Mark your ballots, it's showtime

Were you first In line to see Ali when it opened Christmas Day? Do you never miss an episode of The Steve Harvey Show? Have you memorized all the words to the songs on Alicia Keys' album? Do you have a soft spot for Bill Cosby?

These and other nominees for this year's Image Awards, whose theme is "People United," cover 41 categories in film, television, music and literature. The Image Awards were established in 1962 from an idea that came out of a meeting at the home of Sammy Davis Jr. (a member of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP). Over the years, the awards ceremony eventually became an annual event that seeks to recognize talent and promote positive images of people of color in the arts and media.

"The works nominated today celebrate the best collaborations in the arts and embrace the best of American talent," said NAACP President and CEO Kweisi Mfume in a statement. "These nominations reflect people united for the best."

Comedian Cedric the Entertainer and performers Tyrese (Baby Boy), Mo'Nique (The Packers), Tracee Ellis Ross (Girlfriends), Craig Lamar Traylor (Malcolm in the Middle) and Judge Greg Mathis (The Judge Mathis Show) announced this year's nominees at a press conference in Los Angeles on Dec. 5.

Ali leads such contenders as Baby Boy and Rush Hour 2 in the film category with five nominations. The Steve Harvey Show and Soul Food received the most nods in the television comedy and drama categories; their competition includes The Bernie Mac Show, Boston Public, ER and The Practice. In music, seven-time nominee Alicia Keys is joined in several categories by India.Arie, Nelly Furtado and Jill Scott, while the nominees in literature include Bill Cosby, Quincy Jones and Will Smith.

Previous honorees have included Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Garth Brooks, Halle Berry, Clint Eastwood, Whoopi Goldberg and former President Bill Clinton.

The 33rd Image Awards will be taped at the Universal Amphitheater in Universal City, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2002. The awards will air on Fox for the seventh consecutive year on Friday, Mar. 1 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).

NAACP members should submit their Image Awards ballot by Feb. 9, 2002, to be sure their votes get counted.

Check out the Image Awards Web site at www:naacpimageawards.org to learn more about the history, mission and previous winners of the Image Awards.

-Frankle J. Petrosino

Copyright Crisis Publishing Company, Incorporated Jan/Feb 2002
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved