Oscars
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#OscarsSoBlackAndWhite and the Myth of Black Privilege
It’s become an annual late-January Twitter tradition to examine, cheer and/or mock the diversity (or lack thereof) of the Oscar nominees ever since writer, activist and media critic April Reign started the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite in 2015. But as the derivative hashtag #OscarsSoBlackAndWhite rears its ugly head once again this year, it’s worth revisiting a countertradition:…
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Love Without a (Price) Limit: Love Mary J.’s Look at the SAG Awards? Get It With Black Opal!
It’s no secret that we’re all about Mary J. Blige’s glow up this awards season; in fact, we’re not sure we’ve stanned this hard for her since What’s the 411? The singer and actress has been nominated for Golden Globe, Critics Choice and Screen Actors Guild awards, and now a history-making two Oscar nods for…
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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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From Broadway to a Dynasty to a Legacy: All Hail Glow Up Goddess Diahann Carroll
Inspired by the growing number of black female leads on television and film? Thank trailblazing performer Diahann Carroll. Sixty years of striving and of stunning audiences have earned her a 1962 Tony for No Strings, the 1969 Golden Globe for the television series Julia (plus two subsequent nominations), a 1975 Oscar nomination for Best Actress…
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The 10 Blackest Moments of 2017, Ranked
2017 has been a motherfucker of a year. Despite this fact, blackness has flourished. We’ve seen a resurgence of pride and excitement in blackness that is reminiscent of the Black Power movement of the ’60s. From #BlackGirlMagic to #BlackBoyJoy, Dead Mike from mythical rap group CB4 is outchea looking like a damn prophet as so…
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Halle Berry Thought Oscar Win Would Open the Door for More Diversity
In 2002, Halle Berry became the first black woman to win a best actress Oscar after her performance in Monster’s Ball, and during her acceptance speech, she dedicated her award to “every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened.” And now, 15 years later, Berry…
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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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Gary From Chicago’s Redemption Road: Whom Do We Forgive and When?
Well, so much for 15 minutes of fame. Gary Alan Coe—or, as we lovingly (and laughingly) came to know him, “Gary from Chicago”—barely got five to enjoy being a media darling after the unexpected hilarity he brought to Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony. Aside from the surprise ending (and triumphant underdog win of Moonlight), most agreed…
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Actor Anthony Anderson Offers to Marry ‘Gary From Chicago’ and His Fiancee
If there was anyone from Sunday night’s Oscars who had the time of their lives, it was Gary from Chicago and his fiancee, Vickie. The lucky couple were part of a tour-bus group that got to mix and mingle with celebrities in the midst of the award show. Gary Coe and Vickie immediately went viral…
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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…