[aristeides]

In a world with reverse discrimination, it pays for someone who is half black and half white to say that he (or she) is black.

On the extortion angle, I wonder how much of Hollywood's U.S. audience is now black (and thus how much of a threat a boycott would be.)

[spectre]

Halley can be as black or as white as she wants to be, depending on which door needs to be opened.

Anyone remember Eartha Kitt? A fabulous singer, beautful lady, who will say that she is a fantastic mixture of almost every race she can conjur up.

In the end, IMHO, it doesn't matter what color a person is, it's their talent, or looks, whatever...and I wish they hadn't made it an issue at the Oscar's. But it will always happen.

sw

[bvw]

On *extortion* what I meant was that Halle (foolishly), Denzel (utterly stupidly -- he has so much going for him), and even Whoopi Goldbrg (who has shown herself in many times to be of a race-less mind, from her Star Trek appearances to her dating) -- all of them are patterning this mode of professional behaviour after Jesse J's extortions.

Al Sharpton you can understand doing it. That is his nature it seems, like the Daley's of Chicago, or Hague -- he's a natural grifter of a politician, perhaps more natural than Jesse.

But the actors and actresses, Halle, Denzel, Whoopi -- they have fallen into a trap here. This is a foot-shooting in progress.