Do you think that demanding accolades and awards as opposed to winning them based on performance and merit, is really the way to assure that you receive recognition in your field,?

The problem isn’t a group of people demanding awards; it is a complete lack of recognition of minority actors in the last two years.

I think exposing bias in a potentially corrupt or outdated system is the motivation rather than “demanding accolades and awards.”

It’s not like black actors have never received any awards. Assuming they should, based on their skin color (or any skin color, minority, ethnicity, religious affiliation, etc.) is bullshit. Awards should be awarded based on abilities/talents only.

I think that there have been a great lack of good movies, regardless of who is in them. I think ignoring Samuel L. Jackson’s performance in The Angry 8 or what ever it was called is kind of stupid. I haven’t seen ‘Straight Outta…...’ yet, but maybe the problem is the demographic the movies appeal to and their lack of them? What ever happened to ‘10 Years a Slave’? did that get any awards? It should have. I think movies are getting ignored for the format of the big screen because of all the brilliant TV and new ways of production like Yahoo, Netflix, etc…. And I am getting so sick of sequels and comic book movies.

Are Netflix ‘movies’ ever considered actual movies for the Academy or are they considered TV? I think they should change it if they aren’t considered Oscar-worthy.

I don’t think accolades or awards are being demanded. I also don’t think anyone is suggesting a quota.

The system is broken. The groups/people making decisions about (a) what movies are made (b) who stars in those movies and ( c) which movies receive academy praise have woefully little diversity.

Recognition by or from whom? You do what is required “to pay the mortgage.”

The movie business is a business, a whole industry based on getting butts into seats in a theater and then buying a copy later. And the best vehicle for promoting a movie is an Academy Award.

According to a recent survey conducted by The Los Angeles Times, Oscar voters are on average 63 years old. 76% of them are men, and 94% of them are white.

And that group, while overwhelming Hollywood liberal, still votes for mainstream studio productions of mostly white actors. And if you ask an Academy member, they will point to past years where people of color were nominated and won.. But the truth is, that in years when making money in Hollywood is tough, the Academy goes with the reliable money makers.

They are not demanding unearned accolades just because they are black.
From their standpoint, they are condemning the system for withholding recognition that they have earned, but are denied this recognition because they are black.

I’ve heard that Oscars are less and less meaningful and that People’s Choice and Golden Globes are more meaningful because those are more relevant to who is watching and liking the stuff.

The Oscars are a joke, so many great films/actors/directors never won or were even considered.
It’s little more than corporate arse licking & empty gestures.

Jada is really taking a beating on this one especially from prominent figures in the African Actor/Entertainer Community. I have only seen a couple movies last year and just maybe no African American actors/writers etc. did a good enough job.

Her points are not invalid as it does seem skewy that very few African American actors were nominated in the major categories. But Ms Pinket is expressing an argument of entitlement of recognition just because someone is black and that is where her message IMO goes off the road. The irony is Compton is up for best original screenplay but all the writers are white. I saw Creed and Michael Jordan the man who played young Creed put in a good performance and even though the movie was produced and directed by Oscar winner Stallone that is not a free pass to a nomination. You have to be just that good to get the Oscar nod and Jada and Spike need to find a more constructive way to encourage better opportunities for African Americans to participate in the movie business than to boycott the very industry they are bitchin about.

Cheryl Boone, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president, has acknowledged there is a problem with their membership structure and that they are going to address this. Oscar nominations come from the Academy’s membership, if that membership doesn’t reflect the diversity within society, then it is quite likely there are going to be disparities within the nominations they make.

For all we know, there have been discussions about this problem in the past and nothing has been done to resolve it. Perhaps Pinkett-Smith and Lee felt they needed to do something more overt to force the Academy’s hand. I don’t they’re demanding nominations. Rather they’re demanding the membership be expanded to reflect the diversity of the community it’s supposed to represent.

Borrowed from a comment thread on Ricky Gervais’ Facebook page:

“Just for fun, let’s take a look at the African American nominees and winners in the top 5 categories over the last 20 years,, shall we…

Best Picture:
2014 – Selma – produced by Oprah Winfrey
2013 – 12 Years a Slave – directed by Steve McQueen – WON
2012 – Django Unchained – produced by Reginald Hudlin
2009 – Precious – directed by Lee Daniels
2009 – The Blind Side – produced by Broderick Johnson
*McQueen and Daniels also won Best Director

Best Actor:
2013 – Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave
2012 – Denzel Washington – Flight
2009 – Morgan Freeman – Invictus
2006 – Will Smith – The Pursuit of Happyness
2006 – Forest Whitaker – Last King of Scotland – WON
2005 – Terrence Howard – Hustle & Flow
2004 – Don Cheadle – Hotel Rwanda
2004 – Jaimie Foxx* – Ray – WON
2001 – Will Smithe – Ali
2001 – Denzel Washington – Training Day – WON
1999 – Denzel Washington – The Hurricane

Best Actress:
2012 – Quvenzhané Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild
2011 – Viola Davis – The Help
2009 – Gabourey Sidibe – Precious
2001 – Halle Berry – Monster’s Ball – WON

Best Supporting Actor:
2013 – Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips
2006 – Eddie Murphy – Dream Girls
2006 – Djimon Hounsou – Blood Diamond
2004 – Jamie Foxx – Collateral
2004 – Morgan Freeman – Million Dollar Baby – WON
2003 – Djimon Hounsou – In America
1999 – Michael Clarke Duncan – The Green Mile
1996 – Cuba Gooding, Jr. – Jerry Maguire – WON

Best Supporting Actress:
2013 – Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave – WON
2011 – Octavia Spencer – The Help – WON
2009 – Mo’Nique – Precious – WON
2008 – Taraji P. Henson – Benjamin Button
2008 – Viola Davis – Doubt
2007 – Ruby Dee – American Gangster
2006 – Jennifer Hudson – Dreamgirls – WON
2004 – Sophie Okonedo – Hotel Rwanda
2002 – Queen Latifah – Chicago
1996 – Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Secrets & Lies

12 Years a Slave came out in 2013? Wow. I am out of touch.