Movies such as “The Butler,” “Fruitvale Station,””Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom” and “12 Years A Slave” gave us high hopes for this year’s Oscar nominations, but that hope quickley turned into disappointment. With the exception of “12 Years A Slave” and “Captain Phillips,” black movies and thespians were basically shut out of this year’s nods.
Chiwetel Ojiofor received a best actor nomination for “12 Years A Slave” and newcomer and former limo driver Barkhad Abdi got a nod for best supporting actor for his role as a high jacker in “Captain Phillips.”
Surprisingly Lee Daniels’ “The Butler” was completely shut out of this year’s nominations. The movie starred Forrest Whitaker and Oprah’s triumphant return to the big screen. She was a critical darling for her portrayal of Cecil Gaines’s wife. Not so surprising, but still disappointing was that “Fruitvale Station” was also snubbed in this year’s nominations. It seems Hollywood would rather recognize a guy who falls in love with his computer operating system rather than tackle the rawness of a black man gunned down by police in 2008. It’s not as if black men are still targets for both police and armed civilians. Are they?
The Oscars will air live on March 2 at 7p EST. Ellen DeGeneres will host this year’s awards.
See the top categories on the after the gallery on the next page.
