“We’re far more likely to have a black president [than a Black leading man on a prime time Drama] in my lifetime ... oh, yeah ... I can stop saying that now.”
- Tim Reid
Change has arrived in America, but that doesn't mean it made it to Hollywood. I remember a conversation I had with a friend a few years ago, she pointed out that we chose the two most racist (and expensive) industries to work in: film & fashion. I joked in response that we must like a good fight. In the world of Entertainment, civility and political correctness take a backseat to the bottom line and the highest bidder (street walking may be a more open minded workplace). It is an industry where an executive can call an athlete or entertainer the equivalent of "a stupid nigger" and then ink a million dollar advertising deal with that individual or even pitch them to be an ambassador for the UN - because race matters but satisfying the audience matters more.
So, we have a Black President. How will that translate to the big and small screens? We've heard the mumblings of a Black Bond ... I guess that's cool, but can't we just have a whole new franchise with a Black Bond-like character? Putting Jamie Foxx or Sean Combs in the shoes of James Bond is kind of like coloring the face on a Hallmark card Black, it's easier to just buy from the Mahogany section or convince Hallmark to make characters on their generic cards multi-ethnic. Same thing goes for the rumors about a Black version of Friends, did Black people even watch Friends?? The studios and networks need to be more creative - they pay people [well] for that.
Clarence Page, in his widely printed Op-Ed piece: Movie Producers Stuggle to Capture Obama Impact , suggested that "Hollywood would do well to savor this moment. For now, Obama has tapped a spirit of national pride, unity and respect for racial and cultural diversity that a lot of us Americans wish could last forever." Three of the Four readers on the Houston Chronicle website that commented expressed a level of annoyance with the "Obama-Media love fest". That doesn't look so good for the market research on a Black Bond, moviegoers may not want politics in their popcorn - I can hear future moviegoers in their $14 assigned seats at Hollywood's Archlight Theater, "...first they get The Whitehouse, then Bond, what's next? Superman?"
Perhaps in response to the Page piece, New York Times TV journalist, Bill Carter explored the impact of a Black President on the small screen this weekend in his article, "TV Casting May Feel Obama Effect." Carter reports that most networks are busy developing programming to match the reprogrammed consciousness of our country. In the same school of thought as Clarence Page, Gary Newman, co-chairman of the Twentieth Century Fox offered a more realistic impact Obamamania could have on pop culture,“We may see more chances taken on comedies that feel more hopeful rather than the sarcastic, cynical style we’ve seen a lot of recently,” Mr. Newman said. “The Obama success seems to have put people more in touch with their more hopeful side.” This may be true, but the hope Newman is talking about may not translate to more faces of color in positions of power in the Hollywood system ... and hey, I enjoy American sarcastic cynicism - it's the closest thing to wit that the general public can enjoy.
Actor/Producer/Entertainer Tim Reid (yeah, we know him as the Dad from 'Sister, Sister' but check his imdb page - the man's an expert in the field) provided Carter with the best commentary on the subject (via email as the article states), "If the president-elect should have any positive influence over the so-called liberal base of Hollywood, it will be by focusing their attention on the reality of the kind of multicultural world we actually live in ... This doesn't just mean putting another person of color in front of the camera, but giving them an equal opportunity in having a say-so in what is created for the camera." Sounds a lot like what our favorite Director of Photography D.P. said last year in his rant about why Tyler Perry Hates Black People: "If Tyler Perry has this perception of power, I'm sorry this power, as a Black director who has his Black studio in the Black Mecca with all these same Black actors making these horrible Black pseudo-Christian films with Cicely Tyson as the Grandmother... is sooooooo down for Black people, he should be able to find some Black technical talent."
The only way to measure whether or not the impact of Barack Obama will change Hollywood is not by counting the number of Black faces in lead roles on prime time tv shows or blockbuster films, but true change would have made it to Hollywood when the people with the power to greenlight films and tv series reflect the diversity of our nation and provide qualified representations of all persons (the last bit is from my mission statement, studios should feel free to hire me!).
1 comment:
Agreed. The entertainment hierarchy music, film, television, sports included is not nearly as diverse as it should be given the significant contributions of minorities to the industry specifically those of African Americans. Programming will not change much more than margins allow, meaning that projects are being greenlight only as far as studios see the opportunity to profit from the newly developed American conscious. The objective though will never be to promote diversity rather benefit from the hope that some day diversity will simply exist and in all levels of the industry.
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