InfoAnda - The Help: Bold, black and bidding for Oscar glory |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Congo rebel chief says war if no talks with government | International | | 29 November 2008
Senators agree on patent changes | 2 April 2009
`Runway' lawsuit settled; show moving to Lifetime | 2 April 2009

Sofia Coppola's film on celebrity wins in Venice | | 12 September 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : The Help: Bold, black and bidding for Oscar glory |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Summits Business Video The Freeland File Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Issues 2012 Candidates 2012 Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Mohamed El-Erian Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Jack & Suzy Welch Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) ENTERTAINMENT VIDEO Burberry unleashes rain on its parade Burberry mixes town and country with rain for new collection. Video High drama for Alexander McQueen spin-off Royal favorites at London Fashion Week The Del Rey handbag Hats off to London Fashion Week! Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Afghans vent fury over Koran burning, U.S. apologizes | 4:24pm EST Strauss-Kahn held in French prostitution probe 1:19pm EST Europe seals new Greek bailout but doubts remain | 3:54pm EST New American Dream is renting to get rich 15 Feb 2012 Al-Jazeera English, Penn State Abuse Scandal Reporter Win Polk Awards 20 Feb 2012 Discussed 172 REFILE-Al Gore takes aim at ”unsustainable” capitalism 164 Santorum says Obama agenda not ”based on Bible” 147 Romney’s struggles fuel talk of brokered convention Watched Carnival revelers swarm Ipanema Beach Mon, Feb 20 2012 Olympus top executive found dead Mon, Feb 20 2012 Afghans protest over Koran desecrations Mon, Feb 20 2012 "The Help": Bold, black and bidding for Oscar glory Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Designers save a few fashion surprises for Oscars 3:18pm EST Rules, schmules! Oscar hopefuls work around new guidelines 3:18pm EST Italian prison drama wins best film in Berlin Sat, Feb 18 2012 German film eyes the big prize at Berlin festival Fri, Feb 17 2012 Flowers, gifts and a kiss for Streep in Berlin Tue, Feb 14 2012 Analysis & Opinion Denzel Washington’s ‘Safe House’ grabs box office crown Ekk Deewana Tha: Never-ending nonsense Related Topics Entertainment » Fashion » Film » Actress Viola Davis poses with the Image Award she won as best actress in a motion picture for her role in ''The Help'' at the 43rd NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles, California February 17, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Fred Prouser By Jill Serjeant LOS ANGELES | Tue Feb 21, 2012 4:06pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Viola Davis knew she had big shoes to fill when she agreed to play the role of a lowly black maid to a rich white family in 1960s Mississippi in "The Help". They included those of her mother, her late grandmother and thousands of African-American women who were maids themselves, many of whom would rather forget those years. Although Davis is now neck-and-neck with Meryl Streep for the best actress Oscar, she says her mother has yet to see "The Help." "It's painful. You have a whole generation of women who don't want to be reminded of the past," Davis, 46, said. Therein lies the paradox at the heart of "The Help" and its chances for Oscars. It was a surprise summer box-office hit that exposed old, but not forgotten, racial divides in the United States. Its popularity could cause Oscar voters to choose it as the year's best movie, but the ugly history it replays might make them look the other way and cast a ballot for another nominee, especially frontrunner romance, "The Artist." Based on the 2009 best-selling novel by Kathryn Stockett, "The Help" is the tale of a young white woman in Jackson, Mississippi who in 1963 asks African-American maids to help her write a book about their experiences working for white families in the early stages of the civil rights movement. Among movie fans, "The Help" has shown the greatest popular appeal of the nine films vying for best movie. With a $206 million global box office - most of it from North America - and supported by fans of more than 10 million books sold worldwide, "The Help" was one of the top 15 movies of 2011. Myrlie Evers-Williams, a former chair of the NAACP whose civil rights activist husband Medgar Evers was murdered in 1963 in Mississippi by a white supremacist, called it the "most outstanding and socially relevant" movie of 2011. In Hollywood, it has brought a slew of acting awards for its star, Davis, and supporting actress Octavia Spencer, who plays a sassy maid with an unusual method for vengeance through cooking. It has four Oscar nominations, including best motion picture. Given the film's wide cultural impact and its shock top prize at the Screen Actor's Guild awards last month, "The Help" could walk off with the best picture Academy Award. "If there is a jawdropper on Oscar night, that is where it will come. I think 'The Artist' is way out front but 'The Help' is the sneaky underdog that is beloved and often that is what makes a winner," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com. "It is not a movie with big Hollywood names. (But) it is widely-regarded as a well-crafted movie with an important message," he said. STEREOTYPE OR CULTURAL TOUCHSTONE? But not everyone shares the enthusiasm, particularly parts of the African-American community. Some 70 years after Hattie McDaniel became the first black person to win an Oscar (for her role as a maid in "Gone With The Wind,") critics say Hollywood is feting another film about the subjugation of black women. Ida E. Jones, national director of the Association of Black Women Historians wrote in an open statement that far from being a progressive story of triumph over injustice, the way "The Help" depicts black maids is a "disappointing resurrection of Mammy - a mythical stereotype of black women who were compelled either by slavery or segregation, to serve white families." Nevertheless, the film has had a huge cultural impact in the U.S. since its release last August. Michael Taylor, film producer and chair of film and television production at the University of Southern California, said "The Help" reminded Americans that discrimination is not a thing of the past. "It comes at a time when people in this country had begun to think that we have an African-American president so maybe we don't need to deal with race relations anymore. "But then along comes this movie which reminds us that maybe we need to take another look because we do in fact live in very segregated worlds," Taylor told Reuters. If Davis and Spencer win best actress and supporting actress Oscars, they will join a small group of African-Americans to have won the honor including Halle Berry ("Monster's Ball") the only black female to have won in the lead actress category. Davis was painfully aware of the responsibility on her shoulders when she signed up to play Aibileen Clark, a self-effacing maid who lovingly raises the children of her white employers but is forced to use a bathroom outside their home. "I thought doing the movie was important because the maid hadn't been humanized before. I felt she remained a cardboard cut-out," Davis said. "Now I feel like my mother and my grandmother's lives have been acknowledged. "There were so many followers of the book, so many people who had lived this life, who knew these people, so automatically you had big shoes to fill," she added. O'Neil said Davis has emerged as a clear front-runner for Oscar, despite admiration for Streep and her "sledgehammer" performance as Britain's Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady". "Voting for Davis feels important, as if you were embracing a significant message sociologically and historically," he said. As for Spencer, who plays outspoken maid Minny Jackson, O'Neil said she had an air of Oscar inevitability about her after sweeping the supporting actress awards this season. "It is the one award that the film really deserves because she is the one who strikes out among the downtrodden and gets revenge in a shocking way. Her clever defiance and her enduring spirit is what the message of the movie is really all about," O'Neil said. (Editing by Bob Tourtellotte) Entertainment Fashion Film Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints Entertainment News From the Wrap Michael Fassbender to Star in Ridley Scott's 'The Counselor' 4:22pm EST Michael Fassbender will star in and Ridley Scott will direct "The Counselor," which Cormac McCarthy wrote NBC Gives 'Community' a Return Date 4:05pm EST Imperiled sitcom will be back on the air March 15, so everybody take a deep breath Dan Savage Takes 'It Gets Better' to MTV -- and May Have a Deal for Santorum (Video) 4:25pm EST Dan Savage's sex advice column "Savage Love" started as a lark but turned him into a champion of gay rights. An MTV special on the "It Gets Better Project" airs tonight Sundance Selects Takes North American Rights to Documentary 'Ali Weiwei: Never Sorry' 3:21pm EST Alison Klayman's Sundance documentary about Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei will be released in North America by Sundance Selects We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Advertise With Us Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Venezuela's Chavez to have another operation |
Putin woos police with wage promises ahead of poll |
Exclusive: Algeria to allow foreign NGOs to monitor vote |
Dell revenue slightly above Wall Street view |
Alcatel boss yearns for his rivals' margins |
SBA Communications buys tower sites for $1 billion |
Chris Brown earns musical redemption from Rihanna |
The Help: Bold, black and bidding for Oscar glory |
Descendants, Midnight in Paris win Writers Guild Awards |
Rules, schmules! Oscar hopefuls work around new guidelines |
U.S. Embassy in Kabul on lockdown amid protests |
UN watchdog says nuclear talks with Iran failed |
Australian foreign minister quits in leadership crisis |
U.S. signals possibility of arming Syrian rebels |
Gunshots, explosions heard in Nigeria's Kano |
Tibetans mark new year under shadow of immolations |
Two wounded as riot, fire hits jail on Indonesia's Bali |
China frets as choice for Hong Kong leader strays off script |
Venezuela's Chavez needs another operation |
Insight: India's Wild East unprepared for new Myanmar |
Chinese firm seeks halt of iPad sales in Shanghai |
Apple shareholders to meet as stock at record high |
Cloud computing report slams Brazil, India, China |
Kim Dotcom wins bail in fight against U.S. extradition |
CIA to software vendors: A revolution is coming |
Alibaba.com shares surge on parent plans to privatize |
Olympus says India exec likely had no ties to scandal |
GPS attacks risk maritime disaster, trading chaos |
Jackson concert promoters out of Joe Jackson lawsuit |
Comcast to take on Netflix with Web video service |
Adele adds to awards haul at triumphant BRITs |
Film studio sues to prevent more Godfather books |
Prosecutors want Michael Jackson doctor kept in jail |
U.S., French journalists killed in Syria |
Libya court orders civil trial for Gaddafi loyalists |
Ethiopian troops seize key Somali rebel bastion |
Chavez surgery unsettles Venezuela ahead of election |
Pakistan vows to support not lead Afghan peace drive |
Merkel blunder a harbinger of change in Germany? |
Mubarak's trial leaves Egypt with open wounds |
Four more bodies found on Italian cruise liner |
Rise in identity fraud tied to smartphone use |
Dell shares fall on weak sales forecast |
Microsoft files E.U. complaint over Motorola Mobility |
Nokia to unveil cheaper Windows smartphone: sources |
Has the battery run out on India's $35 tablet computer? |
Top Olympus lender denies board ambush, but may fill chair |
Dodging motorcycle crashes makes a star of movie insurer |
A Minute With: Uggie, scene-stealing star of The Artist |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01