African-American actors catch Oscar's eye

Most of the surprises in yesterday's 2001 Academy Award nominations were small ones. But there could be a big message coming in the unusually strong presence of African-American Oscar contenders.

The 10 nominees for best actor and actress include three black stars: Halle Berry for the downbeat "Monster's Ball," Denzel Washington for the police drama "Training Day," and Will Smith for the boxing biopic "Ali."

This doesn't break new ground for Hollywood, which nominated three blacks - Diana Ross, Paul Winfield, and Cicely Tyson - for top honors once before, in 1972.

But it signals a progressive step since 1996, when the Rev. Jesse Jackson used the near-absence of black Oscar nominations to spark a highly publicized protest against racism in film and television.

"This definitely signals change," says Nina Henderson Moore, a senior vice president at Black Entertainment Television. "But progress can only be measured in years after ... whether this is the beginning of something or just a point in time."

African-American actor Sidney Poitier will also receive an award on Oscar night, March 24, honoring his overall career. No black actor has won a Best Actor Oscar since his victory for "Lilies of the Field" in 1963.

This year's female black contenders face even steeper historical odds, since no African-American woman has ever been named best actress. Not until the winners are announced next month will Oscar-watchers know whether the nominations reflect a momentary coincidence or a deepened appreciation of African-American contributions.

Even if black contenders do triumph, it won't necessarily signify a new direction for Hollywood, any more than the triple nominations in 1972 marked real change in the cultural landscape.

"There's essentially two changes. One is more recognition for minority players. The other - and more significant - change is that more minority actors are getting Oscar-quality roles," says Robert Thompson, professor of film, TV, and pop culture at Syracuse (N.Y.) University. "There are more solid, good roles for minority actors to play in and then be recognized."

When you look at "Monster's Ball" or "Ali," Mr. Thompson says, "It's not as much as question of ethnicity or race - it's an issue of really good stories about race, with really good actors starring in them."

But one group of three nominations doesn't automatically signal a changed landscape in Hollywood. "We're not there yet. There still needs to be more of diversity of characters and simply more roles for more actors to play before we really feel like we've reached any kind of [equality]," Thompson says.

In other respects, the nomination list is a mixture of the mildly surprising and the utterly predictable. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" tops the list with 13 nominations, showing that popular appeal and critical acclaim can occasionally trump the resistance to fantasy films that made hits like "Star Wars" and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" also-rans in the Oscar race. In academy history, only the megahit "Titanic" and the drama "All About Eve" have earned more than 13 nominations, snagging 14 apiece in 1997 and 1950, respectively.

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