Jamie Foxx really irritated me last night.
Now, I didn't see the movie "Ray", and can't comment on whether his performance was Oscar worthy or not (although can't help but feel a little Oscar hypocrisy when they denied Denzel for so many wonderful performances on the premise that he hadn't built up a significant enough body of work to get an Oscar, and when he finally received one, it was for one of his LESSER roles). I have only seen clips from "Ray", and what I have seen definitely causes me to be inclined to see the movie. I'm sure Foxx did a great job.
But what ticked me off was towards the beginning of his speech, when he said "this is a great African-American moment".
EXCUSE ME?
Now, I don't know Foxx's lineage, but I'm willing to bet he didn't immigrate from Africa. In fact, I'd almost be willing to wager it's been a good century or so since his ancestors left those faraway shores. That notwithstanding, the question remains: does Foxx want to be a great "African-American" actor, or does he want to be a great ACTOR. Period. Race notwithstanding. Personally, I would hope he would choose the latter. (side note: when did "African-American" become PC again? Can someone PLEASE send me email updates RE: PC terminology?)
Frankly, I have to wonder how much flap there would have been if Clint Eastwood would have referred to his "Best Picture" win as "a great Euro-American moment".
Mr. Foxx, your Oscar speech was, in short, a disappointment.