Last night, the non-televised portion of The 49th Annual NAACP Image Awards took place here in Pasadena.
The celebration of outstanding work by African Americans in film, TV, music, and literature inspired the likes of Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), Morgan Freeman, Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), and Kareem Abdul Jabbar to attend.
While ten winners will be announced during the televised portion of the awards tonight, almost 50 winners were announced during last night’s ceremony. Idris Elba, Jordan Peele, Kendrick Lamar, Tiffany Haddish, and the ladies from the popular talk show The Real were among them.
Elba won two awards, one for his role in the Showtime miniseries Guerrilla and one for the Disney/Marvel film Thor: Ragnarok.
Peele won for writing and directing Get Out, and Haddish won one award for her break-out performance in Girls Trip and another for her voice-over work in Legends of Chamberlain Heights.
In music, Bruno Mars and Lamar each won three awards.
The very funny Insecure, Black-ish, Scandal, Power and The New Edition Story were among the winners in the television categories.
Individual awards also went to Jay Ellis (Insecure), Joe Morton, Queen Latifah and LL Cool J.
Kathryn Bigelow’s moving historical epic, Detroit, won as well.
In the TV Documentary Category, Chicago’s own President Barack Obama won for The 44th President: In His Own Words.
And the late comedian Dick Gregory, who spent a good amount of time in Chicago honing his career was honored with Outstanding Literature Non-fiction for … Defining Moments in Black History: Reading Between the Lies.
The awards, hosted by Anthony Anderson, will be broadcast tonight on TV One at 9/8c. The two-hour live television special will be the culmination of a day of volunteer service, citizen action, and celebration on the national holiday honoring the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Presenters include This is Us’ Sterling K. Brown, Mary J. Blige, Black Panther and Creed’s Michael B. Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya, Issae Rae, Chadwick Boseman, Terry Crews, Yara Shahidi, Danai Gurira, Isaiah Washington, Jacob Latimore, Jay Pharoah, Jemele Hill, Josh Gad, Loretta Devine, Meta Golding, Michael Smith, Tyler James Williams, Sonequa Martin-Green, Judge Greg Mathis and Mike Colter
In addition, the NAACP Entertainer of the Year will be revealed. This special honor is bestowed upon an individual within the entertainment industry who has achieved notable success in multiple projects and mediums. The nominees include Ava DuVernay, Bruno Mars, Chadwick Boseman, Chicago’s Chance the Rapper, Issa Rae, and JAY Z.
As previously announced, actor, producer, and humanitarian Danny Glover will receive the President’s Award, which is bestowed in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service.
In addition, William Lucy, prominent labor union organizer and leader, will be honored with the prestigious NAACP Chairman’s Award, which is bestowed in recognition of individuals who demonstrate exemplary public service and use their distinct platforms to create agents of change.
For a full list of last night’s non-televised winners click here. Don’t miss tonight’s broadcast of the 49th Annual NAACP Image Awards on TV One tonight at 9/8c.
Contact Colin Costello at colin@reelchicago.com or follow him on Twitter @colincostello10.
