I Take No Pride In Halle Berry's Oscar Nomination


In my opinion, I don't think the author of the article was making his point based on assumptions of Monster's Ball

For those of you str8 criticizing him and not reading the whole thing, you may want to, because I think he's speaking to something that goes way, way beyond just Halle in Monster's Ball. I'm not saying he should be critical of Halle's performance, because yes, you can't form an opinion of someone's <b>individual performance</b> and how well she played the role without seeing the thing first. However, one can still make a reasoning about the role <b>in particular, what it means, and what it represents</b> - i.e., you don't have to see a movie to learn what the basic plot and premise of the movie is and what the setup and scenarios of that movie are. Otherwise, wouldn't we all go and see each and every movie that is released? We could just play eenie-meenie-miney-mo when we get to the theater, right? I mean, what is it that makes you decide to see, say, "A Beautiful Mind" or "John Q" and <b>not</b> decide to see, say, "Sorority Boys" or "Freddy Got Fingered", for example?

Now, and I don't remember who these particular individuals were, but I do remember that last summer before a certain movie came out ("Baby Boy"), there were beaucoup people here on the SWACpage dissing John Singleton for having the audacity to make another one of those "living-in-the-hood" movies, dogging Tyrese, claiming not to ever want to see that garbage, it is a waste of money, etc. - and this was before that movie even premiered, much less before anyone had a chance to see it.....so....what really makes that type of reasoning and inference different from the one this author made?
 



Then if thats the case, his beef is with the movie, and not Halle's performance. So why did he wait until after she won to say something?Why did he put Halles name in it? Still looks like hating to me, considering he never saw her peformance so he doesnt know if she deserved the award or not.
 
You damn right it's hating. Plain and simple. I can read that article left to right, right to left, front to back, back to front, standing, leaning, lurking, sitting, and it still reads like hate.
 
If really wanted to talk about black men being slapped in the face, why won't he write about Tina Turner, Whoopi, Janet Jackson and all the other sistas who always date "others". Halle down with brothas.
 
The author in his accusations, forgets that Halle is of a bi-racial background, so is he saying that Halle should close her eyes to her origins, and forget that she's half white?

I mean after all, her mother is white, and didn't see nothing wrong with lying down with a black man. So, again. If a role is presented to her, that requires bi-racial dealings, should she forget her own life, and say no to employment?

I guess that crackhead, Spike Lee had Halle playing in "Jungle Fever", is a more acceptable role for the author to enjoy, or the sister in "Baby Boy", that was getting cursed out by her man, then having him phugg her, while she's on the telephone, or Spike having Tracy Camilla Johns as the ulimate freak in, "She's Gotta Have It".

Better yet, Spike having Denzel, fall in love with a white prostitute in "He Got Game".

With black people casting our own in those type's of respectable roles, how dare a white man try, and do the same. I mean, it's ok for one of us to do it, but don't let the white man try.

NICE
 
A little background infor....

The article was written before she won!!! I just got it after.


Per Halle she is a black women... If you ask her or her mother she will say the same...

So there is no need to deal with the bi-racial here because there is none...


Toi
 
Just because she accepts that she's black doesn't mean she ignores her white heritage.

It's shameful that this bandwagon is so full. If I were an actor, I'd play a damn white klansman killing nickas if someone gave me the role. That'd get me an Oscar.
 
Originally posted by Robber
Just because she accepts that she's black doesn't mean she ignores her white heritage.

It's shameful that this bandwagon is so full. If I were an actor, I'd play a damn white klansman killing nickas if someone gave me the role. That'd get me an Oscar.
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It is not a bandwagon... I just want people to see where the brother was coming from... Shoot I was happy as all get out when she won... I cried just like her... but there are other side then being happy for her...

I am happy for her but I am mad that the system she has to work in to get respect...

Toi
 
Originally posted by Robber
Just because she accepts that she's black doesn't mean she ignores her white heritage.

It's shameful that this bandwagon is so full. If I were an actor, I'd play a damn white klansman killing nickas if someone gave me the role. That'd get me an Oscar.
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Hehe...

With as many of us working at IHOP instead of on the movie screen, he!!, I'd be hard-pressed NOT to take it.
 
Originally posted by JSU*Toi



It is not a bandwagon... I just want people to see where the brother was coming from... Shoot I was happy as all get out when she won... I cried just like her... but there are other side then being happy for her...

I am happy for her but I am mad that the system she has to work in to get respect...

Toi
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I understand where you are coming from. But you know, that's no different than what some of us did to get where we are today.

Some people may call it selling their souls, others call it blazing a trail. Guess it depends on who you ask.

I wonder how many of OUR actors/actresses really WANT an Oscar? How many blacks are really trying to win one? Is that a part of their goals and aspirations? Or is it just to get paid?
 
How many of you fellas were genuinely insulted by Halle doing the do with Billy Bob's white racist (or former racist) character??? If you were insulted, please explain.

Here's my take. It's a got dayum movie. Why would it insult me??? I'm more secure in myself than to be so damn insecure about a fake azz roll in got dayum movie. Besides, we got all these damn brothas out there flocking to white guls left and right. See it all day everyday??? So why get bothered by a movie role???
 
Thank God for the Maroon and White Papers. As the editor in chief I don't have to deal with this kind of talk.
 
Here's my 2-cents!

First of all let me say that I don't have a problem with Halle receiving an Oscar, because the Academy is and always will be a political entity. It was known for weeks that Halle had the Oscar sewed up. The only question was whether or not they would do a double whammy in one night with two black actors.

I did see Monster's Ball and in a perfect world I would have rather seen Halle get an Oscar for LOSING ISAIAH, which was a much better movie. I feel that the sex scene in Monster's Ball was too graphic and was only used to enhance ticket sales. The scene could have been just as erotic with creative camera angles, a body double etc, etc. Many actresses refuse to do nude scenes out of respect for themselves, family, friends and fans. Now that Halle has achieved Superstar status, do you think that she will have the need to do anymore graphic nude scenes? I think not.

By the way, Samuel L. Jackson would have been excellent for the movie TRAINING DAY had Denzel not been available.

In summary, props to Denzel and Halle. Hopefully Halle will leave some of her clothes on in the future and leave something to our imagination. Denzel made it without dropping his draws.

:D
 
JAGWAR,

You say Losing Isaiah was a better movie, but Monster's Ball didn't win Best Picture. Halle won for her role. Did she give a better performance in Losing Isaiah. I haven't seen MB. So, I don't know. I did see LI, and if she was better in LI, she couldn'a been that damn good in MB. I didn't see an Oscar quality performance in LI.
 



Toi, so her accepting the fact that she's black, does that make her less white? Regardless of what she says, she's still half white, and she's still a product of a bi-racial relationship, no matter what she says she accepts, it doesn't change the fact that she came from a WHITE WOMB.

At the awards show, who did they show the White mother, or the Black dad? I'm just simply pointing out that the author spoke of her always being in bi-racial situations in movies, but he failed to realize that she is one in the same.

Now as far anyone thinking that Black's don't care about winning the Oscar, you'd have to crazy to think they don't. How many Black actors do you see renouncing their nominations? How many do you see boycotting the show? How many of the nominated do you see, saying it's no big deal to me?

Blacks care more than whites about the award, because they know the history that comes with winning.

You think Spike Lee doesn't want to win as Best Director?

Since we're comparing roles, which role was more award deserving? Whoopi Goldberg as Cealy in "The Color Purple", or Whoopi as Oda Mae Brown in "Ghost"?

Now I'm sure we've all seen both, but she won for "Ghost", and if you think her performance was better in Ghost, then...........................nevermind

NICE
 
Here's another 2-cents!

Bottom line is, HALLE is a good actress with attractive features that will get the roles that are meant for a black or a white. I chose Losing Isaiah as her best role because she had to play a mother on Cocaine and then make a transition of her character to one that had cleaned up her act and was a fit mother.

Robber, go and see Monster's Ball when you get a chance. This movie would have been a better movie if it had been released in the 70's or 80's. It just didn't have the same bite in the present day to me. I've seen enough movies about redneck whiteboys from the south.

My view is that an actor cannot win an award if he or she is in a BAD movie, even if the performance was great. I didn't see A BEAUTIFUL MIND but I would assume from the reviews that it could have been a better movie than TRAINING DAY.

Does it mean now that DENZEL and HALLE have been rewarded this year that no Black can win next year or the year after that? What about DENZEL in JOHN Q, does he get any recognition for that performance?
 
If recent history holds true to form, Denzel will get nominated next year for John Q. He might win it, again. Doubt it. And I think that you do the actors no favor by saying they can't win an Oscar because the movie was bad, even though you recognize an Oscar quality performance. If it's Oscar material, it's Oscar material.

I've also heard that Russell Crowe was great and shoulda won for his role in A Beautiful Mind. That goes back to my history statement earlier. Once you win, every damn role you get becomes Oscar material. See Tom Hanks, also.
 
Good points!

I'm sure that we agree on more than we disagree on, but we all know that the question of a "What makes a good movie?" or "What makes an Oscar-winning performance?" is purely subjective. This same Academy made a moral judgement to snub Sidney Poitier for 40 years.

I guess 30 years from now they will be ready to honor Spike Lee when he's in his wheelchair.

Once again I say PROPS to Halle and Denzel for being honored. (I'm not hatin' on them in any way.) Hopefully Samuel Jackson, Lawrence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Alfreda Woodard will be next.
 
Originally posted by D-NICE
Now as far anyone thinking that Black's don't care about winning the Oscar, you'd have to crazy to think they don't. How many Black actors do you see renouncing their nominations? How many do you see boycotting the show? How many of the nominated do you see, saying it's no big deal to me?

Blacks care more than whites about the award, because they know the history that comes with winning.


NICE
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This seems to be the ONLY award show where everyone who is nominated is in the house. You don't see people there to receive an Oscar on behalf of someone else as often as you do an American Music Award, Soul Train Award, MTV, etc.

You're right, WE might not talk much about getting an Oscar or not, but you best believe it would take a whole lot for me to NOT show after being nominated.
 
How come the same actor get a chance to play these roles with the some of finest black women? Kelvin is not acting, I think he has a goal to get them all.
 
Originally posted by JSU*Toi
This should be on Round Table but it will get more views and replies here... Someone sent this to me. Its definitely something to think about. It long but if u have some time people, its worth some thought.


I Take No Pride In Halle Berry's Oscar Nomination
By Miles Willis

As an African-American man, I find nothing to be proud of in actress Halle Berry's recent Academy Award nomination. I haven't even seen the film,

[/B]
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I will not comment to for this reason. The script was poorly written for the movie and Halle worked with what she had.
 
A couple of years ago, Ni$$as were boycotting the Oscars because there were not enough people of color nominated. Now that Halle wins an Oscar, ni$$as want to question the validity of her award. I think ni$$as need to shut the f up sometimes and relax.
 
Originally posted by D-NICE

Now as far anyone thinking that Black's don't care about winning the Oscar, you'd have to crazy to think they don't. How many Black actors do you see renouncing their nominations? How many do you see boycotting the show? How many of the nominated do you see, saying it's no big deal to me?

Blacks care more than whites about the award, because they know the history that comes with winning.
Click to expand...


What I was referring to was, do we, meaning <i>we</i> as in black people, need this award to "validate" ourselves as quality performers? It's hard for me to get excited over an award that has failed repeatedly to reward us. Almost 30 years between a black actor winning the best actor award? 2002 before a black woman wins best actor? I mean, it's cool or whatever to get the thing, since it supposedly advances one's acting career so much and gets you so much respect in Hollywood - but is it now like, "Oh, ok, since Halle won an Oscar and Denzel won his first best actor, they are credible now." But until you win an "Oscar", you aren't in the so-called elite?

I'll say this, though - You have to pay attention, because Hollywood will save face by rewarding blacks when it is "safe". Case in point: Cuba Gooding, Jr., wins best supporting actor for Jerry McGuire, right? But look at the role, which is a black athlete needing to be advised and led by his white agent. Now I'm sure most of you would say Cuba's most memorable role was as Tre' in Boyz in the Hood, but why didn't Hollywood acknowledge that? Take Wesley Snipes - he got praised for playing a cross-dresser in Too Wong Foo and for playing next to Woody Haralson in White Men Can't Jump. But as Nino Brown in New Jack City does not cut it. Morgan Freeman wins for driving Miss Daisy around - see, a role like that is acceptable, that's ok. And it has nothing to do with their individual performances in the respective movies - rather, with what the particular role is.

I remember one commentator discussing the movies "Ghosts in Mississippi" and "Mississippi Burning" <small>(don't confuse with "Murder in Mississippi", which was about the 3 workers killed in Neshoba Co., starring Blair Underwood)</small> - these are two movies that depict events during the Civil Rights era, but if you pay attention to them, the focus is not really on the black characters and their struggle, but mainly on the white "heroes" who have "saved the day", so to speak. If you've seen "A Time to Kill", it has that exact same thought process, but since it is based on Grisham's book, which I haven't read, it may not necessarily be placed in that category. For those who read it, was the movie in tune with the focus of the book?

Well, that's more of my 2 cents, and I'm done discussing this, but I know someone out there understands where I'm coming from...
 
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