Me And The Oscars

 

Back in the 70's when I was young and if you can believe it ,more militant than I am today...I used to watch the Oscars with my family...This was back when no black people got nominated for anything...
I was always furious and always vowed to never watch them again...Well I might boycott them this year too.

And for the same reason.....All of the Acting nominees are white...Not one Black or Latino nominee...
In 2011, the 20 nominees also were entirely white. Before that, one has to go back to 1998 for an all-white acting group.

The all-white nominees list comes at time when Hollywood is fielding criticism for not doing enough to promote diversity in filmmaking. And just last month, Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin were apologizing for leaked emails that appeared to be racially insensitive. Rudin was nominated this morning for producing best picture nominee The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Rev. Al Sharpton -- who formed a Hollywood diversity committee in response to the leaked emails -- has already reacted angrily to the nominees list: “The lack of diversity in today’s Oscar nominations is appalling ... With all of the talent in Selma and other Black movies this year, it is hard to believe that we have less diversity in the nominations today than in recent history." Sharpton added, "The movie industry is like the Rocky Mountains, the higher you get, the whiter it gets."

 The Oscar acting nominations are typically a reflection, in some part, of the best roles of the year available to actors and actresses, which makes 2015's lineup troubling.

The two writing categories also were dominated by white men. Not a single woman was nominated in either category. Though the Academy doesn't reveal a breakdown of its membership, a 2012 report by the Los Angeles Times found that of the nearly 6,000 members, 94% are white, 77% are male and 86% are age 50 or older. Last year, actress Lupita Nyong'o took home the best supporting actress Oscar for the film 12 Years a Slave, which featured a mostly black cast and also won the best picture statuette.

But this year’s Oscar nominees, including the best picture heat, has a decidedly racially homogenous feel, with the exception of Selma, which was nominated for the top prize -

 But Selma Director, Ava DuVernay, a Black woman was overlooked in the best director category, which was all male, with Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu representing the lone example of diversity. Despite its strong reviews -- Selma has a 99% rating with critics on RottenTomatoes -- and epic scope, the film only received one other nomination: best original song. If DuVernay had been nominated in the director category, she would have been the first black female director ever recognized. In response to the nominations, DuVernay offered a diplomatic tone: "Happy Birthday, Dr. King. An Oscar gift for you. To SELMA cast and crew led by our miracle David Oyelowo! To Common + [John] Legend! Kudos! March on!" - 

I used to do that a lot when I was younger...Put a good spin on every situation regardless...but today I'm reminded of yet another thing my mother told me..

"Sometimes you just have to see the world for what it is."

And the Oscars this year don't seem any different from 1972....

I think I'll boycott them...See you at the NAACP Image awards..