This is a legitimate criticism and to compare Hollywood to the NFL is not a fair analogy. The NFL is composed of men who have to demonstrate their athletic prowess and talent. Football is a damn hard sport based on merit and to compare it to the Oscars fails to capture that in Football the only thing that matters is how big you are and how well you play.

I understand it comes from a less than adequate source but Hollywood is a liberal entity that is for a all intents and purposes is racially segregated. I don't just mean when it comes to acting. Yet very few liberals call them out on it.

If you think this is an unfair criticism I recommend you read the biography of Bruce Lee. Things haven't changed much since then. Or if that doesn't convince you read a recent interview with Chris Rock.

John Hurt was overlooked for his job as Winston Smith, in 1984... it's clear that this is a popularity contest.

Actors have to deal with this all the time. If you do a killer job, but the movie doesn't warn the hearts of the Academy...

First-world problem. Waaa.

Ppen: if you think that the acting profession isn't based on performance, you're sadly mistaken.

The difference is actually in the RULES attending each game. Furthermore, Hollywood can produce a movie about football - the NFL cannot produce Bridges of Madison County or Saving Private Ryan, etc.

Speak to a trooper like Peter Jurasik for a little bit, and you'll see just how much work really goes into learning how to act. Most dismiss it as trivial because they can flick a button and dispose of any show.

Who the hell said actors weren't talented? But you'll never get an American Andy Lau an audition in Hollywood but if football player Andy Lau is talented, he'll get a consideration.

To say the NFL is segregated for the same reasons Hollywood is utterly disingenuous. Nobody hires in the you in the NFL
because they first take into account you're black and then if you're talented.

So again what does it matter what movies are entered in the Oscars if they're the same movies and actors over and over again. Nobody is saying they aren't good. Just that the whole process is the same self-congralutory jerkoff where nobody deviates from the racial/social script.

Secondly the Oscars, Golden Globes are POLITICAL campaigns. You sell yourself to into them like a politician pays his way into office.

Ppen,

You need to learn a bit more about football. There is a lot of 'anyone who isn't black can't be any good' in football. And in many other sports as well. It is not a pure meritocracy.

No shit Ben. But why do you think that mindset exits ? It's a chicken and egg problem.

If you get a significant number of non-black guys that were built for the sport and talented enough you'd get a different mindset.

But despite Hollywood being full of minority actors they'll never ever get the same consideration.

For all of you who think there isn't a fucking bias in awards I would like you to give me 20 "black" movies that weren't about black guy getting discriminated in the 1950s/ slave with an evil slave master / black singer with a drug problem/ blacks getting discriminated in general.

Let's throw Holocaust movies and druggie abused white woman for shits and giggles.

Who wants to see that, Ppen?

How many movies can you make about 13% of the population that the other 87% wants to see?
Why so ugly? Why so hateful? Why no outrage for no Asian leading man?

It's whining.

One more, see if I can penetrate the angst: Hollywood does more than the NFL does, and it doesn't have to hire anyone, or reward anyone the public doesn't think is amazing.

I get it. Those powerful Jews are holding black folk back.

Bull. They'll sell your mother if people will come to see them.

I am so glad the Nobel committee exercised its quota and put one in the Oval Office, so they don't have to endure this (manufactured) issue.

Selma has hit at the wrong time. Too much civil right angst with current protests gone stupid to generate much sympathy from movie goers right now. I don't wanna see it. I have seen many other movies that deal with the same content. I just don't want to see them right now. It's not the right time.

After 9/11 I didn't wanna see much in the way of drama and terrorism. Just know what is your audience wanting to see and develop your movies accordingly.

Yes you really read what I wrote Rad. When you criticIze me for not mentioning an Asian lending man. Here I thought Andy Lau was a black guy.

I also love how you assume my perspective is the "Hollywood Jews" against the blacks. When I belong to neither of those groups.

Eh but what do I expect. You think poor people consume more drugs than the middle class.

Selma has hit at the wrong time. Too much civil right angst with current protests gone stupid to generate much sympathy from movie goers right now. I don't wanna see it. I have seen many other movies that deal with the same content. I just don't want to see them right now. It's not the right time.

After 9/11 I didn't wanna see much in the way of drama and terrorism. Just know what is your audience wanting to see and develop your movies accordingly.

Posted by: gooseegg at January 17, 2015 8:58 AM

I agree

Once something is either successful or new, it gets over done to the point of utter UN watch a bility.

Books are the same way.

Movies and TV seem to have settled on the leading man stereotype of *not exactly sure what race he really is* like Vin Diesel, and Wentworh Miller....

Seem to be trying to have it both ways.

Not that I don't find these guys appealing, just that on the acting scale Steven Buscemi has ten times the talent. You put him in anything, I will probably watch it.

I long for the day when movies are judged on their artistic attraction and not the color of the actors skin. (With apologies to MLK Jr.)

I loved Steve as the crossing dressing psycho postal worker in Billy Madison, only redeeming thing about that movie

Boy, people are straining hard to disavow or underplay the straightforward and accurate observation Ppen put forward.

I too long for the day actors get roles for their artistic attraction and not for the color of their skin.

The "brown" spectrum doesn't even exist in Hollywood. Sure you'll get the occasional B actor whose racially mixed. But you'll only get one Halle Berry (who has now been replaced by Zoe Saldana) and like two Will Smiths.

Most people don't even realize there is a plethora of highly attractive Asian-American models/ actors that don't bother working here and head straight to Hong Kong.

You can't tell me there isn't an Asian female leading lady because the most coveted demographic (white men 18-40) don't find Asian women attractive. Right white men don't find Asian women hot.

If you're Hispanic you just go to Telemundo/Univison because the only people hired to play Hispanics are two Spaniards and a half-Middle Eastern Mexican.

Believe it or not Hollywood is not a social justice organization. They make movies for one reason. To make money. If the studios thought diversity of actors would increase their profits then they would cast those actors. They are casting actors who they feel will generate the largest profit. As always "follow the money."

Hollywood money men don't care if you feel they aren't diverse enough. They only care about the size of the check.

Right Jay. You're so right. I always love any argument that starts with "social justice" general jerkoff when legitimate (and I do mean legitimate) concerns about race are brought up.

I mean it wasn't like in a recent Sony hack they said Denzel Washington wasn't appealing enough overseas despite his highly profitable movies.

And you know what Angelina Jolie has a career because the majority of her movies never bomb.

And Gwyneth Paltrow is named the most beautiful woman in the world because she has a large female fanbase.

But this is really about profits. Good thing Hollywood movies are gonna fuck off and die eventually thanks to technology, internet and tv shows stepping up their game.

And JLo (who started in black entertainment and hired a manager that is super into telenovela pussy) proved herself over and over and over again and yet you're telling me no other Hispanic actress/singer can be as profitable? Not one? Not fucking one ?

PPen, your mention of Andy Lau is practically useless.

Put the cart before the horse.

You're the one accusing me of not being outraged because there are no Asian leading men.

But thanks.

Sorry ppen but once again you missed the point. The fact that a lot of these movies bomb does not negate the fact that their producers wanted to make money. I doubt they sat around saying "yeah we could double our profits by casting a minority in the lead, but screw it let's lose money."

Just because their financial decisions were incorrect doesn't mean they were made for bigoted reasons.

And you missed MY point. It's the whole process in Hollywood. You don't even get a chance to show you're profitable in the first place because of your race. They think the audiences won't like someone of another race so they won't hire you. Their personal views on race are irrelevant. They're not bigoted in the way you're implying.

“No, I am not saying The Equalizer should not have been made or that African American actors should not have been used (I personally think Denzel is the best actor of his generation),” the producer wrote.

“I believe that the international motion picture audience is racist---But Sony sometimes seems to disregard that a picture must work well internationally to both maximize returns and reduce risk, especially pics with decent size budgets.”

For the record, The Equalizer grossed a domestic total of $101.8 million dollars and a worldwide total of $191 million.

"They think the audiences won't like someone of another race so they won't hire you." Exactly my point. Their theory may be wrong but they will put their money where they think it will pay off. Would you invest in a project you thought would lose? Of course not.

And who is to say they are wrong? Will the people claiming there isn't enough minority film making actually pay to see such films if they are made? Easy to condemn a financial decision when it is someone else"s money at risk.

Why the fuck do I have to explain this to you 50 billion times.

Minority actors HAVE PROVEN their commercial success and yet Hollywood doesn't hire them because they think audiences won't like them.

That's the racial criticism Hollywood is getting.. That they're outdated and stuck in an era where people only wanted to see white actors.

This has nothing to do with whatever reverse racism bullshit that is popular.

Read the Chris Rock interview where he talks about this and tell me he doesn't have valid points.

Oh and for your comment that minorities won't clamor to see shitty minority films. Pleas take a look at the shit fest that is Tyler Perry and all the black funded black cinema that is around.

Ppen, Hollywood doesn't have a monopoly. As you said there are other avenues for talented people to produce quality products. You compared this to football which is a monopoly cartel. I can't just go out and start my own professional football team. But independents as well as the Telemundo, Bollywood, and Hong Kong routes exist and sell movies.

I can't disagree with you that Hollywood is bigoted as all getout. You already know I think LA is an intensely bigoted city. And Hollywood is a large driver of that shallow and prejudicial culture.

But so what? What is your bottom line here? If you just want to point out they are a bunch of hypocrites I agree with you wholeheartedly. But if you are advocating government action to resolve this racial disparity I disagree wholeheartedly.

Government action? Where did I advocate anything should be done out this? Look at my original comment.

"This is a legitimate criticism and to compare Hollywood to the NFL is not a fair analogy"

"I understand it comes from a less than adequate source but Hollywood is a liberal entity that is for a all intents and purposes is racially segregated."

Everyone on here was condescendingly accusing me of believing deviled horned "Hollywood Jews" where making backroom deals to keep the good colored man down.

OKAY, NOW WHAT DO WE DO?

Blame somebody? Boycott? Attach a ribbon to our car? Cluck for the umpteenth time that Hollywood is doing remakes and sequels and prequels, while I'll-be-damned-if-I'll-acknowledge-that ignoring WHY they do remakes and sequels and prequels?

WHAT DO WE DO?

Cluck. Bring out the white guilt, because it works so damned well!

See this shit always turns into "white guilt" with you. Are you gonna accuse me of the white man keeping the black man down again? Where the fuck do I say the whole white race should feel guilty? Where the fuck do I say anything about anything being done?

It's merely an observation like any other observation. Ya know the thing we do on this blog.

It's funny when I make observations about black single unwed mothers you're awfully silent on my clucking.

And it's funny what I'm essentially saying is the majority white movie going audience isn't even racist as Hollywood seems to assume.

Here is the problem as I see it.

White guilt immunization.

Part of the problem of the dearth of 'minority' talent is directors like Spike Lee. And the majority of "serious" dramas staring minority leads are about the struggle to overcome racial bias.

How often are white people supposed to watch stories where they are collective blamed for things that happened decades before they were born?

It's a perception issue, and a bit of a catch 22.

Also the international market is a huge consideration. America may be a melting pot where a family can jump the class levels in a few generations. But a lot of the world while seeming to move past, still enforces caste systems

And that is EXACTLY the criticism Hollywood gets from minorities. One of my favorite comments from a person I hate, Whoppi Golfberg, was regarding how she felt so alive watching a black woman just be a woman on Star Trek.

The only racial movies are about how ethnic someone is. Look at my comment above where the only black movies taken into awards consideration are about discrimination. Spike Lee isn't even liked by black people.

If you look at black cinema the majority of their movies are about relationships.

Secondly you're telling me an Asian actor wouldn't be a huge hit in Asia? Because J.Lo , Will Smith, Beyoncé have a huge international following. They're considered entertainers that transcend their race.

Thirdly we do piss poor in the international market in general. There is this misconception that Hollywood is the "it" worldwide. It sure as hell isn't.

I just think you guys are extremely narrow in what you think minorities believe or advocate, simply because all you do is read shit from self-appointed representatives.

At this point I agree with you Ppen. But it is like talking about the weather. Sure Hollywood is racist, bigoted, ... But they have been all of that since Hollywood got started. And they love to point out how anyone else is all of that and paper over their own sins. But Rev Al isn't going to change anything. He is as racist and wot not as any of them. Maybe he can shake some money from the money tree but Hollywood isn't going to change and he doesn't even want them to change.

I will suggest a practical solution. Go around them. Hollywood may be big but it doesn't have a monopoly. And as you point out many of their customers aren't that impressed with their product. Sure, all of their money would be nice to have. But if they aren't buying what you are selling and you have faith in your product then find another way to get it to market. Enough people do that and Hollywood will vanish. Just as many record labels have vanished for the same reason. Just as many companies selling all kinds of products have vanished.

"Who the hell said actors weren't talented? But you'll never get an American Andy Lau an audition in Hollywood but if football player Andy Lau is talented, he'll get a consideration."

I get this, actually. In the entertainment industry, who you know is far more important than what you know or what you can do. Sports teams send scouts all over the place, looking for unnoticed talent. (A major emphasis in baseball these days is identifying and exploiting "inefficiencies" in scouting; that is, coming up with ways to find good players that are being overlooked by other teams because of the way their scouting processes work.) Hollywood, for the most part, doesn't scout; they sit and wait for prospects to come to them. For the purpose of getting you in the door, connections serve far better than talent does.

It's a maxim in the music industry that, for every band that "makes it", there are ten other bands at least as good. But those other ten bands never get the opportunity because they don't know the right people, or aren't in the right place at the right time.

"It's funny when I make observations about black single unwed mothers you're awfully silent on my clucking."

I haven't noticed at all. That's all.

It remains that Hollywood backs what they think will sell, and >85% of the population doesn't give a damn about

{less than 15% of the population most of the time.}