Oscar-nominated Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx in “Django Unchained.” Rex Features via AP Images

Not only has there been controversy about the content and the excessive use of the N-word in the hit movie Django Unchained, there is new outrage by some over the Django action figures that recently went on sale. Some complain that the selling of slave dolls is not only racially insensitive but also “trivializes the horrors of slavery,” as the Huffington Post reports. The dolls are available on Amazon.com. (Pictured below.)

So far, the controversy seems to have served the film rather well. Although it came in second place this past weekend, topped by Texas Chainsaw 3-D, which debuted at number one earning $23 million, Django is proving to have strong box office appeal, especially with African-American moviegoers. As we reported last week, African Americans are going to see the movie in record numbers and may help make this Tarantino’s bestselling movie ever. And it has been a crossover success.

Thus far the film starring Jamie Foxx as a freed slave bent on revenge, has earned a total of $106.4 million since it was released on Christmas Day. And, according to EUR, the flick could easily top $200 million during it run in the States and Canada. Could all this discussion about what’s offensive backfire on the film’s current ticket surge? Or intrigue more people to go out and see the film?

We’re going to predict continued box office success since the film is now Oscar-nominated, named just this morning in the Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz) and Best Picture categories (Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kerry Washington were shut out of acting noms, and Tarantino wasn’t nominated for Best Director).

Movies with Oscar nominations typically get a box office bump, as viewers flock to see the films that have may win the big prize before awards night (February 24). Django will certainly benefit from that, particularly as the conversation shifts from simply talk about the content of the movie to whether the Academy should recognize the movie despite that content.

Django is scheduled to end its showings in the States in a few weeks.

The more things change the more they stay the same. You would think one’s exposure and confrontation with racism would decrease as you climb the rungs of success but that’s not always the case. Take for example a gift international music icon, Janet Jackson, received while she was on tour.

Source: @JanetJackson

This little doll is Maria. Janet recently tweeted a picture of the doll with the accompanying text:

During the tour, I was given this doll named Maria. She was advertised as lifelike. How does Maria make you feel?

Well. I don’t know how Maria makes you feel but I can tell you that she doesn’t exactly solicit warm fuzzies from me. I find the act of giving a doll like Maria to be more chilling than Maria herself. Clearly, this individual is sick and perhaps a bit dangerous. But Maria also raises a whole lot of questions. Who gave her this doll? How did they get it to Janet Jackson? What message were they trying to send? And perhaps most importantly, when will our country (and others) be done with the racially motivated or racially ignorant shenanigans and attacks?

How does Maria make you feel?

More on Madame Noire!

• What Did You Do To My Hair!? 6 Signs You’re Dealing With a Ratchet Stylist
• Trayvon Martin, His Witness and What We Should Be Teaching Our Children About Racism
• W​here Are They Now? The Cast of “A Different World”
• I Thought You Were Black? Teacher Tells Student to Read ‘Blacker’ in Class
• 6 Times You’ll Have To Accept No Sex For A While
• Teeny Weeny Afros & More: Celebrity Women Who Have Done the Big Chop
• Oh, The Ratchetness! Lewd Songs Women Can’t Deny They Love
• ​Monica and Brandy Open Up About Their Physical Altercation Back in 1998