theblackactor.com

It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp Won!

I still ain’t over this.

    

To this day, I still can’t believe Jordan Houston, Cedric Colemand and Paul Beauregard (a/k/a Three 6 Mafia) won an Oscar for best Original Song for “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from Hustle & Flow (2005).

    

A snippet of the lyrics of the song follows. These lyrics… this song… this is what we receive praise for, what we are rewarded for, what we are led to believe is valuable and what is recognized as good…

 

    

“a whole lot of bitches talkin shit”

 

“Gotta couple hoes workin on the changes”

 

“Niggaz hatin on me cause I got, hoes on the tray”

    

I am appalled not because it’s a rap song or because I feel that rap songs lack creativity or are otherwise unworthy of Academy Award recognition.

    

But this song? This song?

    

I’m laughing to myself now, recalling when they announced this song had won. I was absolutely mortified. I still am.

    

The blame goes on those who decided to award this award. I don't blame Three 6 Mafia. They merely wrote a song –- a song that was perfectly in line with the content and atmosphere of the film. They must have been shocked when they were nominated. They had to be floored when they won. I think this clearly was a mockery of us as a race. 

    

I definitely believe the award was racist and mean-spirited and was meant to secretly, silently taunt and ridicule us.

 

    

I don’t mean to get conspiracy-theorist on you, but I’m just sayin’.

Queen Latifah and that 2003 Oscar Nomination

I was quite surprised when, in 2003, King Queen Latifah was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Matron Mama Morton in Chicago. It was unbelievable, really. She did her job. Nothing more. Her performance was neither great nor Oscar-worthy.

Jennifer Hudson and that 2007 Oscar

When she snared the 2007 Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Dreamgirls, I thought, “She won an Oscar for this role??!!!” I was dumbfounded. I thought Jennifer Hudson’s film debut was very good. I liked her in the role and she handled it very well and very professionally. She was impressive. 
    
Was she good in the role? Yes. There is definitely some acting talent there. Was her performance impressive for a first time acting effort?  Absolutely. It definitely was. Was it great? I think not. Was it Oscar-worthy? 
    
I think not.
    
As for the others…
    
In my mind, right away, Rinko Kikuchi (Babel) and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) were eliminated from contention.  That left Cate Blanchett (Notes On a Scandal) and Adriana Barraza (Babel). 
    
Blanchett, Barraza and Hudson.
    
Cate Blanchett
    
Seems like her role was the meatiest. She had more screen time than the others. Blanchett’s character had a lot going on. Blanchett was free to dig into the character and express a range of emotions and she was free to make the character her own. Because she is an actress who knows what she’s doing, she handled this very well. Hers was unquestionably a good performance.  That being said, I don’t know that I’d say she could have been a “hands down” winner.
    
But sometimes there are no “hands down” winners.
    
Adriana Barraza
    
Very good, solid, credible performance. Her character was conflicted and continually used bad judgment. I thought Barraza was good in the role.
    
Jennifer Hudson
    
She had a moment or two of dramatic intensity but she did nothing throughout the rest of the movie that demonstrated exceptional acting ability. Hudson brought sassy, sistagirl swagger to the role; sometimes, I thought, a bit too much.
    
I don’t think there was anything particularly challenging about the script. Her character is not very complex and there is not much in the role that lent itself to a dazzling display of acting prowess. Despite this, Hudson never disappoints.
    
Though I don’t think Hudson’s role was as challenging as the others’, it was likely challenging on a personal level… all the world looking at you… first time out, etc.  So, I give her great praise for not making a fool of herself.
    
For me (regardless of what the Academy says), the winner has to convince me, unequivocally, that theirs was the better performance. Jennifer Hudson did not do that for me. It’s kind of like the pumpkin head Barry Bonds asterisk situation. 
    
I’m not seeing her win as unmistakable or undeniable. Do you?
    
Was I happy to see Jennifer Hudson win?  Well...
    
I believe that since Hudson was a non-actress, the expectations were low. So, when Hudson held her own in Dreamgirls, she was exalted to great, grand actress of the world. So, I think, instead of looking at her performance as just good, people think she killed it.
    
If I thought Jennifer Hudson was the clear winner and gave a great performance, I would be thrilled for her… and for us, as blackfolk. But… there’s the asterisk. And because that asterisk is there, my feelings about her win are mixed. I want to be thrilled for Miss Hudson. I do.
    
So, who would I have picked to win?  It’s hard to say. There was something about Adriana Barraza’s performance that was endearing. Maybe I’ll go with her… or Cate Blanchett… no, Adriana Barraza… could be Cate Blanchett… no, I’ll say Adriana Barraza… I think. LOL.
    
As many of you know, Jennifer Hudson is working on her current film, Sex in the City and has completed production on another. We’ll keep an eye on the talented Jennifer Hudson and watch as her acting career progresses. I hope she enjoys continued success. I look forward to seeing her future work.

Gotta watch all the Oscar-nominated pics, y'all

I almost made a big mistake. Actually, I’ve made the mistake several times before. I was about to do it on this blog.

    

Over the years, with black actors winning Oscars now, I have had an opinion one way or another about the wins of Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, and others. This year, I formed an opinion about Jennifer Hudson’s Oscar win. 

    

I was about to post that opinion, until I realized the error of my ways.

    

The opinions I have formed about these wins are invalid, since they are shaped by ignorance. Why? Because I never saw all of the other films in any given category. How can I possibly say if I thought Hudson should have won if I haven’t seen the other performances… all the other performances?

    

To express a half-baked, half-formed opinion would do an injustice to Jennifer Hudson, the other nominees in the category, myself and the readers of this blog. So, I had to be taken to task. It is my responsibility to watch the other performances. It is only then that I can make an informed judgment about the Hudson’s performance in comparison to the other actresses in the category.

    

We can sit around and say who should and shouldn’t have won. But how, in all fairness, can we make these declarations unless we examine all the other Oscar-nominated performances? Realistically, it is really only by astute observation that we can arrive at a valid and intelligent opinion… one which will lead to intelligent and informed discourse.  Alternatively, you’ll have people with misshapen opinions engaging in a meaningless gabfest.

    

If I only watch Dreamgirls (2006), all I (and everybody else) can really say is that I believe Jennifer Hudson’s performance was Oscarworthy… or not. 

    

I owe that to myself. And to the readers of this blog.

    

P.S.  And, for whatever it’s worth, if you watch all the films in a category, it will be an opportunity you might not have otherwise taken to explore different genres and presumably, good filmmaking.

Black Actors Who Have Won Oscars

1939 - Hattie McDaniel - Best Supporting Actress -- Gone With The Wind
    
1948 – James Baskett – Honorary Award for his 1946 performance as Uncle Remus in Walt Disney’s Song of the South
    
1963 - Sidney Poitier - Best Actor -- Lilies of The Field
    
1982 - Louis Gossett Jr. - Best Supporting Actor -- An Officer And A Gentleman
    
1989 - Denzel Washington - Best Supporting Actor -- Glory
    
1990 - Whoopi Goldberg - Best Supporting Actress -- Ghost
    
1996 - Cuba Gooding Jr. - Best Supporting Actor -- Jerry Maguire
    
2002 - Denzel Washington - Best Actor -- Training Day
    
2002 - Halle Berry - Best Actress -- Monster's Ball

2002 – Sydney Poitier -- Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement

2004 - Jamie Foxx - Best Actor -- Ray
    
2004 - Morgan Freeman - Best Supporting Actor -- Million Dollar Baby
    
2006 - Forest Whitaker - Best Actor -- The Last King of Scotland
    
2006 - Jennifer Hudson - Best Supporting Actress -- Dreamgirls
    
[UPDATED]

2010 - Mo'Nique - Best Actress -- Precious

Other black artists have repeatedly snagged Academy Awards in categories such as Sound mixing, Original Song, Original Score, Best music, and Best Sound.  Historically, White America has enjoyed watching us sing and dance. Accordingly, we have been rewarded more for our musical giftedness than we have for the more cerebral art of acting.