Page 31 - Aruba Today

PEOPLE & ARTS A31
Hollywood screenwriters face their own diversity drama
AP Television Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) —
Screenwriter Alyson Fouse
was working on a sequel
for the “Bring It On” movie
franchise when the studio
asked for changes.
“They wanted the black
girl to be more ghetto, for
want of a better word,”
Fouse recalled. “I said
that’s fine, we’re doing a
cheerleader comedy so
stereotypes are what’s
funny. But I want the other
side of that, too. I want a
girl who’s not ghetto.”
The African-American writ-
er was able to create a
black teen from a posh pri-
vate school, a rare victory
in an industry that makes
scant room for those of col-
or or their perspective. “Os-
carsSoWhite,” the hashtag
protest over this year’s all-
white slate of nominees, is
applicable to the original
and adapted screenplay
categories as well (with “In-
side Out” writer Ronnie del
Carmen an exception).
“There just isn’t a lot of di-
versity within the core of
people who are coming
up with stories and devel-
oping characters,” said
Darnell Hunt, director of
the Ralph J. Bunche Cen-
ter for African American
Studies at the University of
Ebony celebrates Black Hollywood on the Oscar’s eve
NEKESA MUMBI MOODY
AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — On
the eve of an Academy
Awards under fire for a lack
of diversity, Ebony maga-
zine celebrated the best
of black cinema as “black-
ish” star Anthony Anderson
and “Birth of a Nation” film-
maker Nate Parker urged
fellow black stars to realize
the power of the communi-
ty to make lasting change
in Hollywood.
“If we are going to move
forward and use this mo-
ment as a movement, I
think we have to recognize
that everything we need to
validate ourselves is in this
room, right now,” Parker
said to the mostly black
crowd on Saturday night.
“Let’s not get consumed
with begging to be al-
lowed in other rooms when
Laura Prepon, center, and the cast and crew of “Orange is the New Black” accept the award for
outstanding ensemble in a comedy series at the 22nd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the
Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles. The expanding TV universe has been more agile in
adjusting to demographic changes than movies, with ethnic and gender diversity in shows rang-
ing from CW’s “Jane the Virgin” to Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black,” and awards have followed.
California, Los Angeles.
Hunt also has charted writ-
ers’ employment for a de-
cade for the Writers Guild
of America, West, and sees
“very little progress. To the
extent there has been prog-
ress, it tends to be in front
of the camera and very
little behind the camera.”
That’s despite the growing
colorization of America,
with the transition to a non-
all the tools we need are
here.”
Parker is a rising star in Hol- an award for “Black-ish” at the 47th NAACP Image Awards in
lywood: His biopic of slave
rebellion leader Nat Turner,
“The Birth of a Nation,” is
one of the most anticipat-
ed movies of the fall after
debuting to raves at the
Sundance Film Festival. But
this Oscar season, the focus
has been on the all-white
acting nominations and
the lack of opportunities
for people of color in Holly-
wood. Spike Lee, Will Smith
and Jada Pinkett Smith
are among those who said
they would skip Sunday’s
awards over diversity con-
cerns.
Anthony Anderson, the
Emmy-nominated star of
the sitcom “black-ish,” told
the crowd that it was an
exciting time in Hollywood
but one that needed to be
Monday 29 February 2016
the creator and execu-
tive producer of ABC’s
groundbreaking African-
American family comedy,
“black-ish.” Barris, who is
black, works with a writing
(Photo by Vince Bucci/Invision/AP) staff that’s majority non-
white and half female.
white majority predicted may, in the future, prevent “The moment we make
within three decades. The the omission of actors such improvements behind the
expanding TV universe has as Idris Alba, who won a camera, we’ll have more
been more agile in adjust- SAG award for “Beasts of opportunities to step up
ing to the demographic No Nation,” and Michael and have real swings at
change than movies, with B. Jordan, overlooked for being noticed — not just
ethnic and gender diversity “Creed,” while Sylvester for being black, but for be-
in shows ranging from CW’s Stallone earned a support- ing excellent. Not just for
“Jane the Virgin” to Netflix’s ing actor bid for reviving his being gay, but for being
“Orange is the New Black,” Rocky character. excellent. Not just for being
and awards have followed. But Oscar-worthy roles a woman, but being excel-
The film academy adopt- start with writers and di- lent,” Barris said.
ed voting changes that rectors, said Kenya Barris, Diversity yields studio re-
wards, too. Movies with
casts evenly split between
white and non-white ac-
tors are more profitable,
according to a new
Bunche Center study that
cites “Lucy,” the Mor-
gan Freeman-Scarlett Jo-
hansson sci-fi drama that
grossed $400 million-plus
worldwide, as an example.
“This is not affirmative ac-
tion. .... More people would
buy tickets if you featured
people who look like us
or reflect modern soci-
ety,” said Daniel Mayeda,
co-chair of the Asian Pa-
cific American Media
Coalition.q
Marsai Martin, from left, Yara Shahidi, creator Kenya Barris, at our own United Artists and
microphone, Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson accept own our own library and
own our own studios and
Pasadena, Calif. On the eve of an Academy Awards under fire own networks? That’s what
for a lack of diversity, Ebony magazine celebrated the best of it’s about, it’s about own-
black cinema. ership. .. I stand before you
owning ‘black-ish.’ “
(Photo by Phil McCarten/Invision/AP) He added: “Once we
kick the door in, it doesn’t
built upon. thing happen,” he said. mean anything if we’re
not bringing anyone else
“Now it’s up to us to come “How are we going to through it.”
But the event, sponsored
together and make some- band together to become by iTunes, was more than
just serious talk. Nick Can-
non got the crowd, which
included Brandy, Ryan Phil-
lippe, Boris Kodjoe, Nicole
Ari Parker and Holly Rob-
inson Peete on the dance
floor as he spun old-school
R&B and hip-hop classics.
Among the films singled
out for excellence by Ebo-
ny included “Dope,” ‘’Girl-
hood,” ‘’Concussion” and
“Creed.” q