I watched a lot of the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards show. I watched right up until they gave Kerry Washington's award to Claire Danes. And then I turned it off. Immediately.
I have nothing against Claire Danes. I understand her to be a fine actress and Homeland to be a great show. One of the things that hurt my feelings about that Emmy was that here in the year 2013; Kerry Washington, Don Cheadle and Alfre Woodard were the ONLY African American actors nominated. And none of them won. And before I can even begin to tell you how much outrage that causes me, I have to take it back one more step and say...
There aren't enough Black actors working in Hollywood. Particularly not in Emmy-contending vehicles for their talent. It's not their fault, either the roles are not there, they are simply not getting the roles or even given the opportunity to try for them. Studies show that African-Americans watch 37% more television than non-black audiences. So if we have that level of influence, why aren't we demanding to see higher quality shows with people that look like us?
The deck is stacked. Did you take a look at the arrivals, at the audience and the clips they showed? If we played a version of Where's Waldo where Waldo is a working black actor/writer/producer and we drink every time we see one? We'd have been stone cold sober at the end of that three hour stretch. Just parched waiting to get our sip on. If we played Black Actor Bingo, we could use the same card for the Emmys and the Oscars and still never win. I'm just saying...
The deck is stacked. Did you take a look at the arrivals, at the audience and the clips they showed? If we played a version of Where's Waldo where Waldo is a working black actor/writer/producer and we drink every time we see one? We'd have been stone cold sober at the end of that three hour stretch. Just parched waiting to get our sip on. If we played Black Actor Bingo, we could use the same card for the Emmys and the Oscars and still never win. I'm just saying...
It's been a long time (1998) since Andre Braugher snagged a trophy for his work in Homicide. I'm still heated that The Wire never won any damned thing. While Treme is not as engaging as The Wire, Wendell Pierce has earned a nod as the complex bay-boy-who-wants-to-do-good musician Antoine Batiste. Khandi Alexander slays every scene she's a part of. Regina King deserved an Emmy for her work on Southland. There were entire episodes where she carried that show. When will Chandra Wilson get her props for her excellence as Miranda Bailey in Grey's Anatomy lo these many years? I could go on but I'll refer you to this meager list of wins and nominations to truly put it in perspective.
Back to Ms. Washington - let's be clear, whether you love or hate Scandal, Olivia Pope is a hard character to play well. She's outwardly beautiful but internally flawed, she's not obvious, she doesn't fit in a box, she's single, childless, a sinner and yet comes across as a completely sympathetic character that you cheer for. You want her happiness like she has been your best friend since third grade. That's a testament to fine writing and stellar acting.
And there's only one character created like that with an African-American female lead. One. At last googling, there are 4728 network, broadcast, cable, independent and over-the-air television channels in the United States with over 50% of those producing content for 30+ hours of programming a week. Out of all of that, we have one well-written brilliantly acted show with a sister girl and she CAN'T get the Emmy?
Thoughts, comments, insights, commiseration?
*goes back into bougie cave to meditate and burn incense*