While American Gangster was a smash at the Box Office, the movie and most all of its cast were missing from the list of Oscar nominations that came out this morning.
The flick - which stars Denzel Washington as the infamous Harlem **** king of the '70s, Frank Lucas, along with notable appearances by T.I., Common and The Rza - was passed over for a Best Picture nomination, and Washington was skipped for the Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role category.
Ruby Dee, who played Lucas' mother in the movie, was the only American Gangster star to represent for the flick with an Oscar nomination. Dee got a nod for the Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role category. The movie scored a nomination in the Art Direction category, as well.
Eddie Murphy was also absent from the Oscar nominations roster. He won a statue at last year's ceremony for his role as a drug addicted soul singer in the critically acclaimed Dream Girls, but this year, he's up several times for a slightly less honorable award.
The Razzies are reserved for the worst of the worst and the funny man scored five of the nominations for his roles in the movie Norbit, including worst actor and actress.
In addition to the move's title character, Murphy donned a dress as Norbit's obnoxious and obese wife and layed on a thick accent as an old Asian man. For that, he's named as a contender in the Worst Screen Couple and Worst Supporting Actor categories.
"We decided that each of his characters was so offensive that he deserved individual nominations," John Wilson, the founder of the Golden Raspberry Awards, told New York's Daily News.
The Razzies will announce the winners Feb. 23, the day before the Oscars.
As SOHH previously reported, the writer's strike may cause all of the ceremonies this awards season to drastically change their format. But right now, the Oscars are scheduled to be presented Feb 24 at the Kodak Theater in LA.
http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/13504
