The Oscars

One of my favorite things about watching the Oscars are all the comments on the blogs and news shows the next day. Today, I read quote's by Idris Elba and Anthony Mackie in the "Rolling Out" news blog. For those of you who don't know what Rolling Out is, it is a entertainment blog geared towards African American entertainment news. Idris's comment was about how there was not one single black person nominated for any awards last night (now I didn't see the whole show so I don't know if this is true) and Anthony's comment was about how "Black Hollywood" needs to get together and make our own movies. Idris took a shot at Tyler Perry and said how he needs to stop making a mockery out of "black culture" with the character Madea and then the article mentions Martin Lawrence's "Big Momma's House". As I think about this subject it is my conclusion that these black directors are bringing to the screen what the black audience will go see. The problem in my opinion is not the black directors but it is the black audience. It has been my experience that black movie goers do not support black movies unless they are sexually explicit or full of comedy. When directors like Spike Lee and John Singleton attempt to bring movies other than comedy's to the big screen black movie goers as a whole stay home!! Now, this does not in any way speak against Tyler Perry because I like his movies also. In every black family there is a Madea and when I see that character on the big screen it brings back memories of my Grandmother who passed sometime ago, she was our Madea always teaching us lessons that she would say "you may not understand now but when Grandma is dead and gone you will remember these words". I think that there is a place for black comedy's and for serious thought provoking black films but as I said earlier what will the audience pay to see. If these studio heads saw that we as a people will go see the "Rosewood" and the "Miracle at St. Anna" films(which by the way were both excellent films)then they will put them on the big screen. But why are they going to waste their time and money when we won't speed our time and money?

So whose to blame, the black directors or the black movie goers????