WENN.com

Every year there are plenty of odes to some of the world’s most prominent people. This past year it was Abraham Lincoln. It was Alfred Hitchcock. It was Margaret Thatcher. But who should be next to have their life story told on the silver screen? Madame Noire makes its picks for 15 legends who deserve some cinematic recognition.

Credit: Judy Eddy/WENN

From Black Voices

What do Drake, Sammy Davis Jr. and Adam Sandler have in common? These three men share more than just fame and good looks, they’re also part of God’s chosen people.

We’re at the height of the holiday season, and the end of the Festival of Lights, the eight-day Jewish celebration commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. And what better way to enjoy then to see the celebrities who are Jewish?

In honor of the last day of Hanukkah, The Huffington Post Black Voices has compiled a list of 10 black celebrities you may not have known had Jewish lineage or practiced Judaism. From musicians, to actors to NBA ballers, check out these stars who are all people of The Good Book.

Read more at BlackVoices.com.

In the African American community, Christianity is definitely the most common religion. Though you don’t see it much, there are blacks who practice other religions, including Judaism. Here are 15 famous faces who are proudly black and Jewish.

de.twitter.com

Lauren London

Actress Lauren London has a Jewish father.

Source: Bet.com

Billy Crystal’s imitation of the late Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr. set Twitter and the blogosphere on fire. Considering the sordid history of blackface in this country, many did not take kindly to Crystal’s donning of “black” makeup to portray Davis.

But Tracy Davis, Sammy’s daughter from his second marriage, isn’t one of them.

She told The Hollywood Reporter: I am 100 percent certain that my father is smiling.”After all, this is not the first time Crystal has portrayed Sammy Davis or the first time he’s darkened his skin to do so. Crystal played Sammy Davis in the ’80s on Saturday Night Live, to the praise of Davis.

“Billy previously played my father when he was alive, and my father gave Billy his full blessing.”

Tracy does however take issue with one aspect of this controversy.

Head over to Eurweb.com to see what it is.

More on Madame Noire!

• Ask a Very Smart Brotha Live: High School Sweethearts & Love Languages
• Divas in Training: Celebrities During Their High School Years
• Hold Up!: 7 Things You Should Stop Your Girlfriends From Doing
• “Mommy, Are We Born This Way Until We Get A Weave?”
• 10 Bad Habits That Get In the Way of Good Relationships
• Be Cool: 6 Signs You May Be Dealing With Anxiety Issues
• Tupac Comes to Broadway
• Show Off Your Shape! Style Tips To Flatter Your Body

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.

More on Madame Noire!

• Single Setbacks: Distractions That Keep Us From Dating
• Keep It Short! Ladies Who Look Better With Short Hair Cuts
• Chris Brown: Can We Forgive and Forget?
• Love & Life Lessons I Learned From “Love & Basketball”
• 6 Ratchet Behaviors Ig’nant People Should Give Up for Lent
• My BFF: The Non-Celebrity Besties of The Famous
• Pregnant Teen Paralyzed in Shooting Dies Months After Giving Birth to Baby Girl
• Show Off Your Shape! Style Tips To Flatter Your Body