ARE THE ACADEMY AWARDS RELEVANT FOR MINORITIES

                                 Grauman's Chinese Theatre Hollywood

Oscar time has passed again. This time there were no major nominations for black actors, actresses or movie makers. Mo'Nique won for her role in the movie Precious at the 2010 Academy Awards' show. That was then and this is now.


Other minorities also seemed to be left out in great numbers as well. It is evident that what appeals to the academy is often very different from the tastes of many minority movie goers. Things that hit the emotional chord of Hispanic, African American and Asian viewers are often foreign to mainstream film makers. While it may be true that there may not have been minority roles worthy of an Oscar win this year, that largely goes back to the opportunities available.

Tyler Perry often is ridiculed for his movie making style and heavy-handed approach to drama, but what Perry has done is remove the excuse that minority film are not bankable. So the question might be when will a black performer get a meaty enough role to warrant walking onto the stage to receive a golden statue again.

What happened to films like Malcolm X? Precious was a good film and it was financed with funds from a couple new to the movies business.Has the success of Tyler Perry allowed mainstream Hollywood to feel that they don't have to worry about servicing the black film going audience anymore. I hope not.