Shocker! Avatar Nearly Shut Out of NAACP Image Awards
In a mighty blow to the wave of goodwill and positive buzz backing Avatar on its way to the Oscars comes news that James Cameron's groundbreaking film -- a sci-fi allegory about blue people voiced by black people representing red people -- has been nearly shut out of the 41st annual NAACP Image Awards. It earned one nomination: for best supporting actress, no less, for Zoe Saldana. So what did earn the accolades of the ceremony billing itself as "the multi-cultural awards show, from an African Amercian [sic] point of view?" Confirm your suspicions after the jump.
Yes, Precious leads the pack with eight nominations, including a directing nod for Lee Daniels, and acting nods for Gabourey Sidibe for best actress, and Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, Paula Patton and Lenny Kravitz in the supporting categories. Also nominated for best actress are Movieline interview subject Sophie Okonedo, for Skin, Anika Noni Rose for her voice work in The Princess and the Frog, and Taraji P. Henson, for her work in Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself. Why Princess Tiana is a lead but Neytiri isn't I don't know, though I'd hazard a guess she's being unfairly penalized for straying out of race to depict someone of Na'vi Amercian [sic] heritage. Sadly, Dakota Fanning's Volturi Italian work in New Moon was overlooked, denying her back-to-back nominations.
Denzel Washington (The Taking of Pelham 123), Jamie Foxx (Law Abiding Citizen) and Obsessed's Idris Elba round out the best actor category, the latter singled out for special achievement in Crazy White Bitch cinema. And in what will likely be 2012's only triumphs in the non-technical categories this awards season, Roland Emmerich's disaster film earned two supporting actor nods: one for the compelling Chiwetel Ejiofor, the other for Danny Glover, who we completely forgot was in that movie.
In TV categories, outstanding comedy nominations went to 30 Rock, Everybody Hates Chris (that's still on?), Glee, Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Ugly Betty, while Cold Case, Grey's Anatomy, HawthoRNe, Lincoln Heights and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency are vying for outstanding drama. The show airs live on Fox, Feb. 26th. Hopefully they'll have fixed that typo by then.
The full nomination list is on the next page.
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Comments
Damn, are black roles so hard to come by that they're nominating a voice performance in the Best Actress category.
Hold on - wasn't "District 9" supposed to be an allegory on Apartheid, or is metaphorical representation of minorities by automatons excluded as well?
* Daryl “Chill” Mitchell - “Brothers” (FOX)
Bask in that. It has to be the only recognition that show is EVER likely to see.
Zoe for Supporting, not Lead? Hometree is crying out in pain!
Still glad to see _Amreeka_ and _The Maid_ get some love..
Not voiced. PLAYED!
It's not a voice performance!
From now on anyone appearing in a "James Cameron Personal Vision" will only be eligible for a Best Supporting Nomination as they were merely pawns for Cameron's "MAGIC"...
No it's voiced not played. An actor lends their voice to a cartoon character. The cartoonists and illustrators are the ones who control the actual performing.
off topic here but isn't the institution strictly meant for the cultural and economical advancement of one specific race considered racist in it's self.. oh wait black people formed it so it's ok