Oscars
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Raphael Saadiq Talks to VSB About Being Nominated for an Oscar, His Musical Legacy and Exercising to Wu-Tang Clan
A lot of eyes in the black community will be on this Sunday’s 90th Academy Awards. Thanks to films Get Out and Mudbound, several black folks are in the running for a coveted Oscar on the movie industry’s biggest night. One such nominee is the song “Mighty River” from the Mudbound soundtrack, which is up…
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There’s Something About Mary: Why We Can’t Stop Talking About Mary J. Blige
Just when we think we know the unmitigated glory that is Mary J. Blige, she shape-shifts, leveling up her glamour to unimaginable new heights. This is the only way to describe her latest appearance on the cover of New York magazine, where she somehow seems to channel both Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe, but mostly…
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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…