Charles Burnett Honorary Oscar [VIDEOS]

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday night (September 5) to present Honorary Awards to writer-director Charles Burnett, cinematographer Owen Roizman, actor Donald Sutherland and director Agnès Varda.  The four Oscar® statuettes will be presented at the Academy’s 9th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 11, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.

Born in Mississippi and raised in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, Charles Burnett is an independent filmmaker whose work has been praised for its portrayal of the African-American experience.  He wrote, directed, produced, photographed and edited his first feature film, “Killer of Sheep,” in 1977.  His other features include “My Brother’s Wedding,” “To Sleep with Anger,” “The Glass Shield” and “Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation.”  Burnett also has made several documentaries including “America Becoming” and “Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property,” and such short films as “The Horse” and “When It Rains.”

Below is a playlist of the tributes to Charles Burnett

Honorary Oscar Recipient Spike Lee Also a Frequent Critic of the Academy [VIDEO]

Spike Lee and wife Tonia Lewis-Lee  Credit: Alexandra Wyman/Invision/AP

The iconic filmmaker has had a rocky relationship with the Academy: it kick-started his career 32 years ago with a Student Academy Award but it's also snubbed many of his films and those of other black filmmakers, prompting him to declare that Oscars "don't matter."

By Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter

August 27, 2015 

Spike Lee, probably the most famous black filmmaker in the history of American cinema and long an outspoken critic of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will be presented with an honorary Oscar at the Academy's seventh Governors Awards on Nov. 14, the organization announced Thursday. At 58, Lee is the youngest male tapped for an honorary Oscar — which historically has been something of a lifetime achievement award — since one went to 46-year-old Planet of the Apes makeup artist John Chambers in 1969.

Now the question is: what will he say when accepting the honor? 

Lee's long and complicated relationship with the Academy dates back 32 years. In 1983, he won a Student Academy Award for Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads, his NYU thesis film, which helped to put him on the map. Just a few years later, his films She's Gotta Have It (1986), which premiered at Cannes and won the best first feature Indie Spirit Award, and School Daze (1988) made him a major player on the indie scene. And then came Do the Right Thing.

The 1989 dramedy, which chronicles simmering racial tensions that eventually boil over on a block in Brooklyn, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May — and, despite a rapturous reception, ended up receiving not a single prize, to the shock of many and the vocal displeasure of Lee. When it opened in the U.S. in June, it sparked nationwide debate, discussion and further awards buzz. (The Los Angeles Film Critics chose the film as its best picture and Lee as its best director.)

But when Oscar nominations were announced a few months later, Lee again was left disappointed: the only acknowledgement of Do the Right Thing came in the categories of best supporting actor (Danny Aiello) and best original screenplay (for Lee). Adding insult to injury, the film that landed the most nominations — and ultimately won best picture — was Driving Miss Daisy, a film directed by a white man about a servile black man catering to a bigoted white woman.

In 2011, Lee, still stung by that experience, told Charlie Rose, "In 1989, Do the Right Thing was not even nominated [for best picture]. What film won best picture in 1989? Driving Miss motherf—ing Daisy! That’s why [Oscars] don’t matter. Because 20 years later, who’s watching Driving Miss Daisy?” He addedin 2015, "Are they going to choose a film where you have the relatively passive black servant, or are they going to choose a film with a menacing 'Radio Raheem'? A lot of times, people are going to vote for what they're comfortable with, and anything that's threatening to them they won't."

Lee's frustrations with the Academy undoubtedly were compounded by the recognition — or lack thereof — that his subsequent "Spike Lee Joints" have received from the organization. Mo' Better Blues (1990),Jungle Fever (1991), Malcolm X (1992) and 25th Hour (2002) all premiered at major international film festivals and were up for or received honors from other major awards groups, but only Malcolm Xreceived any acknowledgement from the Academy: a best actor nom for Denzel Washington, plus a best costume design nom, ultimately losing both.

Meanwhile, Lee himself has been a contender only one other time: 4 Little Girls (1997), his film about the young victims of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963, was nominated for best documentary feature, losing to The Long Way Home, a film about the birth of Israel that was produced by RabbiMarvin Hier and Richard Trank. Lee attended the ceremony but said afterward, "I didn't have a chance. I knew that. Against a rabbi? Put the Jewish vote in the academy against the one or two black members and what do you think?"

In 2014, Lee, by now the artistic director of the graduate film program at NYU, and the Academy, under new management that had a stated goal of increasing the diversity of its membership, seemed to reach a detente. That spring, he returned to the Oscars hoping to see 12 Years a Slave become the first film directed by a black man to win best picture — and it did. ("I was very happy for Steve McQueen," he said later. "I wanted to be there because I knew it was going to be historic.") And that summer, the same Academy that had once turned a cold shoulder towards Do the Right Thing celebrated its 25th anniversary with bicoastal screenings and Q&As with key people associated with the film, including Lee.

But when, in January of this year, Selma, a critically-acclaimed biopic about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was denied Oscar noms for best director (Ava DuVernay could have become the first black woman ever nominated) and best actor (David Oyelowo was widely expected to make the cut but neither he nor any other black people actually did), it clearly reopened some old wounds for Lee. Hours after the announcement, he vented: "If I saw Ava today I'd say, 'You know what? F--- 'em.'"

He continued, "Anyone who thinks this year was gonna be like last year is retarded. There were a lot of black folks up there with 12 Years a Slave, Steve,Lupita [Nyong'o], Pharrell [Williams]. It's in cycles of every 10 years. Once every 10 years or so I get calls from journalists about how people are finally accepting black films. Before last year, it was the year [2002] with Halle Berry, Denzel and Sidney Poitier. It's a 10-year cycle. So I don't start doing backflips when it happens."

"The Academy is trying to be more diverse," he added. "[Academy president] Cheryl [Boone Isaacs] is trying to open it up and have more diversity amongst the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. But with Selma, it's not the first time it's happened, and every time it does I say, 'You can't go to awards like the Oscars... for validation. The validation is if your work still stands 25 years later.'"

Now the question is: what will Lee have to say on the one night in his life on which he is guaranteed to receive an Oscar?

ADDITIONAL
WATCH Spike Lee's Oscar speech below along with his superstar introduction.

CLICK the button to see all of our blog posts about SPIKE LEE

Oprah wins her Oscar

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient Oprah Winfrey raises her Oscar statuette next to Stedman Graham at the conclusion of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences 2011 Governors Awards in Hollywood, November 12, 2011.

Oprah Winfrey receives "unimaginable" Oscar

By Bob Tourtellotte
LOS ANGELES

Mon Nov 14, 2011 2:55pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oprah Winfrey received an honorary Oscar for her charitable work on Saturday in what she called an unimaginable moment for a black woman who grew up poor in Mississippi and rose to the top of Hollywood stardom.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences annually bestows its Governors Awards on people who have made an impact in the industry. This year, the honorary Oscars went to Winfrey, actor James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Simon at a black-tie affair that brought out stars such as John Travolta, Glenn Close and Alec Baldwin.

Talk show host and film actress Winfrey, who was nominated for a supporting-actress Academy Award in 1985's "The Color Purple," was given a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by a young woman who was sent through high school on a financial grant she earned from Winfrey's foundation.

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient Oprah Winfrey speaks after accepting her Oscar statuette at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences 2011 Governors Awards in Hollywood, November 12, 2011.

Winfrey teared up when accepting her honorary Oscar and described the moment as "unimaginable" given her humble roots growing up in Mississippi.

"All of us can make a difference through the life we lead," Winfrey said. "We're all here to help each other."

She talked of her career as a TV chat show host and her movie work, and said it was "The Color Purple" that paved the way to stardom which, ultimately, led to philanthropy.

That movie "door opened to me through the magic and majesty of film," she said.

James Earl Jones was given his honorary Oscar for a body of acting work that ranges from his Academy Award-nominated performance as a boxer in "The Great White Hope" to voicing the role of the villainous Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" movies.

Jones was not on hand because he is in working in London, but he spoke to the Los Angeles audience in a speech that was taped earlier on Saturday.

He said he was "deeply honored, mighty grateful and just plain gobsmacked," using British slang for being astounded.

Finally, the "Godfather of makeup" Dick Simon was given an honorary Oscar for his behind-the-scenes work using makeup and prosthetics to make actors look old, young, sick, dying and dead in films ranging from "The Exorcist" to "The Godfather."

Simon gave a tearful and heartfelt acceptance speech in which he said he has loved every minute of his work in the movie business. "This kind of puts the crowning cap on all that," Simon said.

The Oscars, or Academy Awards, for the films of 2011 will be given out in a ceremony in Los Angeles on February 26.

Related Posts-

Lack of Diversity at the Oscars 2011

African Americans at the Academy Awards

Cool Black's Oscar Recap Past & Present

Cool Black's Entertainment Review 2010-Best Movie

Best Picture Race 2011

Eddie Murphy will Host Next Oscar Ceremony

Eddie Murphy named host of 84th Academy Awards

September 6, 2011
12:23 pm

The rumors became a reality Tuesday: Eddie Murphy (pictured left) will host the 84th Academy Awards, which will be telecast Feb. 26 on ABC, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced.

Buzz started circulating over Labor Day weekend that the 50-year-old comedian-actor was being considered for the host job. In some ways, it's no surprise, since Murphy is starring in the upcoming film "Tower Heist," which was directed by Brett Ratner -- who is also producing the Academy Awards show with Don Mischer. "Tower Heist" is set to open in November.

By selecting Murphy, the academy is returning to its comedic host roots. The academy attempted to court younger viewers, hiring James Franco and Anne Hathaway to host the 83rd Academy Awards in February. Franco, who in addition to hosting was nominated for a lead actor Oscar for "127 Hours," was roundly trounced by critics for his lackluster performance; reviews were kinder toward Hathaway.

Over the years, comics including Bob Burns, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Johnny Carson, Chevy Chase, Billy Crystal, David Letterman, Chris Rock, Steve Martin, Whoopi Goldberg and Jon Stewart have hosted the awards. Crystal even admitted recently that he was available to host if the academy wanted him.

"Eddie is a comedic genius, one of the greatest and most influential live performers ever," Ratner said in a statement Tuesday. "With his love of movies, history of crafting unforgettable characters and his iconic performances -- especially onstage -- I know he will bring an excitement, spontaneity and tremendous heart to the show Don and I want to produce in February."

Murphy, who earned a supporting actor Oscar nomination for his dramatic turn in 2006's "Dreamgirls," hasn't been seen on the screen since the 2009 flop "Imagine That," which made just $16.1 million domestically. In fact, another Murphy film, "A Thousand Words," which is now set to open in January, has been on the shelf for more than three years.

However, Murphy has been heard as the wisecracking Donkey in the popular animated "Shrek" franchise.

First coming to fame as a stand-up comedian, he joined NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in 1980 while still a teenager, performing such characters as Buckwheat and Gumby. Murphy made his film debut opposite Nick Nolte in Walter Hill's 1982 buddy action comedy, "48 Hrs.," followed by such hits as 1983's "Trading Places," 1984's "Beverly Hills Cop" and 1988's "Coming to America. " He made his film debut as a director with 1989's "Harlem Nights."

Murphy was named best actor by the National Socitey of Film Critics for his multiple roles in 1996's "The Nutty Professor." Other hits in the 1990s included 1998's "Doctor Dolittle" and 1999's "Life" and "Bowfinger." Save for "Dreamgirls," most of the films he's made recently haven been critically lambasted, including 2003's "The Haunted Mansion," 2007's "Norbit" and 2008's "Meet Dave," which made only $11.9 million.

Check out the trailer for Tower Heist below

UPDATE
Wednesday, November 9, 2011

VIDEO: Eddie Murphy pulls out of Oscars (0:57)

Friday, November 11, 2011
After eight years Billy Crystal will return as the host of the Oscars. The announcement follows days of drama at the Academy after producer Brett Ratner resigned after using a gay slur. One day later, Eddie Murphy, who had been lured by Ratner to host the telecast, canceled his hosting duties. The academy responded by hiring Hollywood veteran Brian Grazer, who chose Crystal as host. Crystal has MCd the show eight times, last hosting in 2004.

The Oscars will air live from Hollywood, California on February 26. Alicia Powell, Reuters.

Best Picture Race 2011

(Top row from Left to right-Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King’s Speech.

Bottom row from Left to right-127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter’s Bone.)

  

For the first time that I can remember I have seen all of the Best Picture nominees of the Academy Awards, in particular the 83rd Annual Academy Awards® .  Quite a feat especially since they expanded the category from five to ten pictures last year. (From 1944 to 2008, the Academy restricted nominations to five Best Picture nominees per year.)

From left to right: Academy Award winner Mo'Nique and Tom Sherak, President of the Academy announcing the nominees for Best Picture January 25, 2011.

Now that the awards are over and I already gave MY pick for Best Picture (linked at the end) here is a more detailed recount of what I thought about each film in alphabetical order. (You can read about each film at Wikipedia by CLICKING each poster below.)

______________________________________________________

BLACK SWAN What a wonderfully trippy film. From beginning to end this picture was just a psychotic break without going too over the top…or totally breaking from reality mostly due to great direction by Darren Aronofsky. Mila Kunis gives another good performance (I liked her performance in Book of Eli as well.) Natalie Portman gives a frenetic yet nuanced performance. It could have easily become scenery chewing and over the top yet didn’t.

______________________________________________________

THE FIGHTER A really good film that gave a different take on the boxer who must over come odds to become champ. This film focused on the boxer’s dysfunctional, yet supportive family. Melissa Leo was good, but Amy Adams was FANTASTIC. Every scene she was in, she was great. The star Mark Walhberg was good too, but Christian Bale had another FANTASTIC performance. His performance also could have been easily become scenery chewing and over the top yet didn’t.

 
 
 

______________________________________________________

INCEPTION Talk about a trip, like Black Swan, this film was sort of a psychotic break WITH ACTION. An excellent film that, even though it had a mind bending story, had an underlying storyline about guilt, grief and love loss. About 30 minutes into the movie I thought, yeah Paris folds onto itself that’s cool, but what else? Well when one of the antagonists interrupts the dream I started thinking “What was that about?” From that moment until the end I was completely into the picture. Great direction by Christopher Nolan and yes the picture is a special effects extravaganza, but great performances by Leonardo DiCaprio,  Marion Cotillard and the rest of the cast add to it. Last, but not least I have to point out Hans Zimmer’s work on the score.  The score is original music written specifically to accompany a film in order to enhance the dramatic narrative and the emotional impact of the scenes in question and Zimmer’s pulsating score did just that! Great direction, special effects, performances and score equal an excellent motion picture.

______________________________________________________

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT A really nice “dramedy”. Every year the academy tends to nominate a really good film that blends comedy, drama and good performances and this was it. Yes Annette Bening gets all the attention (and has some great dramatic scenes) but the rest of the cast, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska  & Josh Hutcherson are also very good. Mark Ruffalo in particular gives a performance that makes you like him, but makes you also think he’s kind of a jerk. A subtlety that’s not easy to accomplish.

______________________________________________________

THE KING’S SPEECH An excellent film all the way around. Great story, direction and pitch perfect acting by and Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. I expected this film to be a nice story of overcoming odds and I’ve read about the great acting, but EVERYTHING about the movie was excellent including the direction by Tom Hooper.

______________________________________________________

127 HOURS How can a movie about some guy who gets his arm trapped by a rock be interesting? Fantastically so. With a great performance by James Franco, the director Danny Boyle really finds ways to make a mostly solitary story interesting. I won’t tell you how, you just have to see it, but the ending is really emotional and I’m not talking about the “pivotal scene”. Great direction by Boyle and a REALLY great performance by James Franco.

______________________________________________________

THE SOCIAL NETWORK Another excellent film all the way around. Great direction, an excellent script and great acting. The WHOLE cast, even the supporting cast, gave great natural performances aided by the director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. Fincher and Sorkin made a story about a bunch of geeks writing computer code interesting and compelling by combining it with a story about power, success and envy.

______________________________________________________

TOY STORY 3 Not much to say other than rarely (if ever?) is a second sequel good, nonetheless excellent and this one was. A very nice and touching way to tie up the trilogy. 

______________________________________________________

TRUE GRIT A really good film, with really good direction, script and performances. The true standout performance though was Hailee Steinfeld (pictured below right) who was EXCELLENT and commanded many scenes she was in. The story starts out with this little girl in pigtails making arrangements for her father’s burial and “making arrangements” is an understatement. She convincingly negotiated the price and the eventual bounty for her father’s killer with men twice (three times?) her age. That kind of convincing portrayal is quite an achievement for a 14 year old.

Hailee Steinfeld

______________________________________________________

WINTER’S BONE This film was so authentic in its story and acting it kind of turned me off when I watched it. It was only in retrospect that I realized what an achievement it was. Some of the most truly authentic acting I have seen in ANY picture last year. Jennifer Lawrence was EXCELLENT in the lead and many of the supporting cast was equally gritty and authentic. An excellent authentic film.

______________________________________________________

I can truly say that EACH OF THE TEN PICTURES I SAW deserved to be nominated for Best Picture. Each film was fantastic in its own right and while the award went to The King’s Speech, for each it SHOULD be an honor to be nominated. I have seen three of my favorites twice now and those being The Social Network, The King’s Speech, and Inception and they still hold up as excellent.

The Oscar is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and having watched ten of their honorees, I have to say yeah, they know what they’re doing.

You can read MY picks for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards by CLICKING the graphic below

Related posts-

Lack of Diversity at the Oscars 2011

African Americans at the Academy Awards

Cool Black's Oscar Recap Past & Present

Cool Black's Entertainment Review 2010-Best Movie

The High Cost of the Oscars

OSCAR: The $135 Million Gift To Los Angeles

Lindsay Miller
The Fiscal Times
Mar. 1, 2011

Director Frank Capra may have called the Oscar “the most valuable but least expensive item of worldwide public relations ever invented by any industry." But producing Hollywood’s biggest night of the year hardly comes cheap. From the lavish food and drink to the gold-plated statuettes themselves, little expense is spared to make this night an entertainment extravaganza, not to mention the economic boost it gives to the city of Los Angeles – over $130 million. Here are a dozen surprising ways money is spent on the Academy Awards.


1. Best Picture Campaign: $15 million and up

From full-page ads in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter to swanky parties and screenings, studios spare little when it comes to championing their films for a best picture win. “The money spent is directly proportional to the ambition,” says a publicist who has worked on several campaigns. “A tiny indie could run a million, while a film like The Social Network could go as high as 15 million or more.”

2. Scalped Ticket: $85,000 and up

Oscar invitees sign a release promising not to resell or give away their coveted seats to the show—but that hasn’t always stopped scalpers. In a 2008 lawsuit, the Academy accused two companies of trying to hawk tickets for as much as $85,000 a pop. In 2009, the Academy brought another suit against an Arizona-based firm that advertised a seven-day trip to Hollywood that included an Oscar ticket, accommodations at the Bel Air hotel, a strut down the red carpet, and other cushy perks for $175,000.

3. Gift Bag: $75,000

Several invite-only gifting suites where stars are lavished with vacations, jewelry, skincare treatments, and other pricey perks are held the week of the awards. So even the losers end up winning: This year, Distinctive Assets, a Los Angeles-based marketing company, will send each Oscar nominee $75,000 worth of swag the morning after the show. Standouts include a getaway to the Maldives worth $16,000 and a six-month gym membership.

4. Champagne: $42,000

Moët & Chandon is providing the bubbly at this year’s official “after” party, the Academy Awards Governors Ball. Organizers expect more than 1,200 bottles of the brand’s Imperial selection to be served, and at $34.99 each, that’s nearly $42,000 of sparkling wine swilled and savored.

5. Red Carpet: $25,000-$30,000

The Oscars’ red carpet is an impressive 500 feet long and 33 feet wide—or 16,500 square feet. A spokesperson for Beverly Hills-based Red Carpet Systems says they would charge $7,500 to rent a red carpet that length at their standard width of just ten feet wide. In fact, most L.A.-area companies that provide the service charge an average of $1 and $1.50 per square foot of carpet. At that rate, the Academy’s walkway could cost as much as $24,750 before taking into account set-up fees, which can also be hefty. Red Carpet Systems says a project the size of Oscar’s could require a crew of about 16 men for four days, and at California’s minimum wage, the labor alone would cost another $3,768.

6. Truffles: $25,000

Master chef Wolfgang Puck has long been the creative force behind the Governors Ball menu. This year’s offerings include heaping tubs of caviar, gold-coated chocolate Oscars, and the most decadent ingredient of all: black truffles. Puck will shave them on pizzas and in a truffle aioli paired with asparagus, Iberico ham, and mizuna leaves. He plans to use about 25 pounds of the fungi—at $1,000 per pound.

7. Hair, Makeup, Eyelashes, Tanning, and More: $5,000-$11,000

On Oscar day, the most in-demand hairstylists, spray-tanners and makeup artists are dispatched to the homes of A-list stars. Top coiffeurs like Oribe reportedly command $5,000 per day—plus gratuity—with a complete hair and makeup team billing as much as $10,000. Add in the cost of eyelash extensions (up to $450), an in-home luxury mani/pedi ($250) and spray tanning by Hollywood favorites like Jimmy Coco ($125), and the total can easily creep beyond the $10K mark.

8. Gown: $4,000-$6,000

Most major celebs don’t pay for their red carpet dresses or diamonds: They borrow the pricey pieces from designers and jewelers. Still, it takes a top-notch wardrobe stylist to select the perfect look and negotiate those loans with fashion houses. Some of Hollywood’s top names, such as Rachel Zoe, command day rates between $4,000 and $6,000 for their services, a tab frequently footed by the movie studio, not the starlet.

9. Security Detail: $2,500-$3,000

Most high-powered A-listers use a bodyguard on a daily basis, but for a special event, they ramp up the protection. Aaron Cohen, founder of IMS-Security and author of Brotherhood of Warriors, has protected stars at previous Oscars. “A celebrity like Angelina [Jolie] will probably have ‘her guy,’ for lack of a better term, and one advance scout to coordinate before she arrives with on-site security,” he says. “They help handle the actual carpet drop with the protective agent, who would then arrive with her.” The cost for this 007-style service? From $2500 to $3000.

10. Getting Trim for the Tux: $500-$5,000

For leading men who want to get in shape fast, military-inspired classes at gyms like Barry’s Bootcamp run about $600 for a package 50 sessions. For one-on-one attention, some of Tinseltown’s most coveted trainers charge about $3,000 per private session. Meal delivery services and cleanses are also popular last-minute fixes. A three-day supply of detox juices from BluPrintCleanse runs $195, while Paleta, an organic food service in Los Angeles and New York City, charges $485 a week.

11. Car and Driver: $1,000-$3,750

With red-carpet arrivals starting in the afternoon and after parties stretching well into the wee hours, the cost of a chauffeured car on Oscar night can rival a mortgage payment. A 2:00 p.m. pick up and 2:00 a.m. drop off will break the $1,000 mark at most L.A. car services. Most companies charge $65 an hour, plus a 20 percent gratuity and additional service and fuel charges. Spring for the stretch limo that seats eight closes friends, managers, agents, and publicists—and you’re looking at as much as $3,750.

12. The Oscar Itself: $500 and up

Each eight-and-a-half-pound Oscar is cast in brittania metal and plated in copper and nickel silver before the finishing touch, a layer of 24-karat gold, is applied. Each statuette costs $500 to produce. While it’s difficult to know exactly how many awards will be handed out in any given year, at least 25 Oscars—$125,000 worth—will be presented on Sunday night’s show.

Related posts-
Cool Black's Oscar Picks 2011

Lack of Diversity at the Oscars 2011

African Americans at the Academy Awards

Cool Black's Oscar Recap Past & Present

External link-
http://abcnews.go.com/entertainment/oscars

African Americans at the Oscars

AFRICAN AMERICAN MILESTONES AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS

By Dankwa Brooks

African Americans have been wholly disregarded for the many achievements in film by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Their 2010 Press Release reads The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization composed of over 6,500 filmmakers whose achievements have placed them at the top of their craft.

Much like early television it became an event when a black person was on the screen. For that same black person to receive recognition from the Academy also became an event. I have tried to enumerate each African American winner and even some notable nominees among them a modern day travesty and you can probably figure out what that was. Having said that…AND THE WINNERS ARE…

1939: Hattie McDaniel (pictured above left) wins Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Gone With the Wind at the 12th Annual Academy Awards.



1947: James Baskett (pictured above right) receives an Honorary Award at the 20th Annual Academy Awards ceremony for his performance in Song of the South.
1963: Sidney Poitier (pictured above) wins Best Actor for his performance in Lilies of the Field at the 36th Annual Academy Awards.



1971: Isaac Hayes (pictured above) would become the first African American to win an Oscar for Best Song for the "Theme From Shaft" for the film Shaft at the 44th Annual Academy Awards.

__________________________________________________

NOTABLE NOMINATIONS
In 1972 For the first time in Academy history, three of the Best Actor and Best Actress nominees were black performers - Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson in Sounder, and Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues. (However, none of the trio of black 'actors' won.)

• Paul Winfield (with his sole nomination) as sharecropper Nathan Lee Morgan in Sounder


• Cicely Tyson (with her sole nomination) as sharecropper Rebecca Morgan in Sounder


• Diana Ross (with her sole nomination for her screen debut) as drug-addicted singing great Billie Holliday in director Sidney Furie's biopic Lady Sings the Blues (with five nominations and no wins)


• Lonne Elder III was the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay for the feature film Sounder. He and writer William H. Armstrong shared the writing credits for this film.

__________________________________________________

1982: Louis Gossett Jr. wins Best Supporting Actor for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman at the 55th Annual Academy Awards.

__________________________________________________


1984: Best Music, Original Song For the song "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from The Woman in Red -- Music and Lyric by Stevie Wonder at the 57th Annual Academy Awards.
__________________________________________________


1985: Lionel Richie wins for Best Original Song with his hit theme to the film White Knights, "Say You, Say Me" at the 58th Annual Academy Awards.
__________________________________________________

On March 24, 1986 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California a travesty happened. The 1985 film The Color Purple was nominated for ELEVEN Academy Awards and did not win any at the 58^th Annual Academy Awards.

Below in an attempt to draw some recognition of the film’s achievements I have listed all eleven nominations. It must be noted that the director of the film, Steven Spielberg was NOT nominated for Best Director even though his film was nominated for Best Picture.

1. Best Picture-The Color Purple, Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Quincy Jones, producers (Warner Bros.)

2. Actress in a Leading Role-Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple

3. Actress in a Supporting Role-Margaret Avery, The Color Purple and Oprah Winfrey, The Color Purple

4. Actress in a Supporting Role- Oprah Winfrey, The Color Purple

5. Screenplay Based on Material From Another Medium-Menno Meyjes, The Color Purple

6. Cinematography-Allen Daviau, The Color Purple

7. Art Direction-J. Michael Riva and Robert W. Welch, art direction; Linda DeScenna, set decoration, The Color Purple

8. Best Song “Miss Celie's Blues” (Sister), The Color Purple, Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton, music; Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton and Lionel Richie, lyrics

9. Original Score-Quincy Jones, Jeremy Lubbock, Rod Temperton, Caiphus Semenya, Andrae Crouch, Chris Boardman, Jorge Calandrelli, Joel Rosenbaum, Fred Steiner, Jack Hayes, Jerry Hey and Randy Kerber, The Color Purple

10. Costume Design-Aggie Guerard Rodgers, The Color Purple

11. Makeup-Ken Chase, The Color Purple

________________________________________________________

1989: Denzel Washington wins Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Glory at the 62nd Academy Awards.

__________________________________________________

NOTABLE NOMINATION


1989: Spike Lee is nominated for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Do The Right Thing at the 62nd Academy Awards.

__________________________________________________

1990: Whoopi Goldberg wins Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Ghost at the 63rd Annual Academy Awards. __________________________________________________

NOTABLE NOMINATION

1991: John Singleton is nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Boyz N the Hood at the 64th Annual Academy Awards.

__________________________________________________

NOTABLE NOMINATIONS

1993: Angela Bassett is nominated for Best Actress for her performance in What's Love Got to Do with It at the 66th Annual Academy Awards.

1993: Laurence Fishburne is nominated for Best Actor for his performance in What's Love Got to Do with It at the 66th Annual Academy Awards.

_________________________________________________

1996: Cuba Gooding Jr. wins Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Jerry Maguire at the 69th Annual Academy Awards.

__________________________________________________

NOTABLE NOMINATIONS

1997: Spike Lee and Sam Pollard are nominated for Best Documentary Feature film for 4 Little Girls at the 70th Annual Academy Awards.

(They are both pictured Sam Pollard left, Spike Lee right for their 2007 Emmy wins for "Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking" for "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" (2006).


__________________________________________________


2001: Halle Berry (pictured above right) wins Best Actress for her performance in Monster's Ball at the 74th Annual Academy Awards.


2001: Denzel Washington (pictured above left) wins Best Actor for his performance in Training Day at the 74th Annual Academy Awards.

2001: Sidney Poitier (pictured above) wins a Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award at the 74th Annual Academy Awards.

__________________________________________________

2004: Jamie Foxx (pictured above left) wins Best Actor for his performance in Ray at the 77th Academy Awards.

2004: Morgan Freeman (pictured above right) wins Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Million Dollar Baby at the 77th Academy Awards.

__________________________________________________

2006: Three 6 Mafia (pictured above) wins for Best Original Song for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from the film Hustle & Flow at the 74th Annual Academy Awards.

__________________________________________________

2007: Forrest Whitaker (pictured above left) wins Best Actor for his performance in The Last King of Scotland at the 79th Academy Awards.
2007: Jennifer Hudson (pictured above right) wins Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Dreamgirls at the 79th Academy Awards.

__________________________________________________

NOTABLE NOMINATIONS

In 2010 Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire was nominated for SIX Academy Awards and two other achievements. Lee Daniels is only the second African American director to be nominated for Best Director and his film is the ONLY film directed by an African American to be nominated for Best Picture. Below are all six nominations.

In writing this blog entry I had only anticipated Mo'Nique to be the only Oscar winner from this film. I am now most spectacularly suprised, happy and proud to be able to add another to this list and perhaps the most significant of all the winners to me.

As a filmmaker, in recent years I have focused on directing, but those that know (and you should) know that I got my start in filmmaking screenwriting. Screenwriting, unlike directing, is the one part of filmmaking that you can do with little to no budget and a young black kid with no money, but plenty of imagination can aspire to accomplish. Congratulations to the newest additions to this list and perhaps my favorite of them all Geoffrey Fletcher.

· Best Picture

· Best Director-Lee Daniels

· Best Actress-Gabourey Sidibe

· Best Supporting Actress-Mo'Nique

· Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)-Geoffrey Fletcher

· Best Film Editing-Joe Klotz

2010: Mo'Nique (pictured above) wins Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire at the 82nd Academy Awards.

2010: Geoffrey Fletcher (pictured above) became the first African American to win a writing award. Fletcher took home the gold statue for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) for Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire at the 82nd Academy Awards.

________________________________________________

If I have any omissions or errors please let me know and am looking forward to adding more to this illustrious list!


FEBRUARY 2015
On our parent blog the 'Nother Brother Entertainment blog Excellent Film About Academy Awards Diversity 

Oscar 2009 Recap

Well the 81st Annual Academy Awards were definitely scaled down. The producers said they were trying something different and they did. What resulted didn’t seem like the biggest night in Hollywood to me. The stage was right in the audience’s lap and the usually lame musical numbers were…usually lame. Hugh Jackman is great, but when Beyonce can’t even make a musical number better, it’s bad. The FOW (Former Oscar Winners) presenting the acting awards was a nice idea, but when a FOW can’t read a teleprompter it became awkward. The best speeches from a FOW were the ones that seemed from the heart and not read.

Aside from the actual ceremony, the best moments were Heath Ledger’s and Kate Winslet’s wins. Heath Ledger’s acting has been excellent and his work as the Joker in TDK (The Dark Knight) was no different. I’ve only seen him in two previous films, Monster’s Ball and Brokeback Mountain, but he was excellent in both. When I watched him in TDK he wasn’t an actor playing a looney bin, he was just a looney bin. When an actor makes you believe in a character and makes you forget they are “acting” THAT’S ACTING.

Kate Winslet has been equally excellent for a long time. I’ve also only seen her in a few films, Titanic (of course), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Life of David Gale where she played “Bitsey Bloom”. The Life of David Gale was a horrible movie, but her performance was the best thing about the film and I said the film should have been called “The Life of Bitsey Bloom”. Congratulations to her, finally.

The winners in two of my favorite categories were:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black for "Milk"

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Simon Beaufoy for "Slumdog Millionaire"

I kind of have my own personal backlash against Slumdog Millionaire. I probably would never watch a movie like this, just not my cup of tea, and all of the hype about it doesn’t endear it to me. I’ll probably watch it on DVD to see what all the hype is about, but I’m not rushing out to see it. Congratulations to it though for it is a true underdog story and congrats to all of the winners. Here’s to next year.

In case you missed it a list of the major winners followed by the funniest moment of the night.

BEST PICTURE
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, producer

LEAD ACTOR
Sean Penn in "Milk" (Focus Features)

LEAD ACTRESS
Kate Winslet in "The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)

DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle for "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (The Weinstein Company)

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Anthony Dod Mantle for "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

This was the funniest moment of the night followed by the appearance that inspired it