NAACP Names Image Award Nominees

Wanda Sykes, Taye Diggs, Michael Strahan, Tatyana Ali and Chris & Kyle Massey were on-hand at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills this morning to announce the nominees for the 41st Annual NAACP Image Awards.  The theme for this year’s award show is One Nation, One Dream.

As expected, Precious:  Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire racked up an impressive number of nominations including Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Actress (Gabourey Sidibe), Outstanding Supporting Actress (Mo’Nique, Paula Patton and Mariah Carey), Outstanding Directing (Lee Daniels) as well as Outstanding Supporting Actor (Lenny Kravitz).  Writer, Geoffrey Fletcher, also received an Outstanding Writing nod for crafting the screenplay.

Rounding out the nominations were Jada Pinkett Smith (Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series – HawthoRNe), LL Cool J (Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series – NCIS: Los Angeles), newcomer, Melanie Fiona (Outstanding New Artist), Jay-Z (Outstanding Male Artist, Album, Duo, Song), Alicia Keys (Outstanding Female Artist, Song, Video, Duo) and Maxwell (Outstanding Male Artist, Video, Song, Album).  Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and India.Arie were also nominated in the music category while Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose received nominations for their work on the television mini-series, No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.  Rose will also compete for Outstanding Actress honors for her role in the animated feature, The Princess and the Frog.

In literature, Hill Harper (The Conversation:  How Black Men & Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships) will compete alongside Steve Harvey (Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man) in the Outstanding Literary Work, Instructional, category.  Late author, E. Lynn Harris also received a nomination for Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction, for his book, Basketball Jones.

The 41st Annual NAACP Image Awards will air live from Los Angeles’ historic Shrine Auditorium on Friday, February 28 at 8pm.  For a full list of nominees, log on to www.naacpimageawards.net.