A controversy over the lack of black actors nominated for Oscars this year has image-conscious Hollywood on edge, with social media exploding on both sides of the issue – and pressure reportedly mounting for awards show host Chris Rock to drop out.
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Spike Lee, Jada Pinkett Smith and Snoop Dogg are just a few artists who have stated that they’ll be boycotting the ceremony, which is set to be hosted by Chris Rock. Day, Lee – who in November was given an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards – said he was fed up: “Forty white actors in two years and no flava at all”, he wrote.
The only minority projects nominated – What Happened, Miss Simone? for documentary and Straight Outta Compton for screenplay – have all white nominees. I’d be thinking “this shit is live”.
“You mean to tell me they couldn’t find one spot out of ten potential best picture nominations for “Straight Outta Compton”?”
Due to all of the tension surrounding this year’s upcoming Academy Awards show, rumors are starting to spread amongst the entertainment community regarding a possible resignation of hosting duties by Chris Rock!
Last year’s all-white acting nominees also drew calls for a boycott, though not from such prominent individuals as Lee and Pinkett Smith. “Chris Rock hosting an all white Oscar’s would be insulting and demeaning”.
When Rock was first announced as this year’s host – eleven years after his last turn in the driver’s seat – it was welcome news.
“This is a hard but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes”, she said in a statement released Monday night. An overwhelming number of Academy members are white, with the average age of voters being 63 years old.
‘The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership, ‘ she said. But discomfort’s to be expected in an industry that taps a successful African American actor, comic and producer to host its most important awards show – and then seems to forget people of color when it comes to actually handing out the honors.
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“In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond”, she promised.
