"FADE 2 BLACK" IN HOLLYWOOD

The Quiet Renaissance.  In many ways stories about and/or by black directors, writers, actors and producers is surpassing what many thought in terms of box office, quality and diversity.  Here's a photo journey of some of the ones that are breaking barriers, past and present.  Hats off to these filmmakers!

I'm tired of always playing the cops. I wanna be Bogart sometimes" --Shorty, "Malcolm X". (Portrayed by writer/director Spike Lee, who has been countlessly overlooked by the Oscars, this should have been his 2nd Oscar, "Do the Right Thing" his first, however, the Oscars failed to recognize him for either.)

Okay, this wasn't film, but just watch one episode and you'll see Bill Cosby before Jello Puddin' Pops...A black man holding a gun next to a white man in this era (1965) was not only defiant, but courageous. Wonder what they're looking at -- the fall of the "I Spy" 2002 remake?

"You know what inspiration is? It's someone who lets you know life will go on and something beautiful can be waiting....waiting when you least expected it." --Bernadine, "Waiting to Exhale". (Portrayed by Angela Bassett. She gave a solid, riveting, complex performance. Upon release the film stirred alot of controversial debate surrounding black male and female relationships, but despite the furor, it went on to gross over 60 million domestically -- a bonafide box office success.)

"I loves Harpo, Lord knows I do. But I'll kill him dead 'fo I let him beat me." --Sophia, "The Color Purple. (Portrayed by Oprah Winfrey, who should have got the Oscar in my humble opinion).

"You protect the sheep by catching the wolves. It takes a wolf to catch a wolf." -- Alonzo, "Training Day". (Denzel in an Oscar winning performance, personally this should have been his second, "Malcolm X" his first.)

"I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams...I hope." --Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, "Shawshank Redemption". (Portrayed by Morgan Freeman, this is arguably one of the best written scripts and Freeman's performance had my heart dancing and crying. It is my #1 drama of all time.)

"Have you been listening? I'm gonna tell you the point. I'm gonna feed you the point. The point is...I don't know the point, alright?" --Darius Lovehall, "Love Jones". (Portrayed by Larenz Tate, this is one of the most realistic portrayals of relationships, it was before its' time, had it been released today, it may have been better received, still is a classic and will be so because it dared to set black romance in a world of poetry.)

(portrayed by Sean "P. Diddy" Combs minus the Sean John gear. I liked Diddy in this role. For the first time I glimpsed him and not the bigger than life image he always shrewdly re-creates. And shrewdly is not a negative, it just means well-calculated. Afterall, the man is undeniably smart.)

"I am a hunter. A weapon. It's what I do. It's in my blood." --Blade, "Blade 2". (Portrayed by Wesley Snipes. Kudos to Wesley for creating the first successful black action/thriller franchise about vampires.")