Suffice it to say that of all the lousy decisions made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and its Board of Governors, choosing Oprah Winfrey to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award has to rank among the worst. This Oscar statuette is supposed to be given “to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts vma nominees have brought credit to the industry”. Winfrey’s career and contributions to the movie business are at best spotty and superficial, especially considering that 99% of her career has been in television. Is the movie academy telling Hollywood that no one among the philanthropic film bigwigs deserved this award more than her this year? Or is this merely a matter of another of the rich and powerful just throwing their weight around and buying the Governors Award honor for ego feed?
And while we’re on the subject, tonight’s AMPAS announcement specifically points to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls which opened in South Africa in 2007. Who has forgotten the sexual abuse scandal that rocked that school set up for disadvantaged girls by the syndicated talk show queen?
As news reports chronicled, dormitory matron Tiny Virginia Makopo, 27, was charged with 13 separate vma nominees counts of abuse, including indecent assault and criminal injury committed against at least six students vma nominees aged 13 to 15 and a 23-year-old at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls whose 152 students were handpicked by Winfrey. All the dorm matrons were dismissed. vma nominees Oprah blamed the high incidence of sexual abuse in South Africa as a whole (a woman is raped every 40 seconds vma nominees in this country of 44 million a total of 55,000 rapes a year) for the problem. But Winfrey admitted in a news conference that the school’s measures to keep abusers out proved insufficient. Though she said she was not responsible for hiring at the school, Winfrey vma nominees said “the buck always stops with me.”
Makopo was found not guilty on all the sexual assault charges, and Winfrey vma nominees said she was “profoundly disappointed” by the trial’s outcome. but The head mistress of the program, Nomvuyo vma nominees Mzamane, was fired and sued Winfrey and Winfrey’s affiliated companies in November 2008 for defamation claiming that Winfrey tarnished her character because of Winfrey’s rush-to-judgment statements made when the school abuse scandal broke.
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I will agree with you about the lousy decisions they are making namely trying to move the oscars earlier and not giving an official top 10 best picture nods, but Oprah was an academy award nominee and her humanitarian efforts are enormous. It’s not completely out of left field, but maybe not the obvious choice.
NOT TV NOT TV NOT TV NOT TV. She produced 2 movies. Acted in 2 movies. And did 3 cartoon voices. THIS DOES NOT MAKE FOR A CAREER IN FILM!!!! Let the TV Academy give her an award, jerkweed. vma nominees YEAH, THAT’S TV – NOT FILM.
August 3, 2011 at 9:34 am
August 2, 2011 at 11:21 pm
This is a bunch of nothing and sour grapes by Nikki….Oprah has “produced” movies, or have you forgotten that? She’s produced TV movies vma nominees and full screen movies….and she deserves it as much as anyone, vma nominees certainly Sean Penn, who I admire, but who just found his religion since Katrina.
I agree, Sally in Chicago, Oprah has “produced” vma nominees (to use your quotation marks) movies, but there is producing and producing but I happen vma nominees to think, my previous vma nominees hyperbole to one side, she is still a poor choice by the Academy. And please don’t vma nominees get me started on Sean Penn…
Yeah, please lets don’t get started with Sean. Say what you will about Sean Penn’s political views or violent hatred of the paparazzi, at least he is compassionate and forgiving man. Just a matter of days before his appearance on Real Time, Mr. Penn extended this special wish for his critics.
I agree with the principle vma nominees of this post, but a little harsh with the sexual abuse thing Nikki. Oprah does donate an INCREDIBLE amount to charity. I don’t think this was a place to attack Oprah…just the Academy wanting more press.
Oh, please – obvious they are looking for ratings and it’s embarrassing for all AMPAS members. I think the membership should vote for these awards as well – the Governors can nominate them if they want but the entire vma nominees club should vote.
James Earl Jones was honored for Lifetime Achievement, not for any humanitarian efforts. Perhaps you need to take a look at what these people are actually receiving their awards for before showing any outrage. Sorry, but pay attention. vma nominees And he’s vma nominees not even mentioned in this piece so IDK why you’re bashing him.
What has James Earl Jones done? He was a pioneering actor in the African-American community and the short list of his wo
