Award Nominations (8/28)

I do not think award nominations are extremely important in establishing legitimacy for African-American performers/directors, but they certainly can help. For instance, prior to winning the Oscar for Best Actor in 2002, Denzel Washington was already one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. His victory sort of reminded me of Kobe Bryant's Most Valuable Player award in 2008; neither Washington nor Bryant had won the Big Award in their careers, but most experts would agree that both were arguably the best at what they did. However, the fact that both men earned that Big Award served as validation for anybody who would still bother to question either man's skill. I do not think the award is necessary to the success of African-American performers, as there are plenty of successful actors who receive good reviews from critics (and big paychecks) without any Academy Awards in their living rooms. I think that if an individual is as successful and well-respected as Denzel Washington or Sidney Poitier, an award is nice, but it just verifies how the masses have felt for years.