Awards season brings the blues

The award season is usually enough to lift the spirits of those who are suffering from the January Blues, its glitz and glamour a welcome escape from the rainy, windy and freezing weather.

Black musicians seem to just about hold their own at the Grammys last week with Jay Z, Alicia Keys, B.o.B, Bruno Mars and Cee Lo Green nominated in the top categories, albeit losing to the traditional preeminence of country & music nominees.

In the Brits awards in London this week Tinie Tempah won two top awards in what was otherwise an all white affair.

But, at least there was a good smattering of black nominees and winners in the big showcases of the UK and US music industries.

However, there seems to be a total reality flip regarding the film industries awards. We have had the Golden Globes, Baftas, with the Oscars to shortly. Yet, in all the top categories, all the nominations are white, predetermining that there will be no black winners. This weekend the New York Times looked at this regressive trend after so many positive steps forward and last week Guy Adams looked at the issue in the Independent.

Has Obama's presidency made the US film industry feel that enough has been done to address equality and opportunity with a Black man in the White House? Have 6 Oscars for film actors in the last ten years filled the industry quota?

Can Black Actors or films only win when they or biographical like Precious and/or historical like Ali and The Last King of Scotland? Do historical and biographical films get more commissions because films studios can often cast a lone black actor and have do with it without being scared of box office returns?

After this Awards season many Black film goers would be forgiven for having the January Blues through to 2012.

The Oscars are on Sunday 27th February.

Ashok Viswanathan.

Main picture: Halle Berry and Denzel Washington at the 74th Annual Academy Awards  in 2002.