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Feb. 28, 2005 An historic night at the Oscars: for the first time, African Americans sweep the major "actor" categories.... Chris Rock hosting the 77th Academy Awards amid a sea of black people walking the red carpet... Movies featuring African-Americans in lead roles take the number one and two positions at the box office not once, but TWICE this year... Yes, Hollywood appears to finally be in the black! This is a proud moment for African-Americans. As Oprah Winfrey said on Good Morning America, this is full circle from 1964 when Sidney Poitier took home the Oscar for best actor for "Lilies in the Field". Mr. Poitier passed the torch to Jamie Foxx, who was the personfication of grace in his acceptance speech. This is a long time coming, and it should be savored for years to come. When Halle Berry and Denzel Washington both took home Oscars in 2002, many felt it was a one- time "make-good" by the industry to right the wrongs of the past. I felt it was the beginning of something great, but it was up to African Americans to push each other to higher excellence. Jamie Foxx in a recent interview said that during a party he was at prior to getting the role of Ray Charles, actor Will Smith called him on his cell and told him that he was about to blow the biggest opportunity of his career because he was at a party. Foxx got the message, and he got the gold. That's African Americans pushing African Americans to higher excellence. An amazing event happened the weekend of January 21-23rd, 2005. The Ice Cube movie "Are We There Yet?" took the number one spot at the box office. In second place, "Coach Carter", starring Samuel L. Jackson, which was the #1 movie the previous weekend. A New York Daily News article reported that this was the first time in memory that two African-American films took the top two spots. History repeated itself again this weekend when "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" took in an estimated $22.7 million. In second place, Will Smith's "Hitch" (which is a fantastice movie!), which is the first movie in 2005 to cross the $100 million mark. When I found out that Chris Rock was hosting the Academy Awards, my first thought was, "Are they crazy?" My second thought, "What took them so long?" Then I found out that Rock had turned them down several times before accepting last year. Like his comedic chops, his timing was perfect. You may recall that another African American hosted a major awards show this year as well: Queen Latifah at the Grammys. All this in the same year! I believe we are witnesses of a sea change in Tinseltown -- excellence being rewarded, regardless of color. The force behind this renaissance? Hip-hop. The majesty and poetry from the streets of Brooklyn and Compton have transformed pop culture. It is a blue chip stock that moves markets. One example: in October 2002, every major network TV newscast ran a fully-packaged story on the death of Run-DMC deejay Jam Master Jay. I was both shocked and proud to see a pioneer being recognized, even in death, on network news. Another example is P. Diddy's "Vote or Die" campaign to encourage young people to participate in the electoral process. According to MTV citing CBS News analysis of exit polls , more than 21 million young people voted last November, the most in a decade. That is the power of hip-hop; a strength that mainstream media can no longer ignore. In an already historic year, we must now look towards the future to see how we, as a people, can do better. What new worlds are there to conquer? The key, as Oprah Winfrey said on GMA, is excellence. Let us continue to focus on that ideal. Falling short is no longer an option. We have set the standard, and now we must follow it. I salute the gold standards of Poitier, McDaniel, Gossett, Goldberg, Freeman, Gooding, Washington, Berry and now Foxx for their drive and passion for the craft (if I have missed any, my apologies). Although Hollywood is a labyrinth that many say only the strong and the insane can navigate, you have proven that perseverance is the hallmark of legends. ------------ About the author Andre Wiggins: I'm a news executive producer in Texas who's about to go home to the Northeast!!! Email: andrewiggins@netscape.net Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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