Powerhouse producer Shonda Rhimes and ABC’s hit new comedy “black-ish” scored big in major nominations for the 46th NAACP Image Awards, which honor the accomplishments of people of color in television, film and other cultural categories.
Rhimes essentially will be competing against herself, as all three of her ABC dramas –“Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and the new “How to Get Away with Murder”– were nominated for outstanding drama series. The other nominated dramas were “Being Mary Jane” (BET) and “House of Cards” (Netflix).
Past Image Award winner Kerry Washington of “Scandal” will compete again for outstanding actress in a drama series against Viola Davis (“How to Get Away with Murder”), Gabrielle Union (“Being Mary Jane”), Nicole Beharie (Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow”) and Octavia Spencer (Fox’s “Red Band Society”).
Nominated for outstanding actor in a drama series were LL Cool J (CBS’ “NCIS: Los Angeles”), Omar Epps (ABC’s “Resurrection”), Omari Hardwick (“Being Mary Jane”), Shemar Moore (CBS’ “Criminal Minds”) and Taye Diggs (TNT”s “Murder in the First”).
The family comedy “black-ish” was nominated for outstanding comedy series, and also scored nods for outstanding actor (Anthony Anderson), actress (Tracee Ellis Ross), supporting actor (Laurence Fishburne and Marcus Scribner) and supporting actress (Yara Shahidi).
Competing against Anderson for outstanding actor is Andre Braugher (Fox’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), Don Cheadle (Showtime’s “House of Lies”), Keegan-Michael Key (Comedy Central’s “Key & Peele”), and Kevin Hart (BET’s “Real Husbands of Hollywood”).
Ross will face off in the actress category against Mindy Kaling (Fox’s “The Mindy Project”), Niecy Nash (TV Land’s “The Soul Man”), Uzo Aduba (Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black”) and Wendy Raquel Robinson (BET’s “The Game”).
Nominated for outstanding TV movie, mini-Series or dramatic special were “A Day Late and a Dollar Short”, “The Gabby Douglas Story” and “The Trip to Bountiful” (Lifetime Networks), “American Horror Story: Freak Show” (FX) and “Drumline: A New Beat” (VH1).
Notably missing from marquee nominations were the CW’s “Jane the Virgin” and all four of Tyler Perry’s series on OWN–“If Loving You Is Wrong,” “The Haves and the Have Nots,” “Love Thy Neighbor” and “For Better or Worse.”
The Image Awards will air live on TV One on Feb. 6.
Source: RedEye Chicago
