Star-Studded 42nd NAACP Image Awards Showcases Diverse Talent
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Posted By: Lucille Porter on March 08, 2011 By: Ben Wrobel Celebrities and political figures lit up the Shrine Auditorium on Friday night, March 4, 2011, for the star-studded 42nd NAACP Image Awards, the nation’s premiere multi-cultural awards show. Hosted by actress/author and Image Awards’ winner Holly Robinson Peete and actor/comedian Wayne Brady, this year’s ceremony once again celebrated the outstanding achievements and accomplishments of people of color in the arts in the fields of literature, music, television and film, as well as individuals who promote social justice. The show featured musical performances by Mary Mary and Michael Franti & Spearhead, as well as appearances by Halle Berry, LL Cool J, Vanessa Williams, Kimberly Elise, Kerry Washington, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Jason Derülo, Kat Graham, Dulé Hill, Anthony Mackie, Sofia Vergara, Judge Greg Mathis, Tia and Tamera Mowry, Sandra Oh, comedian Russell Peters and Anika Noni Rose among many others, including a surprise appearance by Prince. Tyler Perry’s “For Colored Girls” had a big night, winning Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture for Perry and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Kimberly Elise. Denzel Washington was awarded Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for “The Book of Eli”, while Halle Berry received the award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for "Frankie & Alice." The film also won Outstanding Independent Motion Picture. “If it weren’t for the NAACP I wouldn’t have dared to dream so big in my life,” said Berry. “So to be honored by them… is always something very close to my heart.” Two special awards added a sense of history to the evening. NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock delivered the Chairman’s Award to Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin, while NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous gave the President’s Award to General Colin Powell (Ret.). The Chairman’s Award is presented to an individual in special recognition of their efforts to utilize their profession to promote diversity and community involvement, and the President’s Award is given to an individual or group to recognize their special achievement in public service and furthering the cause of civil rights. Past Chairman’s Award honorees include then-Senator Barack Obama and Bono, while past President’s Award recipients include President William Clinton and Muhammad Ali. Attendees and participants wore red, white and blue ribbons to show solidarity with American workers and families engaged in peaceful protests across the nation to protect their collective bargaining rights. In late February the NAACP Board of Directors passed a resolution in support of union workers struggling to maintain collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin, Indian, Ohio and dozens of other states. “As we celebrate this year’s artistic achievements, our hearts and minds will be with our 1200 branches and youth and college chapters, many of whom are working with the teachers, service workers, public employees and hundreds of thousands of workers across the country to defeat initiatives that eliminate workers’ rights, collective bargaining and other protections,” said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous.” Event sponsors for the 42nd NAACP Image Awards include UAW/Chrysler, Walgreens, Wells Fargo, FedEx, Hyundai, Southwest Airlines, Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, Bank of America, Ford Motor Company, Pepsi and American Airlines. Vicangelo Bulluck executive produced the 42nd NAACP Image Awards. A full list of the night’s winners and nominees can be found at www.naacpimageawards.net. The 42nd NAACP Image Awards’ Recipients Category Title/Name Outstanding Comedy Series “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” (TBS) Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series David Mann - “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns” (TBS) Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Vanessa Williams - “Desperate Housewives” (ABC) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Ice Cube - “Are We There Yet?” (TBS) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Sofia Vergara - “Modern Family” (ABC) Outstanding Drama Series “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC) Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series LL Cool J - “NCIS: Los Angeles” (CBS) Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Regina King - “Southland” (TNT) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Terrence Howard - “Law & Order: Los Angeles” (NBC) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series S. Epatha Merkerson -“Law & Order” (NBC) Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special “Sins of the Mother” (Lifetime Movie Network) Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Idris Elba - “Luther” (BBC America) Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Jill Scott - “Sins of the Mother” (Lifetime Movie Network) Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series Darnell Williams - “All My Children” (ABC) Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series Tatyana Ali - “The Young and the Restless” (CBS) Outstanding News/Information Series or Special “Unsung” (TV One) Outstanding Talk Series “The View” (ABC) Outstanding Reality Series “Sunday Best” (BET Network) Outstanding Variety Series or Special “UNCF An Evening of Stars Tribute to Lionel Ritchie” (Syndicated) Outstanding Children’s Program “True Jackson, VP” (Nickelodeon) Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children’s Program Series or Special Keke Palmer - “True Jackson, VP” (Nickelodeon) Outstanding New Artist Willow (Roc Nation/Columbia Records) Outstanding Male Artist Usher (Laface/Jive Records) Outstanding Female Artist Mary J. Blige (Geffen Records/Matriarch) Outstanding Duo or Group or Collaboration John Legend and The Roots (Columbia Records) Outstanding Jazz Album “From Billie Holiday to Edith Piaf – Live in Marciac” - The Wynton Marsalis Quintet & Richard Galliano (The Orchard) Outstanding Gospel Album - Traditional or Contemporary “You Are Not Alone” - Mavis Staples (ANTI Records) Outstanding World Music Album “VOCAbuLarieS” - Bobby McFerrin (Universal Music Group/Decca/Emarcy) Outstanding Music Video “Un-thinkable (I’m Ready)” - Alicia Keys (J Records) Outstanding Song “Bittersweet” - Fantasia (J Records) Outstanding Album “Wake Up!” - John Legend and The Roots (Columbia Records) Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction “Getting to Happy” - Terry McMillan (Penguin Group) Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” - Michelle Alexander (The New Press) Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration” - Isabel Wilkerson (Random House) Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Auto-Biography “You Don’t Know Me: Reflections of My Father, Ray Charles” - Ray Charles Robinson, Jr. (Crown) Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional “A Boy Should Know How to Tie a Tie: And Other Lessons for Succeeding in Life” - Antwone Fisher (Touchstone, An Imprint of Simon & Schuster) Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry “100 Best African-American Poems” - Nikki Giovanni (Sourcebooks MediaFusion) Outstanding Literary Work – Children “My Brother Charlie”- Holly Robinson Peete, Ryan Elizabeth Peete (Authors), Shane W. Evans (Illustrator) (Scholastic Press) Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens “Condoleezza Rice A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me” Condoleezza Rice (Random House Children’s Books) Outstanding Motion Picture “For Colored Girls”- (Lionsgate/34th Street Films) Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Denzel Washington - “The Book of Eli” (Warner Bros. Pictures) Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Halle Berry - “Frankie & Alice” (Freestyle Releasing) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Samuel L. Jackson - “Mother and Child” (Sony Pictures Classics) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Kimberly Elise- “For Colored Girls” (Lionsgate/34th Street Films) Outstanding Independent Motion Picture “Frankie & Alice”- (Freestyle Releasing) Category Title/Name Outstanding Foreign Motion Picture “Biutiful” (Roadside Attractions) Outstanding Documentary (Theatrical or Television) “For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots” (PBS) Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series Aaron McGruder – “The Boondocks” – The Fund-Raiser (Cartoon Network) Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series Shonda Rhimes – “Private Practice” - Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King? (ABC) Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television) Michael Elliot– “Just Wright” (Fox Searchlight Pictures) Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series Kevin Rodney Sullivan – “Modern Family” – Game Changer (ABC) Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series Millicent Shelton – “Men of A Certain Age” – Go with the Flow (TNT) Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television) Tyler Perry – “For Colored Girls” (Lionsgate/34th Street Films) If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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