Oscar protest planned over all-white nominees

[Jazzy]

African-American civil rights groups plan to protest outside Sunday's Oscars show, where every single one of this year's 20 acting nominees is white.

However small, the demonstration will revive debate about diversity at the Oscars-awarding Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, whose voting members are overwhelmingly white and with an average age in their 60s.

"The goal of the protest is to send a message to the Academy, send a message to Hollywood, send a message to the film industry," said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, head of the LA Urban Policy Roundtable group.

"And the message is very simple: you don't reflect America, your industry doesn't reflect America. Women, Hispanics, African-Americans, people of color (are) invisible in Hollywood."

William Smart Jr, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said: "This is unjust, to see the lack of African Americans in the presentation. So we're mad! We're upset!"

He stressed that there are "so many" actors from various ethnics and racial groups.

"But the process eliminates them," Smart said.

"There is an invisible ceiling over their heads, that the Academy has put there. We're calling for them to tear down that invisible ceiling."

Thoughts?

 

[DrLeftover]

Those damned conservative Republicans in Hollywood just can't get beyond skin color.

 

[Jazzy]

Were there any protests when Obama was given the Nobel Peace Prize for doing absolutely nothing? Awards should be earned or it's a hollow, meaningless award, (Obama has had people killed in about a dozen different countries). Have we reached a point where people should be nominated for any award based solely on the color of their skin? This year, they didn't earn an acting nomination. That's all it is. Let the cards fall where they may.

 

[MrDawn]

Looks like they won't be able to have Oscars anymore because people abuse it over something as petty as race.