47th NAACP Image Awards: Creed, Compton, black-ish Big Winners

The NAACP Image Awards don’t often get a lot of press but this year is different. In the face of the overwhelming backlash against the Oscars snubbing any acting nominees who are people of color, the timing and need for recognition by the NAACP couldn’t be more crucial. To be clear, this is (and always will be) more than rich people giving each other awards. It’s less about television or movies than it is about how this industry represents society as a whole. A lack of visibility keeps people down, keeps drive and self-esteem at a controlled low. The debate over the lack of diversity in Hollywood has sparked everything from boycotts of the Oscars to a series of eye-opening letters from Academy members in The Hollywood Reporter. But what it’s done mostly, and most importantly, is make this an issue that won’t go away until something changes. The Academy hurriedly put together a handful of changes they hope will expand diversity within the Academy (and good on them for doing anything) but this is a larger issue that the entire country has to deal with. Ok, rant over. For now.

Straight Outta Compton and Creed were the big winner on the film side with the former picking up the top award, Outstanding Motion Picture, and the latter winning Outstanding Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Supporting Actress (Phylicia Rashad) and Outstanding Directing & Writing for Ryan Coogler. Michael B. Jordan also won the Entertainer of the Year award. Maybe they didn’t see Fantastic Four. I kid! At the Oscars the only nominations these two films received were for white nominees. In Creed‘s case for Sylvester Stallone in supporting actor and for Straight Outta Compton an original screenplay nomination for its four white writers. Compton also won the supporting actor award here for O’Shea Jackson Jr, portraying his own father in the film.

FOX’s Empire picked up three trophies tonight, for Outstanding Drama Series plus Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson for Outstanding Actor and Actress in a Drama Series. Yesterday, Empire star Jussie Smollett won the award for Outstanding New Music Artist. ABC’s black-ish picked up a field best six awards tonight including Comedy Series and four acting wins.

The FULL list of winners in all categories:

Entertainer of the Year
Michael B. Jordan

FILM

Outstanding Motion Picture
“Straight Outta Compton” (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Michael B. Jordan – “Creed” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Sanaa Lathan – “The Perfect Guy” (Screen Gems)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Film)
Ryan Coogler – “Creed” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Film)
Ryan Coogler, Aaron Covington – “Creed” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
O’Shea Jackson, Jr. – “Straight Outta Compton” (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Phylicia Rashad – “Creed” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture
“Beasts of No Nation” (Netflix)

Outstanding Documentary – Film
“The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” (PBS Distribution/Firelight Films)

TELEVISION

Outstanding Drama Series
“Empire” (FOX)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Terrence Howard – “Empire” (FOX)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Taraji P. Henson – “Empire” (FOX)

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series
John Ridley – “American Crime” – Episode 1 (ABC)

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
Mara Brack Ali, Jameal Turner, Keli Goff – “Being Mary Jane” – Sparrow (BET)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Joe Morton – “Scandal” (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Regina King – “American Crime” (ABC)

Outstanding Comedy Series
“black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson – “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Tracee Ellis Ross – “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series
Don Cheadle – “House of Lies” – The Urge to Save Humanity is Almost Always a False Front for the Urge to Rule (Showtime)

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
Kenya M. Barris – “black-ish” – The Word (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Mike Epps – “Survivor’s Remorse” (Starz)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Marsai Martin – “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Mini-Series)
Marcus Scribner – “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special
“The Wiz Live!” (NBC)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special
David Alan Grier – “The Wiz Live!” (NBC)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special
Queen Latifah – “Bessie” (HBO)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television)
Dee Rees – “Bessie” (HBO)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Television)
Lawrence Hill, Clement Virgo – “The Book of Negroes”(BET)

Outstanding Documentary – Television
“Muhammad Ali: The People’s Champ” (BET)

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television or Film)
Loretta Devine – “Doc McStuffins” (Disney Junior)

Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special)
“Unsung” (TV One)

Outstanding Talk Series
“The Talk” (CBS)

Outstanding Reality Program/Reality Competition Series
“Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” (OWN)

Outstanding Variety (Series or Special)
“Family Feud” (Syndicated)

Outstanding Children’s Program
“Doc McStuffins” (Disney Junior)

Outstanding Host in a News, Talk, Reality, or Variety Program (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble
Steve Harvey – “Family Feud” (Syndicated)

MUSIC

Outstanding New Recording Artist
Jussie Smollett (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Male Artist
Pharrell Williams (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Female Artist
Jill Scott (Atlantic Records)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration
“Conqueror” – Empire Cast feat. Estelle & Jussie Smollett (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Jazz Album
“Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol.4” – Miles Davis (Columbia Legacy Recordings)

Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary)
“It’s Personal” – Tina Campbell (Gee Tree Creative)

Outstanding Music Video
“Shame” – Tyrese Gibson (Voltron Recordz)

Outstanding Song – Traditional
“Back Together” – Jill Scott (Atlantic Records)

Outstanding Album
“Woman” – Jill Scott (Atlantic Records)

Outstanding Song – Contemporary
“You’re So Beautiful” – Empire Cast feat. Jussie Smollett & Yazz (Columbia Records)

LITERATURE

Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction
“Stand Your Ground” – Victoria Christopher Murrary(Touchstone)

Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction
“Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga” – Pamela Newkirk (HarperCollins/Amistad)

Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author
“The Fishermen” – Chigozie Obioma (Little, Brown & Company)

Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography
“Between The World and Me” – Ta-Nehisi Coates (Speigel & Grau)

Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional
“Soul Food Love: Healthy Recipes Inspired by One Hundred Years of Cooking in a Black Family” – Alice Randall, Caroline Randall Williams (Clarkson Potter)

Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry
“How to Be Drawn” – Terrance Hayes (Penguin Books/ Penguin Random House)

Outstanding Literary Work – Children
“Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America” – Carole Boston Weatherford (Author), Jamey Christoph (Illustrator) (Albert Whitman & Company)

Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens
“X: A Novel” – Ilyasah Shabazz with Kekla Magoon (Candlewick Press)