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As much as we love Robbie Montgomery and appreciate her showing a woman of a certain age who’s vibrant and handing her business, nothing beats the suspense and good business tips on the ever watchable “Shark Tank.”

 Outstanding Female Artist

·        Beyoncé (Columbia Records)

·        India.Arie (Motown Records)

·        Janelle Monáe (Bad Boy/Atlantic)

·        Ledisi (Verve Records)

·        Mary J Blige (Verve Records/Interscope)

Who Will Win: Janelle Monae

Who Should Win: Ledisi

Janelle Monae definitely has made image a big part of her presentation and her music is outside of the normal R&B he-done-me-wrong-song box. But we adore Ledisi’s voice and music and wonder why can’t this gifted get a break awards-wise?

 Outstanding Music Video

·        “Cocoa Butter” – India.Arie (Motown Records)

·        “Fire We Make” – Alicia Keys feat. Maxwell (RCA Records)

·        “Made To Love” – John Legend (Columbia Records)

·        “Q.U.E.E.N.” – Janelle Monáe feat. Erykah Badu (Bad Boy/Atlantic)

·        “Treasure” – Bruno Mars (Atlantic Records)

What Will Win: Q.U.E.E.N because how can Janelle Monae and Erykah Badu together lose? (Unless people consider Badu’s controversial naked video or the one where her sister was naked with dubious liquids being poured over her).

Who Should Win: “Fire We Make” because it’s a great song with a great video. Oh, and Maxwell’s in it.

Outstanding Motion Picture

·        12 Years A Slave (River Road/Plan B/New Regency/Fox Searchlight Pictures)

·        Fruitvale Station (The Weinstein Company/Forest Whitaker’s Significant Productions, OG Project)

·        Lee Daniels’ The Butler (The Weinstein Company/Lee Daniels Entertainment, Laura Ziskin Productions, Windy Hill Pictures, Follow Through Productions, Salamander Pictures, Pam Williams Productions)

·        Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (The Weinstein Company/Distant Horizon, Origin Pictures, Pathé, Videovision Entertainment)

·        The Best Man Holiday (Universal Pictures)

What Will Win: 12 Years a Slave

What Should Win: Lee Daniels’ The Butler

In terms of image, all of these movies advance the cause of African-American depiction in cinema, showing balanced portrayals of everyone from an imperfect young man killed by police to a longtime White House employee. While 12 Years was an important look at the brutality of slavery, The Butler showed the multifaceted parts of a loving Black family. We think it deserves at least one award for that.

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

·        Chadwick Boseman – 42 (Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures)

·        Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years A Slave (River Road/Plan B/New Regency/Fox Searchlight Pictures)

·        Forest Whitaker – Lee Daniels’ The Butler (The Weinstein Company/Lee Daniels Entertainment, Laura Ziskin Productions, Windy Hill Pictures, Follow Through Productions, Salamander Pictures, Pam Williams Productions)

·        Idris Elba – Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom (The Weinstein Company/Distant Horizon, Origin Pictures, Pathé, Videovision Entertainment)

·        Michael B. Jordan – Fruitvale Station (The Weinstein Company/Forest Whitaker’s Significant Productions, OG Project)

Who Will Win: Idris Elba

Who Should Win: Michael B. Jordan

Although Elba plays the recently deceased leader of a nation, Jordan’s work is much more subtle as the martyred Oscar Grant. He plays a flawed character who is killed before he ever has a chance to evolve into the man he could have been and does so with pathos and honesty. We hope he can pick up here what he was denied elsewhere.

Who Will Win and Who Should Win At the 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards  was originally published on blackamericaweb.com

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