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| Spike Lee boycotts 'lily white' Oscars over white nominees | Spike Lee boycotts 'lily white' Oscars over white nominees |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Film director Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith have said they will not attend next month's Oscars ceremony because of the mostly white nominees. | Film director Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith have said they will not attend next month's Oscars ceremony because of the mostly white nominees. |
| Lee said on Instagram he "cannot support" the "lily white" awards show. | Lee said on Instagram he "cannot support" the "lily white" awards show. |
| Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs has praised the "wonderful work" of the nominees but said she was "heartbroken" at the lack of diversity. | |
| This is the second year in a row there have been boycott calls, sparked by a list of nominees that is mostly white. | This is the second year in a row there have been boycott calls, sparked by a list of nominees that is mostly white. |
| Among those overlooked were the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton for best picture and Will Smith for best actor in NFL film Concussion. | Among those overlooked were the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton for best picture and Will Smith for best actor in NFL film Concussion. |
| His wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, said in a video message on Facebook that she would not attend. | His wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, said in a video message on Facebook that she would not attend. |
| "Begging for acknowledgement, or even asking, diminishes dignity and diminishes power," she said. | "Begging for acknowledgement, or even asking, diminishes dignity and diminishes power," she said. |
| "And we are a dignified people and we are powerful." | "And we are a dignified people and we are powerful." |
| She and Lee made their announcement on Martin Luther King Jr Day, a national holiday in the US to remember the civil rights leader. | She and Lee made their announcement on Martin Luther King Jr Day, a national holiday in the US to remember the civil rights leader. |
| "Forty white actors in two years and no flava at all," said Lee. "We can't act?!" | "Forty white actors in two years and no flava at all," said Lee. "We can't act?!" |
| Black lead acting winners | Black lead acting winners |
| Last year, there were similar calls to boycott the ceremony but Lee and Pinkett Smith are the first high-profile figures to carry out the threat. | Last year, there were similar calls to boycott the ceremony but Lee and Pinkett Smith are the first high-profile figures to carry out the threat. |
| Neil Patrick Harris presented the show and the audience figures were down 16% to a six-year low. | Neil Patrick Harris presented the show and the audience figures were down 16% to a six-year low. |
| The president of the Academy, which picks the contenders, said she was "heartbroken and frustrated" at the lack of inclusion. | |
| "We need to do more, and better and more quickly," said Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the first African-American to hold the role. She promised a review of membership recruitment. | |
| Ms Isaacs has also tried to make the show on 28 February more diverse, bringing in black comedian Chris Rock to host. | |
| The hashtag "OscarsSoWhite" was heavily used after Thursday's announcement. | The hashtag "OscarsSoWhite" was heavily used after Thursday's announcement. |
| The Reverend Al Sharpton said: "Hollywood is like the Rocky Mountains, the higher up you get the whiter it gets and this year's Academy Awards will be yet another Rocky Mountain Oscar." | The Reverend Al Sharpton said: "Hollywood is like the Rocky Mountains, the higher up you get the whiter it gets and this year's Academy Awards will be yet another Rocky Mountain Oscar." |