And the Winner is.. Akeelah and the Bee - 4:07 p.m.

Last night the 9th annual 2006 Black Movie Awards aired on TNT. Go ahead and say it. Ninth annual?!? Honestly that's breaking news to me as well. Never knew there was such a gathering. Founded in 1997, the ceremony used to take place and only those that read Jet and Ebony magazine would know of it. The awards hit the airwaves for the first time in 2005, last night's broadcast marked the second time the show was available to anyone with a TV remote.

Next question might be.. is there really a need for a black movie award show? I mean the number of 'black' movies released in a year can be counted on one hand. Unless you want to include the shelf full of gangsta/comedy movies filmed on a credit card budget. Spike Lee got his start at that level (She's Gotta Have It), but very few of those directors aspire to the heights he has. Forget about the horrible many.. There are some great films (this year - The Last King in Scotland) and majors (last year's Hotel Rwanda) who's participants may be nominated for awards, but not quite get the chance to do a Halle Berry.

So the Black Movie Awards are a way to see that the work in these types of movies doesn't go unrewarded. Tyler Perry expands on that.. "It's not about being separate from any other award show. It's about a community that understands black film coming together to celebrate it. So it's more of family, closer, niche kind of situation where we completely celebrate each other. And there always has to be honor in that."

I wonder who Martin Scorcese has to see about getting some award show justice. It's hard to believe he's never won an Oscar. That's another story..

The big winner last night was Akeelah and the Bee - winner of four awards.

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Presley Chweneyagae as Tsotsi

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Keke Palmer as Akeelah Akeelah and the Bee

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Larabee, Akeelah and the Bee

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Angela Bassett as Tanya Anderson, Akeelah and the Bee

Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting
Kriss Turner Something New

Distinguished Achievement - Career
Cicely Tyson

Outstanding Achievement in Directing
Spike Lee Inside Man

Outstanding Motion Picture
Akeelah and the Bee

From the look of that list you'd think Akeelah was up against two or three movies, but there were actually a good selection of movies nominated. Maybe even a few controversial wins.

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