Lena Waithe Calls Out Will Smith and Denzel Washington for Not Financing Films With Black Talent
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Van Jones was asking for donations for a project. He received a huge contribution. He said he couldn't take it unless he knew where it was from.
Turns out it was from Prince
The most effective giving a lot of times is done in silence.
She could have gone after Oprah . I guess that doesn't fit the "straight black male is evil" agenda
Because that's how it works. It's been observed to fuckin' death that we don't have our own Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Italy, and so on.
That crabs in a barrel mentality that keeps us from having it, we had Harlem key word had.
I dont think the narrative coming out of the community has anything to do with this instance at hand. When your response is essentially a chorus of "fuck that dyke bitch", its not much of a substantive rebut is my point. And as ive said, this chick identifies as male.. so i dont get the feminist man hating club president vibe from her that alot of you are pushing. Shes the same one thats also being criticized by females for protecting and employing a male sex predator in her ranks.. So, that glvoe dont fit. Also, what females exactly would you have her call out to make her point? Where are the top black female black actresses, with 20+ years in on par with the ones she named? They dont fucking exist. So again, the obsession with her sexual preference is ab hominem bullshit imo. And if simply asking cats to focus on her assertion and address that directly makes me "in her crotch", then sobeit brother.Bruh, have you NOT been paying attention to the narrative that's been coming out of that Community over the last seven years or so?
Have you not paid attention to articles written in the Griot, The Root, and in White publications and web sites about straight Black males? She went straight after the two leading Black male actors in Hollywierd without a second thought.
How can you be this tone deaf to the overwhelming amount of skepticism towards them in this thread?
Bruh, if I ever ran afoul of the Law, I'd want an Attorney who is as relentless and tenacious as you are. You could agree to disagree but you're in that bitch's crotch like a crab louse.
Then call into a radio show and dudesplain it while peppering in "I'm just a black woman" for good measure.
Basically, she just needs to stay out of other peoples' pockets. No one is entitled to any of these people's earnings. Once you pay your taxes, technically, you have "given back" all that you are required to. Anything else is a bonus.
That victimhood as a weapon shit needs to quit.
"We could be doing so much better if ________________ would just help us."
Just stop.
Honestly, I'd rather see them give to STEM for black youth than pay for more play acting.
But, its not my money...so it doesn't matter. What is it with these bitches named Lena?
That victimhood as a weapon shit needs to quit.
"We could be doing so much better if ________________ would just help us."
Just stop.
Honestly, I'd rather see them give to STEM for black youth than pay for more play acting.
But, its not my money...so it doesn't matter. What is it with these bitches named Lena?
who
b) You've had plenty of rebuttals throughout this thread, you just disagree with them or ignore them.
c) There are no Black female actresses in the earnings range and longevity of these two, so you go to several of them, or go to Oprah, Shonda Rimes, or Kenya Barnes who are each power brokers in the Industry.
d) Her assertion was narrowly focused on pointing out Black men. Read some of those Tweets while you're at it.
a) You seem to be unaware of this trend. This instance is just another bang on the drum.
b) You've had plenty of rebuttals throughout this thread, you just disagree with them or ignore them.
c) There are no Black female actresses in the earnings range and longevity of these two, so you go to several of them, or go to Oprah, Shonda Rimes, or Kenya Barnes who are each power brokers in the Industry.
d) Her assertion was narrowly focused on pointing out Black men. Read some of those Tweets while you're at it.
Perhaps. I also dont think it applies here. Her track record (that i know of) doesnt seem to be of one who partakes in those tactics or draw those lines.... I could be wrong tho.
Show me the responses that actually address her critique of lack of funding for black indy films by black hollywood elite. The replies have responded to have been flat out wrong, and ive stated as such.
Exactly. They dont exist. And Oprah doesnt fit the bill. Her studios and production ohuses are pumping out black content by the boatload.
Her assertion focused on addressing the issue she identified. It was pointed and direct for a reason. And i dont do twitter for layperson opinon.. Its a echo chamber of fools and couch potato activists. No thanks.
I generally like how you think. On this I have a different opinion.
Respect as always
You've had a number of viable alternatives for funding Indie projects throughout. You just refuse to relent and insist that you are absolutely correct. Oprah, Rhimes, and Barnes ARE in the elite.
Debra Martin-Chase is another Black female producer that I looked up.I had mentioned Tyler Perry, Ice Cube, Will Packer, and Clarence Avant earlier, all of whom ARE Producers, two of whom act as well. I can only assume that these names are showing up as white text on a white background for you.
Your stance on Twitter is understandable for the same reason that one can't cite Wikipedia as a source. I ain't mad at cha. There are indeed some great observations being made that you won't consider though. Her focus was extremely narrow and like YOU, she never even considered any of the aforementioned people at all.
If the likes to your responses were a box of matches...
You don't have to give a fuck about that but just put your finger on the pulse of this thread.
No doubt brother.. I respect your opinion.. And to be clear, im not necessarily agreeing with her assertion. My point remains that she is free to express that sentiment, on its face it has enough merit (certainly as it pertains to Denzel) to be discussed, and that she has more insight on who is who and whats what in the industry than we do.
I stopped reading after this sentence my man. Its flat out not true. And if thats your summation of my posts in this thread then you are illiterate or a liar. Be blessed.
Well...yes and no. Movie projects are not exactly secrets in the industry, as they require lots of staff in the form of videographers, cameramen, editors, music supervisors, etc. and so on. Often, projects are pitched to many different production houses. While she might have knowledge of some projects first, there are thousands of movie pitches happening a year. She wouldn't be privy to what was pitched to say, Overbrook unless she either worked there or was involved in projects pitched to them.
Even then, she would only be aware of the projects that passed her desk in one way or another.
Ultimately, it is up to Will and Denzel to put money behind the projects of their choosing.
If Denzel wants to pass on the lesbian version of Moonlight in order to fund The Equalizer 3, then it is completely within his right to do so and shaming him doesn't entitle funds to that project. Indie projects are a gamble and like music artists, most of them fail and only a few succeed. They are a gamble and not everyone wants to gamble on an unknown just for the sake of giving back. (even though it has been established that both of these guys do)
Again, nobody is entitled to their money.
Wtf do you mean yes and no? You sound fucking silly. How is it so complex a notion to simply understand that she has more information on the inner working of the industry than people in this thread? Wtf is wrong with you people? You cant even acknowledge a simple truth as a hollywood exec and show runner has more information than BGOL posters. You cats are weird man.
No shit. No one is arguing their right and power of decision making. She is pointing out a bottomline result.. they aint funding indies. Period. Argue that, not whether they have a right to or not to.
Another nigga obsessed with her sexual preference.. You cats argue like angry cacs.
Yes and no because exactly why I said. She is not a god. She only knows what passes her desk. How projects are pitched and ultimately funded is no secret.
Of course she is going to have more knowledge with regards to projects that she is familiar with but you do realize that they teach classes on business as it pertains to the film industry in film schools all across the country, right? THE PROCESS IS NOT A SECRET.
That in and of itself has nothing to do with what she may or may not know about what goes on in Denzel's or Will's production houses, so the answer is I DON'T KNOW what she knows or doesn't know but because she is a showrunner it doesn't mean she has any special knowledge in relation to the specifics of others' businesses.
As to my Equalizer 3 example, since you're butthurt about it, fill in the blank with ANY indie film.
These guys have been in the business a long time and have much more experience in gauging what works and what doesn't work than she does. She's not the first one to push on them for funding, so what makes her argument special? Nothing.
My argument isn't whether or not they are funding a bunch of indie films but rather WHY WOULD THEY? Its not practical business sense to throw a bunch of money at an indie project and hope it succeeds. How bout they get their weight up before they come a knockin' on these cat's doors?
Look at the cat that made that dramatic re-enactment trailer of Prince Of Bel-Air. He got Will's attention by innovation, not by a handout.
Gotcha. Fair enough.
Almost 30 years ago, Spike Lee made a similar critique about Eddie Murphy and other Black megastars of the time. He spoke about how the biggest stars tended to have their own camps as opposed to joining forces, pooling resources and creating Black movie studios.
I remember there was backlash from Eddie Murphy and Whoopi Goldberg.
I remember there was backlash from Eddie Murphy and Whoopi Goldberg.
Ima reply to this once in clear headed andcwell rested.
I remember...
the difference at least to me?
AT THAT SPECIFIC TIME?
He had a point and Spike went at EVERYONE and he did not just TALK about it he WAS ABOUT it.
Spike is the FATHER of independent film...
and he was NOT MIRED IN A SEXUAL HARASSMENT CONTROVERSY AT THE TIME.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-02-tm-137-story.html
Lee has positioned his career at the crossroads of art and publicity; his off-screen activities have earned him almost as much notoriety as his films. He has publicly criticized Michael Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg and Quincy Jones as sellout crossover artists. (Eddie Murphy, he suggested, "should use his clout rather than focus on who gets the best table at Spago.") He has spoken out against a handful of Hollywood directors, including Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood, for making films about black Americans. He called Edward I. Koch, then mayor of New York City, a racist. When "Do the Right Thing" lost at Cannes, Lee accused the festival jury of racism. "Jungle Fever" also came up short at Cannes.
Lee has made commercials for Levi Strauss, Diet Coke and Nike; some black leaders have criticized Nike for exploiting inner city youths who can ill afford $150 shoes. He was embroiled in a public feud with the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, which objected to his films' treatment of Jews. And Lee openly campaigned for his "Malcolm X" film by insisting that only a black director could handle the job.
Lee has buttressed his pronouncements with growing financial clout. In addition to his film company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Lee owns Spike's Joint, a lucrative retail and mail-order business that merchandises books, tapes, jewelry, T-shirts and other apparel. Earlier this year, he started his own record label. "If you don't own stuff, you have no power," Lee says. "For me that's the whole issue. When black people start thinking more like entrepreneurs instead of 'Please, Mr. White Man, can you do so and so for me?' we will call the shots."
I remember this well.
Eddie did a Playboy interview. He had 10 million in the bank he said.
Hollywood is not a 9 to 5 career. A couple of bad movies and your fortune can be gone quickly.
Isn't it amazing that there has to be such a disclaimer or specification?
Producers are seeking the following types:
Black, full-bodied, female-identified dancers in their 20s with strong training and vivid personalities.
I can hear the fuss now.
and it is NOT like we haven't heard horror stories black AND WHITE from people who failed.
This right here
It was a good night for US
Fuck that, that bulldike is not in our bucket.
YET ANOTHER THREAD AMAJOR IS GETTING PWNED INLED BY HEIST AND BGOL LURKERS
Nigga I’m only on page 4
BGOL IS BACK
That was good shit. I didn't know that bit of history about where his studio's past.
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