Fall TV Diversity Scorecard

Sure, we have a black president now, but do you want to see a real sign of racial progress? Read the full article with more pictures at the link below courtesy of TV SQUAD

Fall TV Diversity Scorecard

Oscar Micheaux: Going postal

The 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage series, to be issued June 22, honors pioneering filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, who wrote, directed, produced and distributed more than 40 movies during the first half of the 20th century. An ambitious, larger-than-life figure, Micheaux thrived at a time when African-American filmmakers were rare, venues for their work were scarce, and support from the industry did not exist. Micheaux’s entrepreneurial spirit and independent vision continue to inspire new generations of filmmakers and artists.

This stamp features a stylized portrait of Oscar Micheaux by Gary Kelley. The artwork is based on one of the few surviving photographs of Micheaux, a portrait that appeared in his 1913 novel The Conquest.

Although only 15 of his movies are known to have survived in whole or in part, Micheaux has become a cinematic icon. In 1986, he was posthumously awarded a special Directors Guild of America award. In 1995, the Producers Guild of America established the Oscar Micheaux Award to honor “an individual or individuals whose achievements in film and television have been accomplished despite difficult odds.”

July 7, 2010 UPDATE: USA Philatelic (stamp collectors) has a great page with LINKS to collectors editions of the stamp right here

What are the "Upfronts"?

I LOVE the Upfronts. Upfront week for television is when you learn what's been officially cancelled and get scoop on the upcoming new television shows.

Some shows get "early renewals", but for most shows they have to wait until their network's Upfront presentation to find out. The people on the show (cast and crew) of course finds out before, but not that long before. Usually news will leak to the media about what is cancelled, but the network Upfront presentation is the official word.

What exactly are the Upfronts though?

In the North American television industry, an upfront is a meeting hosted at the start of important advertising sales periods by television network executives, attended by the press and major advertisers. It is so named because of its main purpose, to allow marketers to buy commercial airtime "up front", or several months before the television season begins.

In the United States, the major broadcast networks' upfronts occur in New York City during the third week of May, the last full week of that month's sweeps period. The networks announce their fall primetime schedules, including tentative launch dates (i.e., fall or midseason) for new programming, which may be "picked up" the week before. The programming announcements themselves are usually augmented with clips from the new series, extravagant musical numbers, comedic scenes, and appearances by network stars, and take place at grand venues such as Radio City Music Hall or Carnegie Hall. Most cable networks present earlier in the spring since they usually program for the summer months; press attention to these announcements is usually much lighter.-Wikipedia

Most times though you here about cancelled shows early like the cancellation this year of the venerable Law & Order. During the summer the networks hype their new shows with television and print ads and most notably during the Television Critics Association summer press tour.

To be all on the scoop like I am you can check out Broadcasting & Cable magazine's page devoted to the Upfronts at the link below by clicking the graphic. WARNING: This is from an industry trade magazine and may get "industry technical". If you have questions post them in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them.-Dankwa Brooks

May 4, 2011

posted a great article that sheds light on the whole "pilot season" upfront process here

May 23, 2011
The Best and Worst of Upfront Week 2011 : "It didn't stop raining all week, a cable network exec by far was the biggest star on any stage and a flash mob even broke out at a network run by a guy named Pedowitz. Yes, Upfront Week 2011 left us all with plenty of memories."

May 24, 2010

The Best and Worst of Upfront Week 2010 : "We won’t really know anything about the new slate of shows until the fall, but this year’s upfront presentations had plenty of highs and lows. If you couldn’t score a hot upfront ticket, here’s what you missed."

Why Did I Get Married Too? Box Office so far

Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?

Production Budget: $20 million
Release Date: April 2, 2010
Domestic Total as of Apr. 14, 2010: $50,221,047

PROFIT: About $30 million so far.









Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?

Production Budget: $15 million
Release Date: October 12, 2007
Domestic Total Gross: $55,204,525

PROFIT: About $43 million.

*Note: films like these i.e. black films traditionally don't make money overseas and this film was no exception. The film made only $658,361 overseas box office.



August 20, 2010 UPDATE

Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?

Production Budget: $20 million
Release Date: April 2, 2010
Domestic Total Gross as of August 20, 2010: $60,095,852

PROFIT: About $40 million so far.

This title will be released on DVD on August 31, 2010

No Feud-Spike Lee & Tyler Perry

No Feud by Spike Lee

Wednesday, 17 March 2010 09:05

Despite what has been written or said I'm not feuding with Tyler Perry. I was on a show being interviewed by Host Ed Gordon. The only words pulled from my answer about Mr. Perry were 'Coonery and Buffoonery'. Please read the below transcript of the exchange. I feel Artists should be able to critique each other's work, Athletes and Musicians have been doing this for ages. As long as it's given in a loving spirit (which my opinions were) it's all good.

Thank you for reading.
Spike Lee
Filmmaker
Brooklyn, New York
3/17/10

-------------------------------------

Transcript from Our World with Black Enterprise:
Segment where host Ed Gordon with Director and Filmmaker Spike Lee talk about diversifying African American imagery
Aired: May 30, 2009

ED GORDON

There is a sense of in our community...I remember having people come to me if I interviewed the president and say, 'oh that's great' but then we'd look at our numbers and if I had interviewed Whitney or Oprah the numbers were much, much bigger. There's a school of thought that says, 'oh, we're not diversifying our imagery enough in our community,' yet there are certain images whether they be in plays, or movies, or music that we flock to -whether we like to admit it or not. I'm wondering is that just the black middle class saying, ' Oh no, that's not what we want,' but a lot of us wanting it?

SPIKE LEE

Well, this is a complex subject because each artist should be allowed to pursue their artistic endeavor, but I still think there's a lot of stuff that's on today that's coonery and buffoonery... and I know it's making a lot of money-

Audience applause.

SPIKE LEE (CONT'D)

Breaking records but we could do better. That's just my opinion. I'm a huge basketball fan and when I watch the games on TNT I see these two ads for these two shows and I'm scratching my head, ya know? We got a black president. Are we going back to Mantan Moreland and Sleep N' Eat?

Audience laughter.

ED GORDON

Yet, if those films, and we're talking about Tyler Perry at this point -

Audience laughter.

ED GORDON (CONT'D)

No, I mean look...I'm not saying...let's not give them fodder for tabloid...I'm not saying we're talking about Tyler Perry, but those are the shows that we're talking about. If we're talking about that and we look at the numbers that come and see his movies ... that view the shows on TBS...my question is that, maybe, what Black America wants to see?

SPIKE LEE

A large part.

Mumbles in the audience.

ED GORDON

I hear a lot of no's in the audience but a lot of people are watching it.

SPIKE LEE

Here's the thing though, we've had this discussion back and forth because when John Singleton...people came out to see Boyz N' Da Hood. He did Rosewood...nobody showed up. So, a lot of this is on us. A lot of this is on us, we…you vote with your pocketbook, your wallet, your time sitting in front of the idiot box. And the man has a huge audience. Tyler's very smart...in what's he done. He started off with these plays. Church buses would pull up packed and he's parlayed it into...bought his own jet. If you could buy a jet, you got money.

Audience laughter.

SPIKE LEE (CONT'D)

But at the same time, for me, just imagery is troubling.

ED GORDON

Is there disappointment from you as a director and an African American that Miracle at St. Anna won't get the same audience as some of the other movies that you will make and, therefore, the idea of what we support?

SPIKE LEE

Here's the thing, DVD is the director's best friend. A lot of people have come up to me and said they like the film a lot. For whatever reason they didn't get to see it in the theatre but they definitely got the bootleg

Audience laughter.

SPIKE LEE (CONT'D)

Or watched it on television - Pay Per View - and even if nobody showed up, I wanted to make that film because Hollywood historically has omitted the contribution of 1.1 African American men and women who fought and died for this country in World War Two and I just got tired of seeing these films again, again and again which does not give any love to us. The first person that died for this country was a black man. Crispus Attucks. We're more patriotic than anybody.

-------------(END)-----------------

November 2013 

Spike elaborates more on his differences with Tyler Perry
 

October 2019
Tyler Perry named a soundstage at his new studio after Spike Lee.
This is his pic from his Instagram.

You can see his post and read what he wrote HERE

See an interview with Spike on the Red Carpet of the Grand Opening of the studio below


Click their names below to see ALL of our posts about them.

• Spike Lee
• Tyler Perry

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network reveals its upcoming slate of shows

Oprah Winfrey plans nighttime show on her network

By FRAZIER MOORE-Business Week

NEW YORK

Calling her new venture "the network built on great intentions," Oprah Winfrey says her sleeves are rolled up to make the Oprah Winfrey Network "all that I know it can be."


What will those great intentions look like? Speaking to media buyers Thursday at a presentation by partner Discovery Communications, Winfrey filled in a few of the gaps that have left people wondering just what her round-the-clock network will be since she announced it in January 2008.
She took her audience through a dozen or so new shows planned for OWN after its launch next Jan. 1, and offered reassurance that she would be appearing on the 24-hour network she'll also be guiding from behind the scenes.


After reigning in daytime for a quarter-century, she moves to nights to host a show called "Oprah's Next Chapter" that will release her from the confines of a studio and talk-show format for conversations and travel around the world.


"I'll do it anywhere, I'll do it anytime, with anybody I want," she summed up saucily. Expected to air two or three nights a week, "Oprah's Next Chapter" is scheduled to premiere in late 2011. That will be shortly after Winfrey lays to rest her weekday syndicated talk show at the close of its 25th season, a milestone she had said "feels right in my bones" when she made her plans official on the air last November.


A joint venture of Winfrey's Harpo Inc. and Discovery Communications Inc., OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network will replace the Discovery Health Channel and be available in approximately 80 million homes.
Winfrey, 56, said her network is "a dream that I've been carrying around for years," explaining that with OWN she meant to "take what I've established in daytime -- inspiring people and giving them hope and new cars -- and build on that, 24-7."


The network will also show her in "Behind the Scenes: The Oprah Show Final Season," a "docuseries" that gives viewers an intimate look at the final season of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Judging from the sample clip, this show will let it all hang out. Winfrey is seen with her staff preparing for a show dressed down, sans makeup, her hair in rollers.
She had other shows to tout:


-- "Visionaries: Inside the Creative Mind," on which the world's top talent take viewers inside their creative process, offering an opportunity to see how they bring their art to life. Included on the roster are Academy Award-winning director James Cameron, photographer Annie Leibovitz and performer will.i.am, founding member of the Black Eyed Peas, whom she welcomed to the stage.


-- "Your Own Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star," which, co-produced with reality TV giant Mark Burnett, will mount a nationwide search to discover the next big TV personality.


-- "Gayle King Live!" will bring to TV the radio show of Oprah's best friend.


-- "Why Not? With Shania Twain" is a reality show chronicling the trials and triumphs of the hot-selling country music star. (Joining Winfrey on stage, Twain summarized her late-gained philosophy of life: "If I can't find three reasons not to do it, I say, 'Why not?'").


These new series join a slate of previously announced shows including:


-- "Breaking Down the Bars," billed as a prison show whose women inmates have a shot at rehabilitation and atonement.


-- "Enough Already" will send home-organization guru Peter Walsh on a quest to help people declutter their lives.


-- "In the Bedroom with Dr. Laura Berman" aims to help couples with their relationships and sex lives.


-- "Inside with Lisa Ling" reports on unexpected people from far-flung locations.


-- "Kidnapped by the Kids" enables kids to take drastic steps to reclaim Mom and Dad from a routine of too much work and not enough attention for their youngsters.


-- "The Miracle Detectives" sets a believer and a skeptic on the trail of amazing events that couldn't possibly have happened -- or could they?


-- "Oprah Presents: Master Class" spotlights intriguing personalities hand-picked by Oprah (including Bono, Simon Cowell, Lorne Michaels and Condoleezza Rice) who share their stories, insights and lives.


-- "The Swell Life" takes a look inside the family of former competitive surfer Izzy Paskowitz, his wife Danielle and their three children (one of whom is autistic), as well as their surf school business.


-- "Searching" puts search specialist and genealogist Pam Slaton on the trail of the person who can complete another person's "life story."
------


On the Net:
http://www.oprah.com/own

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.

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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.

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

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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.
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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.
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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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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).


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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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