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?

Movies can be etched into our minds for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we are captivated by memorable performances. Others have great soundtracks that have us singing the songs long after the movie has ended. For some, we are magically transported to far flung exotic locales or back in time through stunning imagery and imaginative wardrobe and set design…

And sometimes, it’s the hair.

Here is a list of the top 10 movies that stick in our minds because the sistas knew how to rock their hair. An ode to our “Hair”oines…

www.entertainmentwallpaper.com

10. Deliver Us From Eva (2003)

Who could forget Gabrielle Union as mega sourpuss Evangeline “Eva” Dandrige and her silky-maned sisters in this 2003 twist on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”? Some of the movie even takes place in sister Bethany’s hair salon, but the sisters themselves are the “mane” act in this movie.

Source: Zimbio.com

Black folks use a lot of food references to describe our many skin tones, from butterscotch, brown sugar, vanilla, and caramel to honey, mocha, toffee, and even every woman’s favorite treat, chocolate. Some of us embrace these sweet names as a demonstration of how in love we our with our skin, and others ask why we can’t ditch the candy references and just be what we are: black. Tika Sumpter is not a part of the latter group.

In a recent interview with Hello Beautiful, the actress talked about the relationship she developed with Mike Epps while on the set of their new movie “Sparkle,” saying,

“He’d just come in the makeup room in the morning, and then he’ll just say something and be like, ‘Hey, chocolate.’ You know?”

Though Tika giggled after she made that remark, the site still asked her how she felt about Mike and his lighter-toned comedic self referring to her in that way, especially in light of Naomi Campbell’s infamous comment that “It’s upsetting to be described as chocolate.” Tika said she doesn’t mind.

“I think it’s a term of endearment. I mean I don’t care. It’s just like, I don’t know if it’s like they don’t know what else to say, or do they just love my skin color? I don’t know.

“I don’t think it’s anything negative. I mean, chocolate’s my favorite thing to eat. So I can’t live without it. So I don’t mind it. I don’t find it like a negative way. I just— it is what it is. And I know when guys say it like, you know, I know when Mike Epps says it… it’s not a negative thing. So I don’t care. Look, if Tyler Perry wants to pay me the money to call me ‘chocolate’ and be an a**, I’m cool with it.”

I’m not completely sure what that Tyler Perry reference was about, but I’m feeling the rest of what Tika said. I think when someone you know or have a rapport with references your skin tone in a way that’s not derogatory, it’s not a big deal. It’s almost the same as only wanting to be called pet names like sweetie, honey, or baby by close friends, boyfriends, or relatives. But when random men on the street — who ought to know better anyway — think it’s cool to just shout out things like “hey chocolate” or “hey red” to get your attention, it’s not even so much offensive as it is uncomfortable and inappropriate. It really is quite easy to tell when someone is using one of these words as a term of endearment versus an expression of disgust with your skin tone, but as the story so often goes with black people and color we tend to get in our feelings when caught off guard by one of these said terms.

How do you feel about people using words like chocolate or caramel or mocha to describe your skin color?

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Madame Noire was treated to a packed star-studded cast at the Los Angeles premiere of Sparkle last week and got to catch up with some of our favorite personalities like Loretta Devine, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Lisa Raye and Kem. Check it out!

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Source: Collider.com

I’m sure the production team behind “Sparkle” expected a killer opening weekend with the opportunity to give Whitney Houston fans one last look at the singing icon in action, but unfortunately the film had a rather lackluster opening. After its August 17 release, “Sparkle” only brought in $12 million dollars in its opening weekend, coming in at fifth place behind “Expendables 2,” “Bourne Legacy,” “ParaNorman,” and “The Campaign.”

As Entertainment Weekly put it:

“Sparkle didn’t have 3-D ticket prices working on its side, but still, its less-than-stellar box office is somewhat surprising given Houston’s status as pop royalty.

Fortunately, the ScreenGems release cost only $14 million, and that low cost will be its saving grace. Thanks to a narrow theater count of 2,244, Sparkle notched a sturdy, if uninspiring, $5,348 per theater average, and if it can garner strong word-of-mouth — which seems likely given its “A” CinemaScore grade — it could find legs in the weeks to come.”

Celebuzz rounded up reviews of the film from the most popular movie critics, and given their reactions to “Sparkle,” it’s easy to see why the opening weekend was so dull.

A writer from The A.V. Club remarked:

“This is Houston’s last film, and her performance embodies everything right and wrong about Sparkle: It’s a monochrome collection of overprotective mom gestures, but suggests a rainbow of human complexity in a superfluous, show-stopping musical performance.”

The The Washington Post noted:

“While Sparkle doesn’t give the audience a lasting memory of Houston’s voice at its most soaring, it does manage to provide a lingering sense of loss, mixed with celebration and grim irony. Houston plays the disapproving mother of a daughter who longs to make it big as a singer; in a role that plays like a cautionary mirror version of Houston’s own fatal battles, she warns against the depredations of an entertainment industry that indulges and exploits young talent just as intently as it nurtures it.”

Usually film critiques don’t have much bearing on how well a film does when people are interested in a movie not necessarily because of the story line but because of who stars in it— take the Twilight saga for example. But it appears the allure of watching Whitney’s last film role still wasn’t strong enough for the fans who mourned her passing in February to head out to theaters this weekend.

Did you catch “Sparkle” this weekend? What did you think about the movie? If not, do you plan on seeing it?

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As you all know, the much anticipated Sparkle movie was released yesterday. Madame Noire was there to cover the red carpet on opening night and got to catch up with some of our favorite actresses from the film like Tika Sumpter.

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Are you planning to watch Sparkle tonight? Check out our red carpet interviews with the cast.

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Source: StyleBlazer

From StyleBlazer

Just in time for the premiere of her movie “Sparkle,” Tika Sumpter chills out in a spread for Rolling Out online magazine. The Queens-native dons big curls, a cozy knit sweater and short-shorts for a youthful look. Representing a new wave of Black acting talent, they say Sumpter has the “It” quality in the midst of her peers.

Check out Tika’s looks not to mention her favorite desserts and her relationship status update on StyleBlazer.com.

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Source: StyleBlazer.com

From StyleBlazer

The ladies of “Sparkle” look divine on the September issue of Ebony Magazine. With Carmen Ejogo, Jordin Sparks and Tika Sumpter’s new, highly anticipated, film hitting theaters August 17, they told the zine about working with Whitney Houston, channeling their characters and how they feel about their careers.

Check out what the ladies had to say about Sparkle if she was a real person on StyleBlazer.com.

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Are you ready for Sparkle? The remake of the classic film about three teenagers from Harlem who set their sights on making musical history in Motown will be significant in more ways than one. It is the last film made by Whitney Houston, who passed away three months after production ended on the Salim Akil-directed project. It also marks the acting debut of American Idol Jordin Sparks. But Houston and Sparks aren’t the only two stars in the film. Derek Luke, Mike Epps, Cee Lo Green, Carmen Ejogo, Tika Sumpter, Tamela Mann and Omari Hardwick also star in the film. Let’s meet the cast and take a peak at their stylish retro chic fashions, shall we?

“Sparkle” played by Jordin Sparks

Jordin Sparks needs no introduction. The Arizona-raised songstress has come a long way since she won American Idol in 2006. Marking her feature film debut, fans are waiting to see how she’ll handle her big role playing a role inspired by Diana Ross (as part of the Supremes). Judging from the look of her outfit, it’s apparent that color blocking is nothing new and was definitely part of the retro chic look.