Could Chris Rock balance Academy Awards razzle-dazzle with a burning social issue? Hollywood and movie fans alike were holding their breath as the comedian took the stage as host of Sunday’s Oscarcast with more at stake than a roster of winners and losers.
The discussion of diversity in Hollywood, or the lack thereof, has been at a fever pitch since the nominations for the Oscar awards were released. The announcement by the Academy Awards was followed with videos made by several celebrities announcing boycotts and attempts by the Academy to regain their trust with a quickly enacted change in the awards voting policy. It’s inside media ownership that we see the starkest disparity between blacks and whites, across all major platforms: film, television, print, and digital. Yet the real discourse on diversity and inclusion doesn’t center on who’s in front of the camera
Since the 2016 Oscar nominations have been announced on Jan. 14, the talks of the lack of diversity in the prestigious award show has been on the minds of some of Hollywood’s top actors, directors and media personalities.
Reverend Al Sharpton is calling on Blacks to boycott the Academy Awards and not watch the broadcast after the mostly white and male voting members of the Academy nominated 20 white actors as the best performances of 2015.
