“Black Panther” Doesn’t Need the Oscars; The Oscars Need “Black Panther”

With one tweet, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has gotten the entire industry clutching its collective pearls with the announcement of a new category to recognize “achievement in popular film.”

Change is coming to the #Oscars. Here's what you need to know: – A new category is being designed around achievement in popular film.- We've set an earlier airdate for 2020: mark your calendars for February 9.- We're planning a more globally accessible, three-hour telecast. pic.twitter.com/oKTwjV1Qv9 — The Academy (@TheAcademy) August 8, 2018

We all felt something like this would happen… or maybe it was just that Spider-sense instinctual cynicism when it comes to art created by and featuring Black entities in an entertainment system that perpetuates the desires of the dominant society. “Black Panther” has reached the level of artistic and financial success that makes insecure white supremacists uncomfortable. Ryan Coogler’s film was the Jesse Owens of 2018’s Cinematic Olympics. The film was too good for this world, too good for its devolved limitations. We understand the why – no one really watches the Oscars anymore, nor do they care. The 2017 Oscars only pulled in 26.5 million viewers. From a pure numbers standpoint, this move to include “Best Popular Film” category goes to ensure that marketing end of television are satisfied. The Oscars is a production of the people want to see the faces of the stars of the year’s biggest films. One only n…