A media study by Anaise Ross

 Examine the roles of black women in the media (tv,films,magazines) or lack there of  How are black women being portrayed- Are the roles (if any) stereotypical? By stereotypical, are the black women portrayed as bitter, angry, jealous women with attitude.  Close look at: › Magazines -top consumer magazines › Films - top 10 grossing of all time › TV shows - top 10 rated of current week

 I do not expect to find many roles (leading or supporting) that contain a black actress on a dominant network program or highly rated syndicated program. I also do not expect to find that film roles have been plentiful for black women (even after Halle’s Oscar) outside of black films

 Fair- free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice.  Accurate- free from error or defect; consistent with a standard, rule or model; precise; exact.

1. Titanic (1997): $600,788, The Dark Knight (2008): $527,356, Star Wars: Episode IV (1977): $460,998, Shrek 2 (2004): $437,212, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982): $434,974, Star Wars: Episode I (1999): $431,088, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006): $423,416, Spider-Man (2002): $407,681, Star Wars: Episode III (2005): $380,270, The Lord Of The Rings: The Return of The King (2003): $377,019,252

RankProgramOrigHH Rating# of Viewers P2+ (000) 1NBC Sunday Night Football NBC Dancing W/ The StarsABC The OTFOX Dancing W/ Stars Results ABC CSI: NYCBS CSICBS The MentalistCBS MinutesCBS Criminal MindsCBS Fox World Series Game 5 FOX

 25: O, the Oprah Magazine  60: Ebony  83: Essence

Decemeber 2007 Essence Interview with: -Nia Long -Sanaa Lathan -Gabrielle Union “There is an art to being an actress, especially being a Black actress.”- Sanaa Lathan

Essence: Would you say that there’s more progress on television than in films for Black actresses? Sanaa: There’s still not an hour-long drama on network TV with a leading lady of color-or Black. I mean like their own show. Like, they’re headlining. Out of all the shows, the only shows we have are like, I Love New York. [Laughter] If you think about it, or like, other reality shows. Gabrielle: There are the shows on The CW: There’s The Game, there’s Everybody Hates Chris; but, shows that are not on the CW and are on ABC, NBC, Fox, or CBS…no.

Essence: So, Nia, by the time you had your son, Massai, you’d already been in the business ten or so years? Nia: Yes, I had, but my paycheck didn’t reflect that. My lifestyle didn’t reflect that. I didn’t feel that I’d been rewarded for all of the movies [I had done]. …now I realize it probably won’t happen in that way. Black women in Hollywood, absolutely. It is just the burden that we have to bear. “I think what it actually perpetuates is the much larger image, which is, we want to make sure that through television, through visuals, through magazines, that we perpetuate what we as white people think is beautiful and acceptable.”- Nia Long

“Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I'm sorry. This moment is so much bigger than me. This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll. It's for the women that stand beside me, Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox. And it's for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened. Thank you. I'm so honored. I'm so honored. And I thank the Academy for choosing me to be the vessel for which His blessing might flow. Thank you.”

THE END