academy awards
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Cicely Tyson Will Be the 1st Black Woman Awarded an Honorary Oscar—But She's Always Been 1st to Us [Updated]
As Cicely Tyson clearly demonstrated during Aretha Franklin’s funeral, she can elevate any moment. But of course, we knew that already. At 93, Tyson has been chosen to receive an honorary Oscar this fall by the the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She’ll be the first black woman…
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Accused Oscar Thief Vows to Fight Felony Charge
The man accused of stealing Frances McDormand’s Oscar for best actress says that he will fight the felony charges pressed against him by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Terry Bryant appeared in court in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon to plead not guilty to swiping the coveted award. As the Los…
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It’s Hot to Be Unapologetically Black … Until It’s Presented Like Tiffany Haddish
Once upon a time (somewhat) long ago, I had a hankering for Popeyes Chicken during lunch hour at work. It was one of our extra-busy days, so I needed to do a grab-and-go. As the promising waft of Louisiana lust soothed my nose, I was hit with a wave of heaviness: “Wait, do I really…
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So … Will Hollywood Finally Learn This Lesson, or Nah?
When writer-director Jordan Peele won his Best Original Screenplay Oscar for 2017’s biggest hit, Get Out, I cheered. When cast members of 2018’s biggest hit so far, Marvel’s Black Panther, walked the red carpet at the 90th Academy Awards, I swooned. And when I looked out at the sea of (mostly) white people attending the…
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There Will Be No Time’s Up Dress Code at the Oscars, but #MeToo Is Still on People’s Minds
Make no mistake: Just because you don’t see a sea of diaphanous black gowns and sharp, black tuxes at the Oscars red carpet this Sunday doesn’t mean the Time’s Up movement didn’t show up. Unlike the Golden Globes, around which the Hollywood-backed initiative born out of the #MeToo movement was announced, there will be no…
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Some Older Academy Voters Won’t Let Get Out Be Oscar-Great, Haven’t Even Watched Film
Even though the film was nominated for four major Academy Awards this year, including Best Picture and Best Director, some longtime Oscar voters still haven’t watched Get Out because they don’t deem it Oscar material. The news comes courtesy of a recent Vulture interview with new members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and…
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#StillRootingForEverybodyBlack: Here Are the 2018 Oscar Nominees
Today is the day. The 2018 Oscar nominees were announced bright and early Tuesday morning for the 90th annual ceremony. Comedian-actor Tiffany Haddish and actor-director Andy Serkis announced this year’s list of nominees from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater, and if, like me, you’re just here to root for everybody black (I said what I said),…
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Real Talk, Viola Davis's Spontaneous Snot Bubble In Fences Should Have Won An Oscar Too
It’s been over a week since Viola Davis won her first Academy Award for her portrayal of “Rose” in Denzel Washington’s screen adaptation of August Wilson’s iconic and devastating Fences; bringing her one step closer to coveted EGOT status. Which means it’s been over a week since the biggest travesty of awards season took place. And…
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Racial Progress in Film Remains Slow Drag 30 Years After Hollywood Shuffle
Robert Townsend’s Hollywood Shuffle was released 30 years ago this year. Although it couldn’t have been noted at the time, Shuffle became a foundational film that launched the careers of two of our most prolific filmmakers and made us aware of an entire family of comedic geniuses—the Wayans family. I most remember the film for…
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Even When White People Finally Get It Right, They Still Get It Wrong
In one of the most entertaining “spontaneous” bits I’ve ever seen performed at the Academy Awards, Jimmy Kimmel allowed a group of flabbergasted and starstruck tourists into the Dolby Theater to walk past the audience. This, of course, introduced the world to #GaryFromChicago and his wife — computer generated composites of every Black uncle and…