RUBY DEE's race to the OSCARS

On December 20, 2007, the nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards were silently announced. The legendary Ruby Dee, one of the most important actresses in the history of African American theater and film (and the true star of American Gangster), is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her extraordinary performance as Frank Lucas' mother. Trust me, this is a big deal. The SAG awards are unquestionably the most important precursor ceremony to the Academy Awards---far more important than the Golden Globes. Dee is nominated alongside Cate Blanchett (who was robbed last year by Jennifer Hudson, sorry folks), Catherine Keener, Amy Ryan, and Tilda Swinton. We're hoping that the SAG nominations continue in its tradition of being a solid-Oscar nomination predictor, and that Dee brings home a nod. She certainly deserves it. Though I did not care for American Gangster all that much overall, I do remember being left in chills at the following scene between Washington and Dee (fast forward to about 5:27): On a side note, neither Denzel Washington nor Russell Crow are nominated in the Best Actor and Supporting Actor categories, which do not make things look too good for these fellas in terms of the Oscar race. SOURCE OF THIS STORY