Oscar Oversights & A Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Stanley Kubrick. Brilliant, cutting-edge film. No Oscar.

At tonight's Academy Awards, one of the more controversial topics of discussion that will take place on stage and off (and amongst those in the audience tonight), is director Ava DuVernay and lead actor David Oyelowo not being nominated for the film ‘Selma’ - despite the film being nominated for best picture.

Now Oscar snubs are by NO means limited to African-American directors and actors, or films that explore the black American historical experience.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) is historically equal opportunity when it comes to slighting actors, directors and producers on Oscar night.

‘Shakespeare in Love’ winning best picture over ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and ‘Elizabeth’ in 1998? 

How about the travesty of Stanley Kubrick's brilliant 'A Clockwork Orange' winning no Academy Award at all in 1971 when 'The French Connection' won best picture? 

Francis Ford Coppola loosing best director for ‘The Godfather’ in 1972 to Bob Fosse for 'Cabaret' ? Really? 

I’m far from the only person still simmering over Gwenyth Paltrow winning best actress for ‘Shakespeare in Love’ over Cate Blanchett in ‘Elizabeth’ in 1998. Those are just a few of the numerous glaring examples of the Academy being way out of step.

But ‘Selma’ being snubbed this year takes on a greater significance in light of the focus on the film industry continuing to lag behind television in terms of people of ethnic diversity and women in general being cast in leading or support roles, or having opportunities behind the camera, in the writer's room or in the executive suites of the top entertainment companies.

This year’s actor nominees are the least ethnically diverse in 20 years, but the media spotlight on ‘Selma’ has also brought new attention to a different kind of oversight. One that's much easier to correct.

KKK members march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1979  [Corbis Images]

The fact that the historic 1965 marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama that led to the passage of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act took place over a bridge named for a Grand Dragon of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan who was also a Confederate general during the Civil War, seems out of step with current social and historical consciousness.

With the 50th anniversary of the Selma marches bringing this historic event back into the spotlight, in part because of the nation-wide Republican effort to restrict voter rights, a group of students are now leading efforts to rename the Alabama bridge that has become such an important symbol for civil rights and meaningful social change in America.

You can add your voice to this call for change by signing the online petition at Change.org that will be sent to the National Parks Service, the governor of Alabama and the mayor of Selma.

Renaming a bridge won't miraculously right past wrongs, or put an immediate halt to Republican efforts to disenfranchise millions of eligible citizens from their right to vote.

But it is an opportunity to honor the legacy of those who fought and sacrificed for the right of all Americans to freely participate in the Democratic process.

US Attorney Nicholas Katzenbach confronts George Wallace

It's also an opportunity for the state of Alabama to evolve its image beyond the legacy of Governor George Wallace defiantly standing on the steps of the University of Alabama (pictured left) in an effort to prevent African-Americans Vivian Malone and James Hood from enrolling as full-time students in June of 1963. 

Meaningful change rarely happens overnight, or as quickly as many of us would like it to. More often significant progress takes place in small, incremental steps; the kind that can lead to more lasting systematic shifts.

The kinds of changes that history and an evolving American cultural landscape compels both the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences and the state of Alabama to make.

Hollywood Shuffle: Oscar Noms & Kevin Hart's Shirtless THR Cover Photo

Comedian/Actor Kevin Hart preps for THR cover pic

With the film awards season well underway, media attention (mainstream, business and social) is once again focused on the lack of diversity in the 2015 Oscar nominations, reflecting a troubling trend in the film industry.

Ava DuVernay, the director of the MLK biopic 'Selma', was (on the surface anyway) measured and cool in her response to not being nominated by The Academy in the best director category.

In a profile written by Gavin Edwards published in the January 29, 2015 issue of Rolling Stone, the 42 year-old DuVernay said of the buzz surrounding her possibly being the first African-American woman to be nominated for best director, "It's not important to me, but I know it's important to other people."   

Director Spike Lee took a more blunt stance about the Oscar snub, he was quoted as saying: "If I saw Ava today I'd say, 'You know what? Fuck 'em'."



While neither DuVernay or leading actor David Oyelowo  were nominated for Oscars, the film itself was nominated in the best picture category.

As an important industry magazine geared towards film and television professionals, The Hollywood Reporter deserves credit for doing a pretty solid job of consistently staying on top of the challenges industry companies and the executives who run the studios, production companies and agencies face in trying to bring more diversity both behind and in front of the camera; in terms of both race and gender.

THR has made it a point to feature a range of African-Americans on the cover of the magazine in recent months, including Shonda Rhimes, Chris Rock, Michael Strahan, Oprah Winfrey, Kevin Hart, Kerry Washington and Sidney Poitier.

But perhaps more importantly, THR reporters and writers have brought up the issue of diversity in both articles on different subjects, and in their informative industry round table discussions with prominent producers, directors, agents, writers and actors.

So I was a bit confused about THR's decision to use a photo of a shirtless Kevin Hart wearing an immense "Marie Antoinette" type of wig on the cover of the January 23rd issue (see photo above). 

Granted, the specific photo above with an array of Afro picks decorating the wig (Hmmm..) was not used for the cover, but another version of it was. 

Now I understand that Hart is a really funny and successful comedian and a popular actor with a string of number one movies to his credit, but he's also a savvy, intelligent industry professional who understands his brand and knows how to operate in Hollywood.  

So why use a cover photo of him with no shirt on wearing a wig?

Alternate THR cover photo of Kevin Hart with pups

A number of different cover photos of Kevin Hart were shot for the cover; why didn't they use this one for instance?  (See left).

This version captures his smile, he's wearing a stylish suit, an expensive watch and he's holding a bunch of cute puppies.

It's funny, cool and to me, more of a reflection of his public personae than him shirtless in a wig.

As a member of the Screen Actors Guild who writes both screenplays and graphic novel scripts, I find The Hollywood Reporter an important and informative source of information about the entertainment industry; that's why I subscribe.

The extensive coverage of the business side of the film and television industry, updates on productions and deals, as well as the insightful one-on-one interviews with influential entertainment executives makes it an indispensable source of information for anyone trying to broaden their understanding of the entertainment industry. 

I read it each week and I honestly can't recall a cover photo of anyone being photographed without a shirt on.

Do I think it's racist? No.

But over the years I've often used this blog to talk about about ways in which the media distorts the perception of African-Americans and the black male physiology in particular; so I think the decision to use the photo is probably more reflective of a degree of non-diversity in the editorial ranks of The Hollywood Reporter than it is an intentional racial insensitivity on their part. 

Perhaps they just thought it would be funny, or were trying to show that he has sex-appeal

But if there was a qualified person of color sitting at the table in the editorial meeting when they were discussing the cover photo of Kevin Hart, I have to think that person would have raised the point I'm trying to illustrate.

If you remember, the editors of Vogue faced quite a bit of heat over a similar cover photo.

Back in April of 2008, I was just one of many mainstream journalists and  bloggers to write about the decision by Vogue to put a picture of basketball player LeBron James cradling Brazilian-German super model Giselle Bundchen on the cover.

Many felt the photo (pictured left) reflected once commonly-used racist depictions of black men as terrifying ape-like savages bent on carrying off white women. 

Those kinds of images were once used to dehumanize black men and reinforce the warped perception of them as second-class citizens to be feared.

A quote by Roy Johnson, the (then) editor-in-chief of Men's Fitness magazine, in an article about the LeBron James photo in the influential fashion industry publication Women's Wear Daily offers relevant perspective on the THR cover photo of Kevin Hart.

Of the LeBron James-Giselle Bundchen Vogue cover photo, Johnson said:

"It's a reminder that as African-Americans, we have come very far to have an African-American male featured on the cover of Vogue, but we have very far to go to continue to educate people within our industry regarding the power of images and the potential impact they can have on their readers."  

It's often said a picture is worth a thousand words.

I remain an avid reader and fan of The Hollywood Reporter, but I would've hoped a magazine like THR would have given a little bit more thought as to the sub-conscious message the picture of a shirtless Kevin Hart in a wig sends to the thousands of members of the entertainment industry who read the magazine; or leave it out on the desk or coffee table in the offices of the prominent Hollywood executives who influence the green lighting of  projects, casting and hiring decisions.

Especially in an industry obviously struggling to bring more balance to the diversity of it's ranks.
 
A successful, popular (and bankable) young African-American performer gracing the cover of THR is in itself, an important step for the industry. One would hope care would be exercised by the editorial staff to be sure and portray such a person in the best and most professional way possible.

I'm just not sure a photograph of Kevin Hart shirtless and wearing the kind of wig more commonly associated with a perfumed lady of the French court of Versailles portrays him as an industry professional to be taken seriously.

NAACP Building Bombed: Echoes of Extremism Across the Globe

Crime scene tape surrounds the NAACP office in CO

On this freezing January Wednesday just a day after Republican majorities in both the House and Senate officially took office, we're reminded that the voices of intolerance and extremism are alive and well in 2015 - both here and abroad.

The attempted bombing of the NAACP office in Colorado, while repulsive, seems tame compared to the horror that took place in France.

Masked gunmen entered the Paris offices of satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo and killed 12 people including four cartoonists and the editor in apparent retaliation for portrayals of the prophet Muhammad that offended some extremist Muslims.

A radio interview about the attacks on the BBC New earlier this morning described Charlie Hebdo as being somewhat similar to 'South Park' in terms of the absurdist kinds of satire it publishes.

Was this extremist attack push-back for the thousands of anti-Muslim extremists who've taken to the streets of Europe lately?

This brutal assault on people and freedom of expression comes on the heels of an estimated 18,000 people turning out for the recent PEGIDA anti-Islamist marches in Dresden, Germany.

Anti-PEGIDA protestor in Germany

PEGIDA is an acronym for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident, a right-wing populist movement that's gained a foothold in Germany recently.

If anything positive can be taken from the PEGIDA rallies it's the overwhelming opposition to the anti-Muslim sentiment expressed by German citizens across the nation, as seen in the picture seen left.

Churches dimmed their lights, chancellor Angela Merkel went on television to urge Germans to repudiate PEGIDA's message of hate - and thousands and thousands of average citizens took to the streets of multiple cities to reject the ideology of hate.

We've obviously got our own issues with intolerance and extremism here in the US too.

On Tuesday, an unidentified assailant attempted to detonate a crude explosive device against the exterior wall of the offices of the NAACP in Colorado Springs, CO about 70 miles south of Denver.

The FBI are calling the device an "IED".

When I hear the word IED (Improvised Explosive Device) images of insurgents in Iraq attacking Coalition soldiers comes to mind, but no; we're talking about the state of Colorado.

This latest act of domestic terrorism comes just two days before the motion picture "Selma" opens in theaters around the nation; the film chronicles the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in support of voting rights.

Is the failed bombing of the NAACP offices connected to that? I don't know.

King's birthday is January 15th and is celebrated as a federal holiday on January 19th - but it's hard to tell with violent American wing-nuts consumed with hatred who's minds have been warped by ignorance.

With the premiere of "Selma" in two days it's a pretty safe bet that the executives responsible for the film are having that discussion. Paramount is distributing the film but it was produced in conjunction with Oprah Winfrey's HARPO Productions and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment.

Oh and speaking of a divided nation, yesterday the Economic Policy Institute released a report on the growing wage inequality in America that reveals a startling statistic on income stagnation for 99%.

According to the report, since 1979, average wages for the top 1% of Americans grew by 138%, during the same period (35 years) wages for the bottom 99% grew by only 15%.

We all know that's unsustainable for a nation of over 300 million people and worse, that statistic stands in total contrast to the ideals upon which this nation was founded.

Words like "promote the general welfare" and the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" were meant to apply to ALL Americans, not just 1% of us.

It'll be interesting to see how (or if?) the new Republican "super majority" uses their power to legislate to address that glaring statistic; which obviously doesn't bolster their arguments for more tax cuts for the top earners.

But the sad truth about this startling economic disparity (besides it being global) is that it lies at the very root of all this violent extremism we're seeing.

Whether it's an Islamist extremist in France murdering innocent people for expressing ideas and opinion, or a lone American extremist trying to detonate an explosive device outside the walls of an office of one of the nation's oldest civil rights organizations - these individuals share the same traits.

They're unhappy, disenfranchised humans alienated from decent job opportunities, safe communities and basics like decent health care, a clean water supply and even food. And hope.

People who have those things in abundance don't become susceptible to the morally bankrupt ideologies that give birth to the kinds of violent extremist organizations that manipulate the fears and insecurities of those who've been marginalized by society.

No one joins the KKK if they're happy with their life, no one joins ISIS or Al Qaeda if they look forward to getting up and going to work, or seeing their children play; no one becomes a neo-Nazi if they feel good about themselves.

This extremism we're seeing across the globe has many forms, but only one real source; the alienation and degradation of the human spirit caused by the lack of urgent concern for the human condition.

Maybe we all bear some responsibility for that.