History could be made in the entertainment and film industry at the upcoming 82nd Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, which will be broadcast Sunday, March 7 on ABC.
Earlier this month, Lee Daniels became the first African-American director to have a film nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award for his groundbreaking film Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire.
Daniels also became the second African American to be nominated for Best Director. The first was John Singleton for his 1991 film "Boyz n the Hood."
Sophomore architecture major Briana Allen said, "It is a well deserved nomination because the story in Precious has a really powerful message behind it."
"Precious" has received a total of six Oscar nominations. A nominee for Best Actress is Gabourey Sidibe. The 23-year-old made her film debut in Precious and has received rave reviews from critics for her role as the main character Claireece "Precious" Jones, a physically and sexually abused 16-year-old.
A nominee for Best Supporting Actress is comedienne Mo'Nique, who plays Precious' vicious mother Mary Lee Johnston.
Devon Hogan, a sophomore architecture major said, "I liked the actress who played Precious the most. The way she portrayed her character is completely different to how she actually is, but it was believable."
"[Gabourey and Mo'Nique] both played very convincing roles of people that are completely different from their personalities. But I think Mo'Nique will definitely win Best Supporting Actress because since she is more known as a comedienne, her role really made her stand out," Allen said.
Sidibe's competition for Best Actress includes veteran actresses Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock for their respective roles as well-known chef Julia Child in the movie "Julie & Julia" and Leigh Anne Tuohy, a white woman who adopted an impoverished black teenager in "The Blind Side."
"Precious" is up against tough competition for Best Picture, notably the movie "Avatar," which has a total of nine nominations and recently broke the record for being the highest-grossing film of all time.
Zainab Suara, a junior biology major, said that she is sure "Avatar will win because "it's sad to say, but "Avatar" is more accepting in mainstream America. I know in some places they didn't even bother to show Precious because of the subject matter. But there is always hope."