Oscars; I always root for anybody Black...

I am a movie nerd, and the Oscars are the only awards show that I watch. Not just watch, but plan my whole day around the telecast. I'm going to let my sub bowl for me on that Sunday because I got other stuff to do. Oscar stuff.

     Pizza, wings, popcorn, and the company of my youngest daughter Kym. Watching the Oscars together has become traditional, and it's a beautiful thing. It would probably be even better if the Oscars were not affected by the racial issues of America.

     At a recent awards ceremony, a reporter asked comedienne/actress/writer Issa Ray who she was rooting for. Her spontaneous and heartfelt response? "I'm rooting for everybody Black." Exactly. 

     There will be those who disagree or think this is reverse racism, but be objective. Look at the history of my favorite awards show. I'm not going to talk about Diana Ross in 'Lady Sings the Blues' or anything from before 1980. But how can Geraldine Page (The Trip to Bountiful) beat Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple) for Best Actress? Huh? Or Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman) beat Denzel Washington (X)? Yet, this is how it tends to be at the Oscars.

     The sisters win for playing the Help, terrible mothers (Monster's Ball and Precious), and mistreated wives (Fences). Yet they keep pushing the envelope, keep striving for greatness, not to forget a sister (Tarana Burke) started the "Me Too" campaign. 

     Maybe it seems weird, funny, or even racist to the masses, but I embrace Issa Ray's comment wholeheartedly. On Sunday, March 4th, I will be sitting in front of my television, fingers crossed, emotions about the past clouding everything, and I will be rooting for everybody Black. 'Cuz I have to...

P.S. Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep should be given Career Oscars, and no longer be eligible. They're that good.