The Leroy Awards

Most people remember Sammy Davis Jr. for his legendary career as the token black guy in The Rat Pack. Sammy was such a trailblazing icon for black performers in the 20th century that by the time we reached the 1980s, he had enough industry cred to cameo in made-for-tv children’s theater.

Clearly nobody is standing behind that mushroom.

Mr. Entertainment himself played a hookah-smoking caterpillar in a live-action adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. What’s to appreciate in this Leroy-winning role is not his star power, but his introduction of fruit-flavored tobacco and rap lyrics into the mainstream–without leaving his tap-dancing roots. Between the smoking, giant talking bug, bright colors, and drug-induced dance sequence; a subtle promotion of drugs to children in this way could never happen in 2008, no matter how classic the story or how big the star:

Even in the twilight of his career, Sammy was laying the groundwork in 1985 for other artists. Roughly a decade later, Method Man & Redman would rise to hiphop fame under the same influence (NSFW), sans insect & dance partner. Today’s rappers & blacktors owe a debt of gratitude, so this Leroy is awarded to recognize a true pioneer.

Omar Gooding’s brother, Cuba Gooding Junior, was the recipient of our second ever Leroy Award. You might remember that brother Cuba won an Oscar for his performance as a football player in the ultra-sappy Jerry McGuire. Younger brother Omar Gooding got sloppy-football-seconds as the star of ESPN’s Playmakers series (as NFL superstar turned crack-fiend Demetrius Harris).

Omar didn’t just use luck to land in this athletic role - he spent his entire career preparing for it:

- He hosted Nickelodeon’s Wild & Crazy Kids from 1990-1992 and performed in the most challenging locations:

- He spent 5 seasons (1992-1997) on Hanging with Mr. Cooper as former-NBA “star” Mark Curry’s understudy

But Mamma Gooding should be proud for more than just birthing a family of actors specializing in horrible sports roles - Omar also guest-starred on a single episode of CSI in 2006 and was arrested in 1995 for gun possession. According to his Wikipedia page, Omar can regularly be found playing Texas Hold ‘em at his favorite Vegas hotspot - the Aladdin.

Who would have that this cute kid would turn out to be a gun toting, poker playing, crack-fiend who bares his buttocks for the “Piss Man” on prime-time TV?

Think of Don Cheadle today, and you will no doubt think of the many historical figures he portrays on film: Paul Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda, Petey Greene in Talk to Me. But before he was an Oscar nominee, Cheadle had well earned his Leroy as a trendsetting model of early 90s fashion.

The Golden Girls had just finished the run of their highly successful 80s sitcom, and you know what comes after a highly successful 80s sitcom: a spinoff! The Golden Palace took over that run, with the same opening theme and nearly the same cast, however it was especially apropos to throw in a token black character for color and levity in an otherwise monochrome show. Cue the high-top-fade in the blue suit; the natural choice for chemistry with three spunky geriatrics:

And yes, that was Cheech Marin earing his Manuel Award as a chef (I’m sure he made great brownies), but that’s for another website. Cheadle went on to other small roles with range varying from a guest spot on ER to supporting roles like in Traffic, but his next great Leroy would come as a brief spokesman for the NFL. Watch as he parses the mundane with the powerful prose and cool demeanor of a stereotypically cool black spokesman:

Mr. Cheadle, you have earned your Leroy. Your future Oscar awaits.

The Leroys are to the Oscars…
As Glen Plummer is to Denzel Washington.

In other words, Glenn is the poor man’s version of Denzel.

Not only does Glenn look like he could, with some work, be groomed into a Denzel-lookalike walking through Hollywood boulevard - his resume is equally impressive… for every award-winning films that Denzel has starred in, Plummer has an equally-noteworthy movie.

For starters, Glen Plummer starred alongside Elizabeth Berkley and Leroy-winner Gina Ravera in Showgirls. Plummer is a poorly-dressed casino doorman who seduces Jessie Spano with cassette tapes, slick dancing moves and his ragged sense of fashion. His acting is superb (although I could star alongside Elizabeth Berkley and James Lipton would shower me with praise).

There are a wide range of films in between (like Saw II where he Glenn is exquisitely slaughtered), but the pinnacle of his career was in the starring role of the 2004 classic “Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘n’ Waffles”. Had Plummer never been in a movie before, he would still be a Leroy-nominee because Roscoe’s is truly memorable. Just ask Amazon top-reviewer S.M.Anderson:

I borrowed this movie from my local library. This has to be the most unfunny movie I’ve ever seen. This movie was BORING, BORING, BORING, AND MORE BORING!!! Since when did watching a bunch of movies make a person eligible to make movies? During the featurette, when one of the guys was asked what makes him qualified to make movies, he commented “I’ve watched over 1,000 movies.” That right there should have been my clue to take the DVD out of my machine and save myself the agony of watching this horrible feature film.

There is one character who is blind, in the mob and thinks he is Italian, but he is black. Clyde is a former numbers runner trying to help his stupid cousin pay back the mob. Mo Fo is a thug who keeps getting mistaken for Roscoe and getting his butt whupped, and there is Pam who is the “nut crusher”. Even the potty humor in the movie was not funny. This movie has terrible editing, terrible acting, this movie is simply TERRIBLE. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE.

Denzel might have an Oscar… but Glenn Plummer has a Leroy and a resume that includes the names Elizabeth Berkley and Roscoe’s Chicken N’ Waffles.

Thanks to VH1, an entire generation of children will grow up watching Showgirls and think that young Jessie Spano made her fame under the Vegas lights rather than the tutelage of Mr. Belding.

Showgirls is a fascinating movie because the dubbing required to get it on cable TV actually makes it better. In the theater, movie-goers had to struggle through the brutal acting of Gina Ravera (and others) - but thanks to FCC requirements, the horrific dubbing throughout the movie adds an element of necessary comedic relief and eases the pain of Molly Abrams inability to convey trepidation, passion and intelligence as Naomi Malone’s caring best friend.

Gina Ravera deserves a Leroy because her inability to act single-handedly deflected the criticism due to Elizabeth Berkley… thus enabling young Spano to rehabilitate her career into a Bravo reality show about (clothed) dancing.

If we didn’t award Gina Ravera a Leroy, Elizabeth Berkley certainly would have.

Cuba Gooding Junior is the first Leroy winner who has also won an actual Oscar (although the academy severely regrets that decision).

Cuba Gooding Junior went from a vastly-overrated role in Jerry McGuire (alongside a vastly-overrated Scientology dwarf) to the most uncomfortably homosexual commercials alongside Michael Jordan. And in between that quick descent, Cuba was in many uncomfortably horrible movie roles… the 2002 classic “Boat Trip” was, like his commercials, also uncomfortably homosexual - apparently Cuba has found a role that he can really excel at.

Here are the five best performances by Cuba Gooding Junior - cementing his role as a Leroy Lifetime Achievement honoree. We are certain that the statue is more valuable than the net grossing of his last 10 films.

5. Rat Race
Go 1:45 in. Cuba ‘acting’ next to a urinal, with an undershirt over his head. What other Oscar winner would take roles like this?

4. Daddy Day Camp
Cuba gets Eddie Murphy’s sloppy seconds… and this isn’t 1980.

3. Boat Trip
The Bird Cage gone black

2. Snow Dogs
The passion in Cuba’s eyes is palpable. Who would have thought Cuba could make the Iditarod a non-white event?

1. Cuba Meets Michael Jordan… awkwardly
Hanes couldn’t pay either of these guys enough - could they?

Some times art imitates life.

And in Reggie’s case, it’s life imitating art imitating life.

Reggie “Thespian” Theus was the star of one of the great Saturday morning shows of our generation: Hang Time. Reggie, a former NBA player, parlayed his height and rebounding skills into an acting gig as the head coach of an all-white high school basketball team that played on a 40′ court.

Reggie was captivating.

His ability to win league championship after league championship with a team of misfits who could barely dribble a basketball was awe-inspiring to viewers… and apparently also to the Maloof brothers who hired Reggie to coach the Sacramento Kings. Unfortunately for the Maloofs, they failed to realize that Reggie’s ability to coach the oft-in-trouble Teddy Brodis (played by multiple Leroy nominee Anthony Anderson) did provide credibility with Ron Artest.

Here’s to Reggie Theus. Most importantly, he helped his players overcome severe issues surrounding dating, drug and alcohol use, racism, sleep deprivation, and other scary school-related issues. But Reggie was also able to turn his on-TV coaching into an NBA coaching gig (and a massive contract). That is certainly worthy of a Leroy.

“Nature can be lethal, but it doesn’t hold a candle to man.”

Samuel L. Jackson has never spoken truer words about the human spirit. In this Leroy Awards Instant Classic, he delivers an inspirational speech that undoubtedly will galvanize the resolve of these scared scientists and motivate them all to freedom. Well, he was partially successful.

Movie producers knew they had a hit when they made Jaws nearly a quarter century earlier, but liberal Hollywood had not yet advanced black acting roles to the maturity they reached by the turn of the millennium. Not only does Deep Blue Sea feature both Samuel L. Jackson and a rap star, but one of them even has their shining moment embellished with the latest CG technology. Enjoy:

…Celebrating the “greatest” movies, television and acting in modern day history.