NAACP Image Awards
NAACP Image Awards | |
---|---|
Current:55th NAACP Image Awards | |
Awarded for | Excellence in film, television, theatre, music, and literature |
Country | United States |
Presented by | NAACP |
First awarded | August 13, 1967 |
Website | naacpimageawards |
TheNAACP Image Awardsis an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 categories of the Image Awards are voted on by the NAACP members. Honorary awards (similar to theAcademy Honorary Award) have also been included, such as thePresident's Award,theChairman's Award,theEntertainer of the Year,theActivist of the Year,and theHall of Fame Award.Beyoncéis the All-Time leading winner with 25 wins as a solo artist.
History
[edit]Theaward ceremonywas conceived byToni Vaz[1]during an April 1967 NAACP branch meeting in Beverly Hills. “I called it the Image Awards because I wanted a better image for the people who worked in the industry,” Vaz said. “I wanted to put this award show together to thank the producers for giving good roles to people of color.” The branch president liked the idea, Vaz said, but when she made follow-up calls to members and friends to enlist volunteers for an awards show committee, no one volunteered. Vaz reached out to Black A-listers such as Sammy Davis Jr., who hosted the first meeting of the NAACP Beverly Hills Hollywood Branch in his home; Sidney Poitier, whom she had worked with on the movie Porgy and Bess; and the late Ivan Dixon, an actor, director and producer of Hogan's Heroes at the time. Vaz also wrote letters to secure sponsors for the event and booked the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where the first NAACP Image Awards show was held on August 13, 1967.
The ceremony was presented by activistsMaggie Hathaway,Sammy Davis Jr.andWillis Edwards,all three of whom were leaders of the Beverly Hills-Hollywood NAACP branch.[2][3]While it was first taped for television byNBC(which broadcast the awards from 1987 to 1994 in January, on weeks whenSaturday Night Livewasn't airing a new episode), it would only be broadcast in primetime beginning in 1996. Due to changes in timing of the awards, there was no awards ceremony held the following years: 1973, as the timing was changed to honor a full calendar year early in the following year (reverted to a "late-in-year" ceremony for 1981–1990); 1991, as the timing returned too late in a calendar year to honor that same year; 1995.
The firstlive broadcastof the awards, also on the Fox Network, occurred in 2007 for its 38th edition (up until 2007, the ceremony had been broadcast withtape delay) and the annual ceremonies usually take place in or around theLos Angelesarea, in February or early March. The 44th edition aired on NBC. Sources have had trouble verifying the winners in the top categories from 1983 to 1995.
The New York firmSociety Awardsmanufactures the trophy since its redesign in 2008.
Cultural impact
[edit]The NAACP Image awards has been widely accepted and dubbed as the "BlackOscars/Emmy/Grammy"award show from the African American and Latino community, as it is an importantprestigiousaward celebrating artists and entertainers of color that may have been overlooked from by the mainstream film, television, theater and music award counterparts (E.G.O.T.) due to racial seclusion or lack of interests from film and television studios. Whereas, it created more exposure for content on a wide spectrum of urban media versus other awards shows where they can be celebrated and appreciated. Actors such asWill Smith,Jada Pinkett-Smith,Taraji P. Hensonand many others expressed the differences of not being visually seen by the industry's standard and how artists and entertainers should look to the NAACP Image Awards as the highest achievement. The campaign of#OscarSoWhitebegan as a protest after seeing the lack of people of color being nominated or win in major categories at theAcademy Awards.Since then, minor adjustments have been made for inclusion as more people of color have become nominated and win at the mainstream prestigious award ceremonies. Today, the NAACP Image Awards is what many people of color look forward to as "the one that matters".[4]
Event dates and locations
[edit]# | Date | Host(s) | Location |
---|---|---|---|
1st | August 13, 1967[3] | The Beverly Hilton | |
2nd | September 22, 1968[5] | The Beverly Hilton | |
3rd | October 11, 1969[6] | ||
4th | November 15, 1970[7] | ||
5th | November 21, 1971[8] | ||
6th | November 18, 1972[9] | ||
1973 - not presented, timing changed to have achievements of a calendar year honored early in following year | |||
7th | January 19, 1974 | Hollywood Palladium | |
8th | January 18, 1975 | ||
9th | February 7, 1976 | ||
10th | April 24, 1977 | ||
11th | June 9, 1978 | ||
12th | January 27, 1979 | Hollywood Palladium | |
13th | January 27, 1980[10] | Louis Gossett Jr./Rita Moreno/Ted Lange/Benjamin Hooks/Valenti | |
14th | December 5, 1981 | Robert Guillaume (note: timing changed, achievements of 1980/81 were honored late in 1981) |
Hollywood Palladium |
15th | December 1982 | Jayne Kennedy/George Peppard/Michael Warren | |
16th | December 4, 1983 | Dorothy Chandler Pavilion | |
17th | December 1984 | ||
18th | December 1985 | ||
19th | December 13, 1986 | Debbie Allen/Denzel Washington | |
20th | December 1987 | Denzel Washington/Debbie Allen | |
21st | December 1988 | ||
22nd | December 9, 1989 | ||
23rd | December 9, 1990 | ||
1991 - not presented, timing changed to have achievements of a calendar year honored early in following year | |||
24th | January 11, 1992 | Pasadena Civic Auditorium | |
25th | January 16, 1993 | ||
26th | January 5, 1994 | ||
1995 - not presented, financial concerns[11] | |||
27th | April 6, 1996 | Whitney Houston/Denzel Washington | Pasadena Civic Auditorium |
28th | February 8, 1997 | Arsenio Hall,Patti LaBelle | |
29th | February 14, 1998 | Vanessa L. Williams,Gregory Hines | |
30th | February 14, 1999 | Mariah Carey,Blair Underwood[12] | |
31st | February 12, 2000 | Diana Ross | |
32nd | February 23, 2001 | Chris Tucker | Universal Amphitheatre |
33rd | March 3, 2002 | ||
34th | March 8, 2003 | Cedric the Entertainer | |
35th | March 6, 2004 | Tracee Ellis Ross/Golden Brooks/Persia White/Jill Marie Jones | |
36th | March 19, 2005 | Chris Tucker | Dorothy Chandler Pavilion |
37th | February 26, 2006 | Cuba Gooding Jr. | Shrine Auditorium |
38th | March 2, 2007 | LL Cool J | |
39th | February 14, 2008 | D. L. Hughley | |
40th | February 12, 2009[13] | Halle Berry/Tyler Perry | |
41st | February 26, 2010 | Anika Noni Rose/Hill Harper | |
42nd | March 4, 2011[14] | Wayne Brady/Holly Robinson Peete | |
43rd | February 17, 2012 | Sanaa Lathan/Anthony Mackie | |
44th | February 1, 2013 | Steve Harvey | |
45th | February 22, 2014 | Anthony Anderson[15] | Pasadena Civic Auditorium |
46th | February 6, 2015 | ||
47th | February 5, 2016 | ||
48th | February 11, 2017 | ||
49th | January 15, 2018 | ||
50th | March 30, 2019 | Dolby Theatre | |
51st | February 22, 2020 | Pasadena Civic Auditorium | |
52nd | March 27, 2021 | Virtual | |
53rd | February 26, 2022 | ||
54th | February 25, 2023 | Queen Latifah | Pasadena Civic Auditorium[16] |
55th | March 16, 2024[17] | Shrine Auditorium |
Controversies
[edit]In 1987, the NAACP came under fire for dropping their Best Actress award for that year. They defended this position, citing a lack of meaningful roles for Black women.[18]In 1990, they were criticized once again for not awarding Best Actress.[19]This was the fourth time it could not find enough nominees for Best Actress.[19]Sandra Evers-Manly, president of the organization's Beverly Hills/Hollywood branch, said, "The [film] industry has yet to show diversity or present realistic leading roles forAfrican-Americanwomen. "[19]
In several instances, nominees have been perceived as “undeserving” or “unworthy” of recognition by members of the media, fellow celebrities, as well as the general public; in their own defense, some NAACP representatives have stated that the overall quality of an artist's work is the salient issue. This would render certain factors, such as criminal charges or the nominee's past, being inconsequential in this regard. For example, in 1994, rapperTupac Shakurwas nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (forPoetic Justice), despitesexual assaultcharges being filed against him in December 1993.[20]Furthermore, Shakur had been accused of felony counts of forcible sodomy and unlawful detainment in New York City; a woman alleged that he and two male accomplices held her captive, in a hotel room, and restricted her movements, holding her down as a fourth accomplice sodomized her.[21]Shakur was also indicted for two counts of aggravated assault, in an unrelated incident, in which he supposedly shot and wounded two off-duty police officers.[21]The same year,Martin Lawrencewas criticized for winning Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Comedy Series forMartin,after the show was maligned for its sexual content.[21]In 2004,R. Kelly'sChocolate Factorywas nominated for Outstanding Album[22]while he was underindictmentfor charges related tochild pornography.[23]
Other nominees have faced controversy due to their portrayals of major civil rights figures. In 2003, the comedy filmBarbershopreceived five nominations, including Outstanding Motion Picture and Outstanding Supporting Actor (forCedric the Entertainer's performance); during the film, Cedric's character makespejorative remarksaboutRosa Parks,Martin Luther King Jr.,Michael Jackson,andJesse Jackson.This content elicited criticism, including Parks' refusal to attend the ceremony.[24]Hip-hop groupOutKastreceived six nominations in 2004, and criticism soon followed—for both them and the NAACP—due to the name of one of their songs being “Rosa Parks”.The song had resulted inParks suing OutKastfor defamation over use of her name.[23]
Award categories
[edit]Motion picture
[edit]
- Outstanding Motion Picture
- Outstanding Documentary
- Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
- Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
- Outstanding International Motion Picture
- Outstanding Independent Motion Picture
- Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture
- Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture
- Outstanding Character Voice Performance – Motion Picture
- Outstanding Short-Form (animated)
Music
[edit]
- Outstanding New Artist
- Outstanding Female Artist
- Outstanding Male Artist
- Outstanding Duo or Group
- Outstanding Jazz Artist
- Outstanding Jazz Album
- Outstanding Jazz Vocal Album
- Outstanding Gospel Artist
- Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary)
- Outstanding Music Video
- Outstanding Song(Traditional and Contemporary)
- Outstanding Album
Literature
[edit]
- Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction
- Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction
- Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography
- Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author
- Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry
- Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional
- Outstanding Literary Work – Children
- Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens
Podcast
[edit]
- Outstanding News and Information Podcast
- Outstanding Lifestyle/Self-Help Podcast
- Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast
- Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author
- Outstanding Arts and Entertainment Podcast
Television
[edit]
- Outstanding Drama Series
- Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Children's Program
- Outstanding Comedy Series
- Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
- Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
- Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
- Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
- Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
- Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-series)
- Outstanding News/Information – Series or Special
- Outstanding Talk Series
- Outstanding Variety – Series or Special
- Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television)
Special awards
[edit]
- Vanguard Award
- Chairman's Award
- President's Award
- Hall of Fame Award
- Entertainer of the Year
- Activist of the Year
- Social Media Personality of the Year
References
[edit]- ^"NAACPLA: Image Awards Founder Honored".naacplosangeles.org/.May 20, 2021.
- ^"The Show | Image Awards History".naacpimageawards.net.January 12, 2020. Archived fromthe originalon January 12, 2020.
- ^ab"NAACP Will Present Nine Image Awards".Los Angeles Times.August 7, 1967. p. 74 – viaNewspapers.com.
- ^Reporter, Scott Collins Scott Collins is a former staff reporter for the Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times He joined the staff in 2004 after previous stints at the Hollywood; CNN, Inside com Author of the book “Crazy Like a Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat; TV,” he is a frequent pop-culture expert on national; Shows, Radio; in 2016, industry panels He left The Times (February 6, 2016)."NAACP Image Awards highlight the power of diversity".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedMarch 18,2024.
{{cite web}}
:|last2=
has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^"NAACP to Confer Honors at Beverly Hilton Fete".Valley Times (of North Hollywood).San Fernando Valley Times Co. August 6, 1968. p. 7 – viaNewspapers.com.
- ^Knapp, Dan (September 27, 1969)."Getting Blacker, But Not Black Enough".Vancouver Sun– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"NAACP Sets Annual Image Awards Show".Los Angeles Times.September 8, 1970 – viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"Marvin Gaye Wins Top Honors at NAACP Image Awards Show".Pittsburgh Courier.December 4, 1971 – viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"NAACP Honors Black Performers".The Palm Beach Post.November 20, 1972 – viaNewspapers.com.
- ^Robinson, Leroy (May 1980). Marr, Warren II (ed.)."'Together They Did It!' The 12th Annual NAACP Image Awards ".The Crisis.Vol. 85, no. 5. pp. 162–164.ISSN0011-1422.OCLC609962350– viaGoogle Books.
- ^"NAACP board may decide fate of costly Image Awards at meeting this week".The Baltimore Sun.RetrievedSeptember 10,2022.
- ^Lewis, Ida E.,ed. (March 1999)."NAACP Image Awards Glitters For 30 Years".The Crisis.Vol. 106, no. 2. pp. 35–37.ISSN0011-1422.OCLC609962350.RetrievedJanuary 21,2017.
- ^"Halle Berry and Tyler Perry to Host Live Broadcast of" 40th Naacp Image Awards "Thursday, February 12, on Fox"(Press release).Fox Broadcasting Company.December 16, 2008.RetrievedMay 4,2022– viaThe Futon Critic.
- ^"42nd NAACP Image Awards | Winners & Honorees | Television".naacpimageawards.net.March 4, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon June 25, 2012.RetrievedAugust 9,2012.
- ^"The 45th NAACP Image Awards Announces Additional Presenters Including Idris Elba, Vin Diesel, Terry Crews & More".TV By The Numbers.February 13, 2014. Archived fromthe originalon June 30, 2017.RetrievedJune 3,2019.
- ^"2024 NAACP IMAGE AWARDS VIP".VIP Concierge.RetrievedDecember 15,2023.
- ^"NAACP Announces" 55th NAACP Image Awards "to Air Live in Los Angeles Saturday, March 16, 2024, on BET"(Press release).BET.September 29, 2023.RetrievedDecember 15,2023– viaThe Futon Critic.
- ^"NAACP cites lack of Best Actress in a Motion Picture Award due to lack of meaningful roles".UPI.com.October 29, 1987.RetrievedJuly 23,2016.
- ^abc"Why NAACP lacks image award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture".LA Times.October 25, 1990.RetrievedAugust 29,2016.
- ^"Michael Jackson makes surprise appearance at NAACP Image Awards".Jet.January 24, 1994.RetrievedSeptember 29,2006.
- ^abcLeonardi, Marisa (January 7, 1994)."Shakur Questionably nominated".LA Times.RetrievedJuly 1,2016.
- ^Wiederhorn, Jon (January 8, 2004)."Outkast, Beyoncé, R. Kelly Nominated For NAACP Image Awards".VH1.com.Archived fromthe originalon February 4, 2004.RetrievedSeptember 29,2006.
- ^ab"Paula Zahn Now: Can Democrats Challenge Kerry?; NAACP Controversy; California Death Penalty Debate".CNN.com.January 28, 2004.RetrievedSeptember 29,2006.
- ^"Image Awards rekindle 'Barbershop' controversy".CNN.com.March 9, 2003. Archived fromthe originalon June 29, 2006.RetrievedSeptember 29,2006.