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.

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.