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OPINION: 10 Biggest Black Snubs at the Oscars

Written by RK Byers on August 4, 2009 5:22 am

 malcolm

I know it’s not Oscar time but… I’ve been watching a lot of movies lately. And let me make it clear from the door that I’m only talking about acting Oscars. Directing and anything else is for another day.

10) Beyonce Knowles-Dreamgirls, (2006).  beyonce_in_dreamgirls

The Beyonce hate was so thick at the time that despite the fact that she’s the reason everyone came out to see the flick and she’s the reason it was great, everybody was happy to see somebody else get the Oscar.

9) Samuel L. Jackson-Pulp Fiction, (1994). samuelljackson

Brought Richard Roundtree’s 1971 “John Shaft” swagger into the ’90s.

8) Paula Kelly-Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling, (1986). paulakelly

If Montgomery Clift could get an Oscar for his unsteady 12 minutes in Judgment at Nuremberg, than Paula Kelly certainly deserves it for the tear-jerking scene in Jo Jo Dancer.

7) Eddie Murphy-The Nutty Professor, (1996). eddie

The New York Film Critics were the only ones to get this right. What better demonstrates acting talent than playing 6 different, distinct characters and playing them brilliantly?

6) Angela Bassett-Malcolm X, (1992). angela_betty

The outstanding film didn’t find nor take root until Bassett’s “Betty Shabazz” provided it with what the real Betty Shabazz likely provided Malcolm.

5) Michael Wright-The Five Heartbeats, (1991). eddie_kane_jr_0_0_0x0_176x227

Ya’ll don’t wanna give no Oscar to ol’ Eddie Kane?

4) Whoopi Goldberg-The Color Purple, (1985). color-purple-whoopi_l

Whoopie got a “make-up” Oscar with Ghost, just like Sidney Poitier got a “make-up” Oscar with Lilies of the Field after having deserved one for A Raisin in the Sun.

3) Denzel Washington-Philadelphia, (1993). denzel-washington-philly_l

Tom Hanks should be beaten outta Hollywood and have his Oscar snatched cause Denzel acted circles around him in this one and Hanks was the one to win the prize.

2) Regina King-Jerry Maguire, (1996). regina

Another case of the Oscar going to the wrong party as there was no way in hell Cuba Goodings Jr.’s “Rod Tidwell” deserved one in this flick over King’s “Marcee Tidwell”.

1) Larenz Tate-Menace II Society, (1993). menaceiisocietyodogg

Tate’s “O-Dog” was a screen villain every bit as iconic and enduring as Scarface, Vito Corleone, or Darth Vader.

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  • http://www.blackplanet.com/najaca/ najaca

    I agree with Denzel in Malcolm X and Whoopi in the Color Purple. Its a stretch to include Beyonce…she’s not a great actress (i.e. Beloved). I do believe Angela Bassett was excellent in Waiting to Exhale. As for everything else on here…no.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Anthropological/ Anthropological

    O-DOG WAS THE MAN IN MENACE!
    Fcuk Whoopi…. Color Purple was bullshyt… Angela however is one of the best actors in hollywood. I wish that she had more rolls! she is certainly a better actor than Halle Berry!

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/panamaniak/ panamaniak

    Movies are my thing, just go to imdb and check all my posts. (though it’s a movie site,movies RARELY get discussed. it’s really a place for closet racists and KKKowards to vent! lol!)And I love to debate movies but I agree 100% with all of the Oscar picks above. Hollywood is still behind the times concerning Black actors and film. It’s always the same handful of Black actors and directors that get nods. BTW, I could care less about Halle. She’s okay,but I’d rather see Angela Bassett any day all day. But let us get a “Black Oscar” and everybody will be up in arms! “Blacks are sooooo racist”! Lol! Yeah,right. When we woke up and started doing films for us (the “race movies” of the 30′s)and Black beauty pageants,etc for OURSELVES because we got tired of being snubbed. That was a problem! Lol!

  • http://celebritylife.org/beyonce-knowles/.php Celebritylife.org

    Celebritylife.org tracking back – OPINION: 10 Biggest Black Snubs at the Oscars…

    Celebritylife.org tracking back – OPINION: 10 Biggest Black Snubs at the Oscars…

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Monte_Brown/ Monte_Brown

    Angela Basset should have gotten the Oscar for her role as Tina Turner, but not for Betty Shabazz and neither should have Denzel for his role as Malcolm X, in my opinion. Also, I totally disagree with all of these above. Beyonce is not that great of an actor or singer. She is just very pretty and Americans tend to be shallow. Regina King is an EXCELLENT actor but I don’t think her role in Jerry McGuire was Oscar worthy. Samuel Jackson is also an excellent actor, but I wouldn’t give him the Oscar for Pulp Fiction, though that was one of my favorite movies.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/big_AJ/ big_AJ

    I agree with Larenz Tate and Michael Wright, although I wouldn’t have thought of those myself. But Beyonce? She was aiight in Dream Girls but there have been far bigger snubs that that! One you missed was Angela Basset is Waiting to Exhale – now THAT is what you call a snub!

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/DangerouslyInLove/ DangerouslyInLove

    I totally disagree with #10 and #7. Beyonce wasn’t the only reason people went to watch Dreamgirls, and she certainly did not steal the show. The person who got the ocsar deserved it. I love Eddie Murphy, and The Nutty Professor is a classic, but it’s not oscar worthy. Overall nice topic though!

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Azaria99/ Azaria99

    Beyonce is NOT an actress!!! That says it all. People use her name to get “Black” people to see these movies. She’s just a singer making cameo appearances in films. Does anybody remember her in GOLD FINGER? Come on, she needs to get a clue. Acting is not for you BooBoo.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/vantinsley/ vantinsley

    i agree with some that beyonce is not a great actress, but she’s deffinetly not the worst and i really don’t think she was in the movie beloved(which was a very good movie).

  • http://newsone.com/entertainment/opinion-beyonce-is-not-pretty/ OPINION: Beyonce Is NOT Pretty | NewsOne

    [...] is awesome,” I say. “She’s a great actress and her music is incredible. She’s easily one of the most talented women alive right now. [...]

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/mandmore/ mandmore

    if beyonce actually played deana jones instead of diana ross maybe she would have gotten farther at least with originality….the photos of her were exact copies of diana ross’ mahoghany photos…strange impersonation/duplications…bottom lne…diana ross lady sings the blues was the real oscar ripoff….were any of these people EVEN nominated?

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/buickjazz/ buickjazz

    Stop expecting the white media to owe you something. You’re not one of them. There have been dazzling performances by blacks in movies in the last century that will go unnoticed. They only time they want to share the Oscar with us is when they can put us in a negative, stereotypical and demeaning position like Halle in Monster’s Ball or Denzel in Training Day. Oscar only thinks we’re convincing in roles that they’re familiar seeing us in like pimps, drug addicts, entertainers, w***es and house servants.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/SOUL-N-ART/ SOUL-N-ART

    I DO NOT SEE DIANA ROSS OR CICELY TYSON, WHO REVOLUTIONIZED THE MOVIE INDUSTRY FOR BLACKS IN TEH 70S………………LENA HORNE OR OTHERS FOR THAT MATTER, WHAT ABOUT DIAHANN CARROLL, OR OPRAH FOR THE COLOR PURPLE…..GOODNESS WHOEVER WROTE THIS PIECE NEEDS TO DO RESEARCH!

  • http://newsone.com/entertainment/denzel-washington-to-star-in-broadway-revival-of-august-wilsons-fences/ Denzel Washington To Star In Broadway Revival Of August Wilson’s “Fences” | News One

    [...] OPINION: 10 Biggest Black Snubs at the Oscars [...]

  • http://newsone.com/entertainment/news-one-staff/despite-success-of-some-black-actors-hollywood-remains-race-conscious/ Despite Success Of Some Black Actors, Hollywood Remains Race-Conscious | News One

    [...] OPINION: 10 Biggest Black Snubs at the Oscars [...]

  • http://foxync.com/entertainment-news/jodiberry2/despite-success-of-black-actors-hollywood-remains-race-conscious/ Despite Success Of Black Actors, Hollywood Remains Race-Conscious | FoxyNC – Foxy Hits

    [...] OPINION: 10 Biggest Black Snubs at the Oscars [...]

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Blackknight2k9/ Blackknight2k9

    soul n art is wright .who ever writes for these site i hope to god they arent getting paid for it .. about the only performance that can garner some critical acclaim is Micheal Wright for playing Eddie Caine … there havent been alot of up to par / oscar worthy performances given by african americans other than Denzel Washington …. diana ross, as well as Lena Horne were kinda mediocre as an actresses because they were singer .. cicily tyson however wasnt… you got all this but people forget about James Earl Jones in the Great White Hope. or what not … Jamie Foxx just won one for ray… its not that we dont get our due at the Academy … to be real and honest we need to make better movies … lol what did you want the academy to do .. nominate soul plane …

  • http://newsone.com/nation/black-history-month/news-one-staff/black-actors-have-troubled-history-with-academy-awards/ Black Actors Have Troubled History With Academy Awards | News One

    [...] OPINION: 10 Biggest Black Snubs at the Oscars TAGS: awards shows, Movies Share with friends! [...]

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Nikki_hotsexygirl/ Nikki_hotsexygirl

    Beyonce was definitely not the reason I saw Dreamgirls. Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy made that movie. Plus Anika Rose was phenomemonal and everyone sleeps on her. She has a Tony for crying out loud.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/gee43gee/ gee43gee

    I feel that White people have a certain image of us in their head and that is the only one they feel comfortable with. Movies like Malcolm X which depicts a strong intelligent influential man is fearful to them so they shun it to discourage more movies of the same. Even now with a Black president it is as if we are being punished by not having television shows, no decent movies for our actors to get work in “you may have a Black president but we still hold the power” type of situation. Where are Spike Lee and John Singleton? Antoine Fuquoa finally resurfaced but look at the type of movie he had to make, even though I will go see it in order to support it if it makes money then that is the type of films we will keep getting and they will love because that is the only way they want us to be seen. On the other hand if it keeps our Black actors working so be it. Finally why care about the oscars their taste is definitely not in sync with ours anyway.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Rueben85/ Rueben85

    Beyonce made Dreamgirls?! Please don’t use her lack of nomination as a racial thing. Jennifer deserved recognition, that’s why she won every award going. No-one was raving about Beyonce’s wonderful performance. Jennifer was the one everyone was inviting to talk about the movie and rightly so. The biggest Oscar snubs in my eyes were Angela Bassett not winning for “What’s Love Got To Do With It” and Whoopi for “The Colour Purple.”

    Beyonce, what a joke.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Afrodesia/ Afrodesia

    The Color Purple was absolutely robbed of Oscars..Whoopie & Oprah were robbed.
    I thought Denzel was robbed in Malcolm X, & Samuel L. Jackson for Pulp Fiction..They made so much of John Travolta’s performance in that film..
    It has put me off from even watching the Academy Awards..

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/chocojohn/ chocojohn

    I was looking to see if the Shawshank Redemption would have made this list. Morgan Freeman at his best.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/TRUTH0HURTS/ TRUTH0HURTS

    African-Americans should stop looking to whites to validate US. The only thing they know how to do is steal our creativity and ideas and pass them off as their own. They have done this all throughout history. In the white world, the Greeks are given credit for creating original ideas in mathematics that they actually stole from African (black) Egyptians. And I’m not talking about the watered down people that “pass” for Egyptians today. I’m talking about the Egyptians who constructed the pyramids. These were what we today call “black” people. All of the so-called “great” Greek philosophers and mathematicians studied in Africa. This is just a historical fact that can be looked up and verified by anyone. Read books by Van Sertima, Dr. Ben, Dr. Clark, Darkwah, etc. They explain in great detail the history of our people and how that history has been co-opted (stolen) by Europeans while giving us ZERO credit for it. But it is important that African-American children be taught that our history DOES NOT begin with slavery. We come from GREAT people who invented civilization and were disrupted by European war mongers like the Romans who we shared our knowledge with. But back to the topic. Whites will only give awards to blacks who fit their narrow stereotype of what a “black” is. This is why Malcom X, a GREAT movie, did not win any award, but Monsters Ball and Training Day, two movies which depicted African-Americans in a negative light did win awards. THIS is the mindset of whites when selecting what THEY believe is a worthy movie for a “black” to win an award for. This should tell African-Americans a LOT about the white mentality when it comes to African-Americans.

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