Jennifer Lopez

i hope you will indulge me while i rant a little bit.

i find myself really upset by the failure of the Oscars to nominate Jennifer Lopez as one of the candidates for Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture this year.

how can her performance in the movie “Hustlers” be overlooked.  it was so powerful.  i was so surprised by the quality of her performance.  and it was so different from what i had expected from her.

i will admit that i have always liked Jay Lo since her role as a dance instructor in the movie “Shall We Dance” back in 2004.

not being nominated for Best Supporting Actress is a snub of Jay Lo.  it is a snub on so many levels.  first, she has never been nominated before.  this was her best career performance.  she is 50 years old, and should have at a minimum been honored by a nomination that in some way recognizes her long career.  finally, it is a blatant snub of a Latina.  the Academy is made up of 89% males and 73% whites.

i have no idea what is going on behind the scenes, or what jealousies there might be among the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

in addition, this is a slap at independent films, ones that are on the edge, made on minimal or shoestring budgets, and often designed to deliver messages.  The movie won the prestigious Creative Coalition’s Spotlight Initiative Award at the Toronto International Film Festival this fall.  Jennifer won the Spotlight Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival which just ended tonight.  this is where i recently saw the movie.

also, it is a slap at the role women play in the industry.  this movie was inspired by an article in the New Yorker written by a woman.  the screen play was written by a woman, who also later became the director.  the stars of the movie are all women.  the topic and plot is all about female empowerment.

the movie had a budget of under $20 million but it has grossed more than $157 million to date.  obviously very successful from a financial point of view.

but equally, Hustlers has received accolades from a variety of sources.  on Rotten Tomatoes critics have given it an 88% positive rating. IndieWire described the film as “funny, empowering, sexy, emotional, and a bit scary. The Oscar chatter for Lopez’s revelatory, nuanced, and emotional turn as a brilliant con artist and better exotic dancer is no joke.”^[

Jay Lo has received recognition for her performance from others too.  she received the Best Supporting Actress award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Hollywood Critics Association, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, Austin Film Critics Association, OnlIne Film Critics Society, Nevada Film Critics Society, Indiana Film Journalists Association, Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, and Washington DC Area Film Critics Association.  in addition she has been nominated for the award by several other organizations.

but not by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences!!  not even nominated!!