Movies about slaves and domestics usually inspire collective eye rolls in the African-American community.  After the controversy revolving around last year’s “Django Unchained” and 2011’s “The Help,” the patience of Black moviegoers has grown thin with portrayals of magical Negroes in subservient roles.  With “Lee Daniel’s The Butler”  we finally get a film that […]

Dearest Viola, Tomorrow night promises to be the biggest night of your career.  The world waits with bated breath to see if you walk away victorious in your showdown against Meryl Streep for the Best Actress Oscar.  It’s been a helluva journey; you’ve been grinding away in this business for almost 20 years, and finally […]

The role has made her a favorite to win Best Actress at this year’s Academy Awards, but even that’s not enough to get Viola Davis’ mother to see The Help. Speaking with CBS News, the two time Oscar nominee says her mom has avoided seeing the movie because it might be too “painful.” Davis explained: […]

Last night Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer had an intense debate with talk show host Tavis Smiley over criticism The Help has received. Davis told Smiley flatly, “That very mindset that you have and that a lot of African-Americans have is absolutely destroying the black artist. The black artist cannot live in a place—in a revisionist […]

It’s a brand new day for Viola Davis.  The Oscar-nominated actress gives good face on the cover of this week’s L.A. Times Magazine–with a fierce ‘fro!  In the interview Davis discusses her long climb to fame and success: “That really is our plight, especially as women of color,” she says. “You can have all the […]

Viola Davis continued her march to the Oscars by snagging a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Leading Role. Her co-star in The Help, Octavia Spencer won Best Supporting Actress. Black Arts: Urban Film Festivals Throughout the Nation Davis beat out Meryl Streep, Tilda Swinton, Glenn Close and […]

The nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Award will be announced next week, January 24th and The Help is sure secure nods for two of its leads (Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer) as well as for Best Picture.  The question is where does PARIAH fall in this year’s Oscar race?  Even with critical acclaim (96% approval […]

The Help is warming up for the sprint towards Oscar gold.  At last night’s “Critics Choice Move Awards” the movie walked away with wins for Best Actress (Viola Davis), Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer) and Best Ensemble.  In a moving acceptance speech, Davis said: “The two most important days in a person’s life are the […]

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At a Rutgers University’s Actor’s Spotlight this past February, Idris Elba bluntly articulated Black Hollywood’s sentiment: “The Oscars aren’t designed for us.” Elba was responding to this year’s Academy Awards, where not a single black person in the industry made the ballot.  No matter; while the media and Hollywood insiders were in a tizzy about  […]

Mary J. Blige is now nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her contribution to The Help, and there was one scene in particular that made her cry. Take a look at MJB talk about the part of the film that moved her the most in this edition of “Coming Attractions” from TV One and […]

Despite the criticism The Help has received, it’s turning out to be a major contender for the Academy Awards after receiving heavy nominations for the Golden Globe and SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards. In addition to receiving five and four nominations, respectively for highly coveted and respected awards, The Help was also acknowledged in major […]

This morning, nominees for the 69th Annual Golden Globes were announced at the Beverly Hilton in Hollywood.  Idris Elba landed a Best Actor/ Miniseries nomination for his role as DCI John Luther in the BBC procedural “LUTHER.”  This is Elba’s second Golden Globe nomination for  playing the complex and tortured police detective. Viola Davis and […]