What Happened Miss Simone?

The nominees for the 47th NAACP Image Awards are out and includes some of the top independent films and documentary films of 2015.  The organization honored independent films with the award for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture, and the nominees include “Beasts of No Nation,” “Brotherly Love (pictured above),” “Chi-Raq,” “Infinitely Polar Bear,” and “Secret in Their Eyes.” The NAACP also recognized documentary films with the award for Outstanding Documentary – (Film), and the nominees include “Amy,” “Dreamcatcher,” “In My Fathers House,” “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” and “What Happened, Miss Simone?” The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. Winners will be announced during the two-hour star-studded event, which will broadcast LIVE on TV ONE on Friday, February 5, 2016 at 9pm/8c as a two-hour special. “The Image Awards celebrates individuals who model principles of hard work, perseverance, and community empowerment and with the announcement of this year’s nominees the NAACP continues to spotlight the achievements of those in our community,” stated Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors. “We have enjoyed a great collaboration with TV One and look forward to working with them again this year to create a memorable evening of entertainment.” The complete list of categories and nominees for the 47th NAACP Image Awards: ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR Michael B. Jordan Misty Copeland Pharrell Williams Shonda Rhimes Viola Davis MOTION PICTURE Outstanding Motion Picture “Beasts of No Nation” (Netflix) “Concussion” (Sony Pictures Entertainment) “Creed” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures) “Dope” (Open Road Films) “Straight Outta Compton” (Universal Pictures) Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Abraham Attah – “Beasts of No Nation” (Netflix) Chiwetel Ejiofor – “Secret in Their Eyes” (STX Entertainment) Michael B. Jordan – “Creed” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures) Michael Ealy – “The Perfect Guy” (Screen Gems) Will Smith – “Concussion” (Sony Pictures Entertainment) Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Lauren ‘Keke’ Palmer – “Brotherly Love” (Flavor Unit) Sanaa Lathan – “The Perfect Guy” (Screen Gems) Teyonah Parris – “Chi-Raq” (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions) Viola Davis – “Lila and Eve” (Samuel Goldwyn Films) Zoe Saldana – “Infinitely Polar Bear” (Sony Pictures Classics) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Chiwetel Ejiofor – “The Martian” (20th Century Fox) Corey Hawkins – “Straight Outta Compton” (Universal Pictures) Forest Whitaker – “Southpaw” (The Weinstein Company) Idris Elba – “Beasts of No Nation” (Netflix) O’Shea Jackson, Jr. – “Straight Outta Compton” (Universal Pictures) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Angela Bassett – “Chi-Raq” (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions) Gugu Mbatha-Raw – “Concussion” (Sony Pictures Entertainment) Jennifer Hudson – “Chi-Raq” (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions) Phylicia Rashad – “Creed” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures) Tessa Thompson – “Creed” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures) Outstanding Independent Motion Picture “Beasts of No Nation” (Netflix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xb9Ty-1frw “Brotherly Love” (Flavor Unit) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_XD1QHLzto “Chi-Raq” (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA4gBeEPfww “Infinitely Polar Bear” (Sony Pictures Classics) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20qD5XpisDY “Secret in Their Eyes” (STX Entertainment) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD_IlSSFVX4 DOCUMENTARY Outstanding Documentary – (Film) “Amy” (A24) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2yCIwmNuLE “Dreamcatcher” (Rise Films, Green Acres Films & Vixen Films in association with Impact Partners and Artemis Rising Foundation) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRR3ZM6DQ28 “In My Fathers House” (Break Thru Films) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea4zi-am1m0 “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” (PBS Distribution/Firelight Films) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F56O3kZ9qr0 “What Happened, Miss Simone?” (A Radical Media Production in Association with Moxie Firecracker for Netflix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llfBIJF9cxI Outstanding Documentary – (Television) “August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand” (PBS) “Belief” (OWN) “Kareem: Minority of One” (HBO) “Light Girls” (OWN) “Muhammad Ali: The Peoples Champ” (BET) TELEVISION Outstanding Comedy Series “black-ish” (ABC) “House of Lies” (Showtime) “Key & Peele” (Comedy Central) “Orange is the New Black” (Netflix) “Survivor’s Remorse” (Starz) Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series Andre Braugher – “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (FOX) Anthony Anderson – “black-ish” (ABC) Don Cheadle – “House of Lies” (Showtime) Dwayne Johnson – “Ballers” (HBO) RonReaco Lee – “Survivor’s Remorse” (Starz) Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Gina Rodriguez – “Jane The Virgin” (The CW) Loretta Devine – “The Carmichael Show” (NBC) Tracee Ellis Ross – “black-ish” (ABC) Uzo Aduba – “Orange is the New Black” (Netflix) Wendy Raquel Robinson – “The Game” (BET) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series David Alan Grier – “The Carmichael Show” (NBC) Laurence Fishburne – “black-ish” (ABC) Mike Epps – “Survivor’s Remorse” (Starz) Miles Brown – “black-ish” (ABC) Terry Crews – “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (FOX) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Anna Deavere Smith – “Nurse Jackie” (Showtime) Danielle Brooks – “Orange is the New Black” (Netflix) Laverne Cox – “Orange is the New Black” (Netflix) Marsai Martin – “black-ish” (ABC) Tichina Arnold – “Survivor’s Remorse” (Starz) Outstanding Drama Series “Being Mary Jane” (BET) “Empire” (FOX) “How to Get Away with Murder” (ABC) “Power” (Starz) “Scandal” (ABC) Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series LL Cool J – “NCIS: Los Angeles” (CBS) Morris Chestnut – “Rosewood” (FOX) Omari Hardwick – “Power” (Starz) Terrence Howard – “Empire” (FOX) Wesley Snipes – “The Player” (NBC) Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Gabrielle Union – “Being Mary Jane” (BET) Kerry Washington – “Scandal” (ABC) Nicole Beharie – “Sleepy Hollow” (FOX) Taraji P. Henson – “Empire” (FOX) Viola Davis – “How to Get Away With Murder” (ABC) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Alfred Enoch – “How to Get Away with Murder” (ABC) Bryshere Y. Gray – “Empire” (FOX) Guillermo Diaz – “Scandal” (ABC) Joe Morton – “Scandal” (ABC) Jussie Smollett – “Empire” (FOX) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Cicely Tyson – “How to Get Away with Murder” (ABC) Danai Gurira – “The Walking Dead” (AMC) Grace Gealey – “Empire” (FOX) Naturi Naughton – “Power” (Starz) Regina King – “American Crime” (ABC) Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special “American Crime” (ABC) “Bessie” (HBO) “Luther” (BBC America) “The Book of Negroes” (BET) “The Wiz Live!” (NBC) Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Cuba Gooding, Jr. – “The Book of Negroes” (BET) David Alan Grier – “The Wiz Live!” (NBC) David Oyelowo – “Nightingale” (HBO) Idris Elba – “Luther” (BBC America) Michael Kenneth Williams – “Bessie” (HBO) Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Angela Bassett – “American Horror Story: Hotel” (FX Networks) Aunjanue Ellis – “The Book of Negroes” (BET) Jill Scott – “With this Ring” (Lifetime) LaTonya Richardson Jackson – “Show Me a Hero” (HBO) Queen Latifah – “Bessie” (HBO) Outstanding News/ Information – (Series or Special) “Katrina: 10 Years After the Storm” (ABC) “News One Now” (TV One) “Oprah Prime: Celebrating Dr. King and the Selma Marches 50 Years Later” (OWN) “Oprah: Where Are They Now?- Civil Rights Special” (OWN) “Unsung” (TV One) Outstanding Talk Series “Melissa Harris-Perry” (MSNBC) “Steve Harvey” (Syndicated) “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central) “The Talk” (CBS) “The Wendy Williams Show” (Syndicated) Outstanding Reality Program/Reality Competition Series “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC) “Iyanla: Fix My Life” (OWN) “Shark Tank” (ABC) “The Voice” (NBC) “Welcome to Sweetie Pies” (OWN) Outstanding Variety (Series or Special) “Black Girls Rock!” (BET) “Family Feud” (Syndicated) “Oprahs Master Class” (OWN) “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central) “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” (Comedy Central) Outstanding Children’s Program “Doc McStuffins” (Disney Junior) “Dora and Friends” (Nickelodeon) “K.C. Undercover” (Disney Channel) “Little Ballers” (Nickelodeon) “Project MC2” (Netflix) Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Mini-series) Hudson Yang – “Fresh Off The Boat” (ABC) Marcus Scribner – “black-ish” (ABC) Marsai Martin – “black-ish” (ABC) Miles Brown – “black-ish” (ABC) Skai Jackson – “Jessie” (Disney Channel) Outstanding Host in a News, Talk, Reality, or Variety (Series or Special) – Individual or “Family Feud” – Steve Harvey (Syndicated) “Melissa Harris-Perry” – Melissa Harris-Perry (MSNBC) “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel ” – Bryant Gumbel (HBO) “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” – Trevor Noah (Comedy Central) “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” – Larry Wilmore (Comedy Central) RECORDING Outstanding New Artist Andra Day (Warner Bros. Records) Judith Hill (NPG Records) Jussie Smollett (Columbia Records) The Weeknd (Republic Records) Yazz (Columbia Records) Outstanding Male Artist Charlie Wilson (RCA Records) Kendrick Lamar (Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Interscope) Pharrell Williams (Columbia Records/iamOTHER) The Weeknd (Republic Records) Tyrese Gibson (Voltron Recordz) Outstanding Female Artist Janet Jackson (Rhythm Nation/BMG) Jazmine Sullivan (RCA Records) Jill Scott (Atlantic Records) Lalah Hathaway (Hathaway Entertainment/Entertainment One) Lauryn Hill (RCA Records) Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration “Conqueror” – Empire Cast feat. Estelle & Jussie Smollett (Columbia Records) “Hamilton: An American Musical” – Original Broadway Cast (Atlantic Records) “No Sleeep” – Janet Jackson feat. J. Cole (Rhythm Nation/BMG) “One Man Can Change The World” – Big Sean feat. Kanye West and John Legend (G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam Recordings) “Sound & Color” – Alabama Shakes (ATO Records) Outstanding Jazz Album “BrotherLEE Love: Celebrating Lee Morgan” – Terell Stafford Quintet (Capri Records) “Dee Dee’s Feathers” – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Irvin Mayfield, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (Okeh) “Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4” – Miles Davis (Columbia/Legacy Recordings) “The Complete Concert By The Sea” – Erroll Garner (Legacy Recordings/Octave Music Publishing Corporation) The Epic” – Kamasi Washington (Brainfeeder) Outstanding Gospel Album – (Traditional or Contemporary) “A Different Place” – Kim Burrell (Shanachie Entertainment) “It’s Personal” – Tina Campbell (Gee Tree Creative) “Losing My Religion” – Kirk Franklin (RCA Inspiration) “The Gospel According To Jazz – Chapter IV” – Kirk Whalum (Mack Avenue Records, Rendezvous, Top Drawer Records) “You Shall Live” – Marvin Sapp (RCA Inspiration) Outstanding Music Video “Can’t Feel My Face” – The Weeknd (Republic Records) “Freedom” – Pharrell Williams (Columbia Records/iamOTHER) “No Sleeep” – Janet Jackson feat. J. Cole (Rhythm Nation/BMG) “Shame” – Tyrese Gibson (Voltron Recordz) “Sound & Color” – Alabama Shakes (ATO Records) Outstanding Song – Traditional “Back Together” – Jill Scott (Atlantic Records) “Everytime I’m With You” – Seal (Reprise Records) “Feeling Good” – Lauryn Hill (RCA Records) “Goodnight Kisses” – Charlie Wilson (RCA Records) “Let It Burn” – Jazmine Sullivan (RCA Records) Outstanding Album “Beauty Behind the Madness” – The Weeknd (Republic Records) “Empire (Original Soundtrack from Season One)” – Empire Cast (Columbia Records) “Forever Charlie” – Charlie Wilson (RCA Records) “Unbreakable” – Janet Jackson (Rhythm Nation/BMG) “Woman” – Jill Scott (Atlantic Records) Outstanding Song – Contemporary “Conqueror” – Empire Cast feat. Estelle & Jussie Smollett (Columbia) “Freedom” – Pharrell Williams (Columbia Records/iamOTHER) “No Sleeep” – Janet Jackson feat. J. Cole (Rhythm Nation/BMG) “Unbreakable” – Janet Jackson (Rhythm Nation/BMG) “You’re So Beautiful” – Empire Cast feat. Jussie Smollett & Yazz (Columbia Records) LITERATURE Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction “Driving the King” – Ravi Howard (HarperCollins/Harper) “Ghost Summer: Stories” – Tananarive Due (Prime Books) “Mama’s Boy” – ReShonda Tate Billingsley (Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster) “Stand Your Ground” – Victoria Christopher Murrary (Touchstone) “Under the Udala Trees” – Chinelo Okparanta (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction “50 Billion Dollar Boss: African American Women Sharing Stories of Success in Entrepreneurship and Leadership” – Kathey Porter (Author), Andrea Hoffman (Author), (Palgrave Macmillan) “Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America” – Jill Leovy (Spiegel & Grau) “SHOWDOWN: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America” – Wil Haygood (Alfred A. Knopf) “Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga” – Pamela Newkirk (HarperCollins/Amistad) “The Light of the World” – Elizabeth Alexander (Grand Central Publishing) Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author “Between The World and Me” – Ta-Nehisi Coates (Spiegel & Grau) “The Fishermen” – Chigozie Obioma (Little, Brown & Company) “The Star Side of Bird Hill” – Naomi Jackson (Penguin Press) “The Turner House” – Angela Flournoy (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) “The Wind In The Reeds: A Storm, A Play And The City That Could Not Be Broken” – Wendell Pierce (Author), Rod Dreher (Author), (Riverhead Books) Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/ Auto-Biography “After the Dance: My Life with Marvin Gaye” – Jan Gaye (Author), David Ritz (With), (HarperCollins/Amistad) “Between The World and Me” – Ta-Nehisi Coates (Spiegel & Grau) “One Righteous Man: Samuel Battle and the Shattering of the Color Line in New York” – Arthur Browne (Beacon Press) “Power Forward: My Presidential Education” – Reggie Love (Simon & Schuster) “Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person” – Shonda Rhimes (Simon & Schuster) Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional “Big Words to Little Me: Tips and Advice for the Younger Self” – Sakina Ibrahim (Author), Jessie Lee (With), (Createspace (Self published)) “Free Your Mind: An African American Guide to Meditation and Freedom” – Cortez R. Rainey (CreateSpace) “Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories” – Jocelyn Delk Adams (Agate Surrey) “Keep Calm… It’s Just Real Estate: Your No-Stress Guide To Buying A Home” – Egypt Sherrod (Perseus/Running Press) “Soul Food Love: Healthy Recipes Inspired by One Hundred Years of Cooking in a Black Family” – Alice Randall (Author), Caroline Randall Williams (Author), (Clarkson Potter) Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” – Ross Gay (University of Pittsburgh Press) “How to Be Drawn” – Terrance Hayes (Penguin Books / Penguin Random House) “Reconnaissance” – Carl Phillips (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) “Redbone” – Mahogany L. Browne (Willow Books) “Wild Hundreds” – Nate Marshall (University of Pittsburgh Press) Outstanding Literary Work – Children “Chasing Freedom: The Life Journeys of Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony, Inspired by Historical Facts” – Nikki Grimes (Author), Michele Wood (Illustrator), (Orchard Books / Scholastic) “Gordon Parks How the Photographer Captured Black and White America” – Carole Boston Weatherford (Author), Jamey Christoph (Illustrator), (Albert Whitman & Company) “Granddaddy’s Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box” – Michael S. Bandy (Author), Eric Stein (Author), James E. Ransome (Illustrator), (Candlewick Press) “If You Plant a Seed” – Kadir Nelson (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) “New Shoes” – Susan Lynn Meyer (Author), Eric Velasquez (Illustrator), (Holiday House) Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens “Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound” – Andrea Davis Pinkney (Roaring Brook Press) “Stella By Starlight” – Sharon Draper (Simon & Schuster) “Untwine” – Edwidge Danticat (Scholastic Press) “X: A Novel” – Ilyasah Shabazz (Author), Kekla Magoon (With), (Candlewick Press) “You Are Wonderfully Made: 12 Life-Changing Principles for Teen Girls to Embrace” – Gwen Richardson (Author), Sylvia Daye Richardson (Author), (Cushcity Communications) WRITING Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series Alan Yang, Aziz Ansari – “Master of None” – Parents (Netflix) Jennie Snyder Urman – “Jane The Virgin” – Chapter Twenty-Three (The CW) Jill Soloway – “Transparent” – Kina Hora (Amazon Video) Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key, Jay Martel, Ian Roberts, Rebecca Drysdale, Colton Dunn, Phil Augusta Jackson, Alex Rubens, Charlie Sanders, Rich Talarico – “Key & Peele” – Y’all Ready For This? (Comedy Central) Kenya M. Barris – “black-ish” – The Word (ABC) Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series Erika Green Swafford, Doug Stockstill – “How to Get Away with Murder” – Mama’s Here Now (ABC) John Ridley – “American Crime” – Episode 1 (ABC) LaToya Morgan – “TURN: Washingtons Spies” – False Flag (AMC) Lee Daniels, Danny Strong – “Empire” – Pilot (FOX) Mara Brock Akil, Jameal Turner, Keli Goff – “Being Mary Jane” – Sparrow (BET) Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture – (Television) Dee Rees – “Bessie” (HBO) Lawrence Hill, Clement Virgo – “The Book of Negroes” (BET) Michael S. Bandy, Eric Stein – “White Water” (TV One) Nzingha Stewart – “With this Ring” (Lifetime) Shem Bitterman – “Whitney” (Lifetime) Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Film) Andrea Berloff, Jonathan Herman – “Straight Outta Compton” (Universal Pictures) Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois, Grant Thompson – “McFarland USA” (Walt Disney Pictures) Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley – “Inside Out” (Disney/Pixar) Rick Famuyiwa – “Dope” (Open Road Films) Ryan Coogler, Aaron Covington – “Creed” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer Pictures) DIRECTING Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series Aziz Ansari – “Master of None” – Parents (Netflix) Brad Silberling – “Jane The Virgin” – Chapter Twenty-Three (The CW) Don Cheadle – “House of Lies” – The Urge to Save Humanity is Almost Always a False Front for the Urge to Rule (Showtime) Peter Atencio – “Key & Peele” – The End (Comedy Central) Stan Lathan – “Real Husbands of Hollywood” – Cabin Pressure (BET) Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series Ernest Dickerson – “Hand of God” – Welcome the Stranger (Amazon Video) John Ridley – “American Crime” – Episode 1 (ABC) Lee Daniels – “Empire” – Pilot (FOX) Millicent Shelton – “American Crime” – Episode Ten (ABC) Salim Akil – “Being Mary Jane” – Sparrow (BET) Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television) Christine Swanson – “For the Love of Ruth” (TV One) Dee Rees – “Bessie” (HBO) Nzingha Stewart – “With this Ring” (Lifetime) Rusty Cundieff – “White Water” (TV One) Salim Akil – “The Start Up” (BET) Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture – (Film) Alfonso Gomez-Rejon – “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” (Fox Searchlight Pictures / Rhode Island Ave) Charles Stone, III – “Lila and Eve” (Samuel Goldwyn Films) F. Gary Gray – “Straight Outta Compton” (Universal Pictures) Rick Famuyiwa – “Dope” (Open Road Films) Ryan Coogler – “Creed” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures) ANIMATED/CGI Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance – (Television or Film) Aisha Tyler – “Archer” (FX Networks) Audra McDonald – “Doc McStuffins” (Disney Junior) Jeffrey Wright – “The Good Dinosaur” (Disney/Pixar) Loretta Devine – “Doc McStuffins” (Disney Channel) Wanda Sykes – “Penn Zero” (Disney XD)

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