Oscars! Just one show of the night!

Were you not feeling the Oscars? Well they weren’t the only awards show on!

If you missed the Celebration of Hollywood, Sunday was your chance to catch it again. BET network showed their “Black Oscars” during the same time as this year’s controversial Academy Awards ceremony. Were they brewing up some shady competition?

Keke Palmer

The American Black Film Festival handed out the awards and brought some of the leading Black artists in America together while many think the Oscars excluded them. It celebrated the achievements of powerhouses like movie producer Will Packer, legendary actress Diahann Carroll, actor Don Cheadle, Regina King and Ryan Coogler.

“Much of the current controversy is about the lack of acknowledgment. Tonight, we do it ourselves.” Those were the words that stuck out as Ice Cube addressed the exclusion of white acceptance.

Regina King received the Alumni Achievement Award for her extensive body of work, which spans over 30 years. She told the crowd that black lives matter and told the crowd that they matter and that she loves them.  

Diahann Caroll

The highlight of the night came when the legendary Diahann Carroll received the Hollywood Legacy Award. With an all-star tribute from Kerry Washington, Loretta Devine and Keke Palmer it was something to behold. They recited a poem that gave insight to the life and legacy of the 80-year-old thespian.

If you didn’t see many black celebrities at the Oscar ceremony, they might have been at the #JUSTICEFORFLINT benefit fundraiser. “Creed” director Ryan Coogler (who also was honored on the Celebration of Hollywood) and his Blackout for Human Rights activist threw this benefit to raise awareness and money for the Flint, Michigan water crisis.

Hollywood and music heavyweights like Ava DuVernay, Janelle Monae, Ledisi, Andra Daym Jazmine Sullivan, Jussie Smollett and Detroit native Dej Loaf were just a few of the heavy hitters to lend their support.

So did BET and Will Packer brew up shade and grind some gears or did they just honor those excluded?

-Eric Perry