Congrats to Miss Quvenzhane Wallis, Youngest Woman To Be Nominated For Best Actress Oscar

Nine-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis has been nominated for an Oscar for her role as Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild. And we think she is fabulous.

She shot the movie when she was only 6-years-old and this was her first movie.

She has made history as the youngest person nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category AND the youngest woman to be nominated for Best Actress. She has surpassed thirteen-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes who was nominated for her performance in 2002's Whale Rider. 

She has already won an African American Film Critics Award, an Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award, an Austin Film Critics Award, a Chambie Award, a Critic's Choice Award, a New Hollywood Award, a National Board of Review Award, a Spirit Award, a New York Film Critics Online Award, an Online Film Critics Society Award, a San Diego Film Critics Society Award, a WDAFCA Award, and a Women Women Film Critics Circle Award. Whew! That’s a lot of awards for a nine-year-old. (Or an adult).

You better work, Miss Wallis.

Her competition includes Naomi Watts (The Impossible), Emmanuelle Riva (Amour, who is also the oldest nominee in the category at 85), and Jessica Chastian (Zero Dark Thirty).

Writer-Director Behn Zeitlin says "she's totally taking it in stride. It's magical. She's just poised and fearless." And Mr. Zeitlin can thank Wallis' performance for the other three awards 'Beasts' garnered: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adalpted Screenplay.

Little Miss Quvenzhane told movie critic Roger Ebert the main difference between her and the character she played in the movie is that "she doesn't wear her pants pretty much." For the fact that she seems so grounded and knows the value of wearing ones pants, we like her even more. 

Plus, not only is she sassy and classy, this girl has goals. She's not set on being in the industry forever. When asked what career she wants to have, she replied "actress-dentist." It's always a good sign when a nine-year-old already knows the value of higher education. 

The funny thing is that Quvenzhane has never even seen a telecast of The Oscars. She said, "Whenever they said you might make it to the Oscars. I was like 'Who's Oscar? I don't know Oscar."  

So we'll be cheering her on when the 85th Academy Awards premiere on Sunday, February 24. 

Read more here. 

Quentin Tarantino Is Nobody's Slave

"Django Unchained" continues to garner more attention, and we're not just talking about its Oscar nods. During a recent "interview," (Quentin Tarantino kept referring to it as a commercial) writer-director Tarantino got virulent when the reporter asked whether there was a link between film violence and real violence.

Because I refuse your question. I'm not your slave and you're not my master. You can't make me dance to your tune. I'm not a monkey. --Quentin Tarantino

Tarantino told the reporter to "Google" him to find out his views about guns.

In the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, some might praise Tarantino for not taking the bait about gun violence in film. Certainly, mentally healthy adults can make the distinction between fictional movies and reality enough to not use a movie as inspiration for a shooting spree. However, Tarantino did miss an opportunity to defend his craft. He could have talked about his inspirations as a writer and artistic integrity. Instead he "blew up" at the reporter invoking slave references and racist symbolism.

For a movie with an excessive use of the n-word, by some counts 110 times, Tarrantino's use of the slavery metaphor just seems like another attempt to shock the consciousness of the viewer. And for the simple fact that this is a post about Quentin Tarrantino and "Django Unchained," it seems like Tarantino's shock therapy is working to wake up viewers.

Read more here.

Movie Review Website Renames "The Help" as "White People Solve Racism - You're Welcome, Black People"

A British movie review site tweaked the movie posters for some of the 2012 Oscar nominations. Click here to see more.

We believe Strong Black Woman of the Week Melissa Harris-Perry might approve of this title change.

[It won a Screen Actor's Guild Award today, too - for best ensemble cast, Shame, shame.

In Good Academy Awards News - 'Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights' Oscar Nod

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement was nominated for Best Documentary Short.  

 

See a clip of the film here. 

'In the days leading up to Barack Obama's victory in the 2008 election, former civil rights activist, James Armstrong, looks back on the early days of the movement.  At age 85, Mr. Armstrong works as a barber in Birmingham, Alabama.  He experiences the manifestation of an unimaginable dream of the election of the America's first Black president.  This colorful and courageous activist of the Civil Rights era casts his vote, celebrates Obama's victory and proudly unfurls the American flag as he is inducted into the Foot Soldiers Hall of Fame. Mr. Armstrong links the magnitude of the present paradigm shift with challenges he faced in the past: from his sons' integration into an all white school to the Bloody Sunday march for voting rights. The documentary raises questions about democracy and patriotism in the face of adversity, and the vigilance and action required to ensure continued forward movement to end racial injustice.'  

Here's to hoping it wins!

More Award Nominations For Mammy - 'The Help' Gets 3 Oscar Nods ***sigh***

The 2012 nominations for the Academy Awards were announced today.

As expected, the Help [unfortunately] received several nominations.

'The Help' was nominated for Best Picture.  [My first thought was that if it wins, the award acceptance will be like when Crash won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2006.  Right, it's okay if everyone's a little bit racist?]

 

Tony Award winner, Viola Davis, who was excellent in 2008's Doubt is also nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role.  

In the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category is both the outcast Southern Belle from the film, Celia Foote, played by Jessica Chastain, as well as Minny, played by Octavia Spencer.  Spencer won a Golden Globe for her role during last week's award ceremony.  

It is a shame that Black actresses are still being lauded for roles Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen mastered in 1939.  [See McDaniel's acceptance speech.]   

[Not to mention the obvious Oscar snub to Pariah.]