fact that Steven Spielberg’s attempt to bring Alice Walker’s book to life was masterful, it got no love from the Academy, folks. It did rack up 11 nominations, but wound up being the “India Arie” (as Common would say) of the ’85 ceremonies, going home empty handed. While Oprah did transform big time in front of our eyes, presenting herself in a way we hadn’t seen before, I felt as though Whoopi gave a consistent and courageous performance as Celie. She went from a meek, abused an unloved wife, to an outspoken, pants wearing free woman. Whoopi would go on later to win an Academy Award for her work in the film Ghost, so I’m sure she’s not too pissed about this robbery.

Every year Essence holds a luncheon during the week leading up to the Academy Awards to honor black women in Hollywood, and this year the magazine has chosen to recognize some well-known actresses who had a huge breakout year in 2011.

Kerry Washington will be honored with the Vanguard Award, recognizing her impressive career. In April, she’ll star in the ABC drama “Scandal,” and she’ll also appear in Quentin Tarantino’s new film, “Django Unchained.”

Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Octavia Spencer will receive the award for Breakthrough Performance for her work in “The  Help.” “Mission Impossible” and “Jumping the Broom” star Paula Patton will be honored with the Shining Star Award, and “Foxy Brown” actress Pam Grier will be given the Legend Award. Shonda Rhimes, creator and executive producer of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” will receive the Visionary Award. ABC recently ordered a pilot for Rhimes’ new drama series, “Gilded Lillys” and last fall, the network purchased their fourth Rhimes series, “The Circle.”

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