Mar 20 2002
Denzel Washington in Training Day

Three African-American Oscar Nominees: It’s History in the Making

The Academy Awards will air live from The Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California this Sunday. If you are able to slip past the velvet ropes, you’ll see three African-Americans walking down the red carpet, making their way to their designated seats… wayyy in the front of the theatre. 😉

Denzel Washington (Training Day) and Will Smith (Ali) are up for the Oscar in the Best Actor category and Halle Berry (Monster’s Ball) in the Best Actress category. The Academy Awards have been criticized in the past for ignoring performances by black actors, so this is history in the making.

In 1958, Sidney Poitier became the first and only African American to be nominated for the Best Actor award for his role in The Defiant Ones. On Sunday he’ll receive an honorary Oscar to credit his work which spans over 30 years. He had this to say about the nominations: “It isn’t normal and it should be celebrated. Anyone knowing American film history, anyone knowing America, knows this is a huge, wonderful expression of American democracy.”

Yes it is, but a nomination doesn’t guarantee a win. Actors recognize this and usually have a good idea if they have a real shot, so they start giving concession speeches before things even get started. Halle Berry is holding firm, but Will Smith seems to know that his Ali performance was good but stands no chance next to the two front runners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind). Will is putting his money on Denzel: “There’s so many times that Denzel should have won, and he didn’t win, that people want him to win. Emotionally I want Denzel to win no matter what.”

Training Day was Denzel’s Mr. Hyde.. he totally flipped from the nice guy to a corrupt, scheming cop and did it smooth as butter. He deserves an Oscar for that performance. But Training Day isn’t the usual type of movie that wins Oscars.. A Beautiful Mind?.. Now that’s more like it. Russell Crowe has taken his act off the screen though. He pulled a bad boy act in the street.. offending some show business types, ruffling feathers in the industry.. right now he’s on their shit list.

That could make Denzel a lock to cop the Oscar. He’s been nominated for supporting roles before and lost. By winning on Sunday, The Academy could make up for past slights, but would you want to win an award just because the guy they really want to give it to was on bad terms with the Academy? It cheapens the prestige, gives it a KMART look.

Denzel ain’t to happy about it.. “To suggest that it reflects on the Academy, would suggest they’re doing somebody a favor. And I don’t want that.”

It’s terrible that the guy puts in a tight ass performance and then this crap pops up.. but the drama will have me watching on Sunday.. I never watch The Academy Awards.


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