Written by | Ray Cornelius
Check out this past weekend’s edition of my radio program—UPFRONT Inside Atlanta’s Entertainment Industry. It was all about the 2019 Academy Award nominations that were announced last week.
A good number of African Americans received nods including Regina King, Mahershala Ali, Ruth E. Carter, Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Barry Jenkins. Films such as Blackkklansman, Black Panther, The Green Book, Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse and If Beale Street Could Talk also received nominations.
I assembled a team of industry professionals—Edward Adams (African American Film Critics Association/AAFCA), Deidre McDonald (BronzeLens Film Festival) and Eric J. Little (actor and CAU Theatre Professor) to discuss our favorite nominees, snubs and predictions.
I also got a chance to speak to Oscar nominee and film icon—SPIKE LEE. He stopped by CAU’s Mass Media Arts Department and lectured to future filmmakers and content creators about the “business” of Hollywood and “putting in the work.” I was able to pull him away for a brief conversation about his historic “Best Director” nomination for the movie—Blackkklansman and much more. It was the best 25 minutes of 2019 so far.
Check out the full show + the un-edited version of my one-on-one with Lee below:
Photo Credits: RayCornelius.com
