Will Emmy recognize this fall's diverse TV talent?

Will Emmy recognize this fall's diverse TV talent?

Regina King is mad. The veteran actress and star of the TNT drama _Southland_ recently penned a "blog for The Huffington Post":http://www.huffingtonpost.com/regina-king/the-emmys-as-white-as-eve_b_704739.html condemning the Emmy Awards for their lack of recognition of non-white actors in their ceremonies. She pointed out the fact that, since 1986, of the 1000 nominations that have been handed out in the top four acting categories (best actor/actress, best supporting actor/actress) only 53 have gone to non-white actors (only eight have won). A cursory glance at the latest prime-time Emmy Awards ceremony would easily reveal what King claims: the Emmys are as "white as ever." There were numerous people of color in attendance that night, but they only ever graced the stage as presenters. The work of non-white television actors was, and has been for some time, severely overlooked. However subjective the award process may be, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (the body that awards Emmys) failed to recognize the talents of quite a few deserving actors and actresses of color. Nelsan Ellis and "Rutina Wesley":http://www.thegrio.com/entertainment/thegrio-q-a-with-rutina-wesley-true-bloods-sweet-sensation.php (who was "wrongly identified":http://www.tvguide.com/News/Regina-King-Race-1022666.aspx as Regina King in a caption that ran as she appeared on screen, King was not in attendance) have done commendable work on HBO's hit series _True Blood_, especially Ellis who brings life to arguably the most compelling character the show, Bon Temps resident chef/drug dealer/entrepreneur/all-around bad ass, Lafayette. Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi, and Donald Glover all turned in amazing comedic performances in the first season of NBC's quirky hilarious sitcom _Community_ and any of them could have easily received an Emmy nod. The Academy saw differently. They can make the argument that there simply aren't many roles being filled by non-white actors and as such finding actors and actresses to honor proves itself a difficult task. And surveying the lineups of major and cable networks, I would be inclined to agree. Black people in particular seem be more widely represented on "reality" TV shows/competitions, especially on VH1 which serves as home to a slew of "reality dating competitions":http://www.thegrio.com/entertainment/vh1-changing-tone-with-black-reality-shows.php featuring black folks, as opposed to scripted dramas and comedies. Those who do manage to land roles on scripted shows are often auxiliary characters and not given the opportunity be featured prominently enough for Emmy voters to take note. While that argument could weight for he current landscape, the "53 out of 1000" statistic accounts for every year since 1986. The "invisible wo/man" theory doesn't hold up when looking at the "post-Cosby show boom":http://www.thegrio.com/entertainment/slideshow-the-best-black-sitcoms-of-all-time.php in representation of people color on television. It's hard to believe that during their runs, show such as _The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air_, _Living Single_, _Martin_, _Girlfriends_, _Moesha_, _Half and Half_, _The Parent 'Hood_, _Sister,Sister_, _The George Lopez Show_, and a plethora of other simply flew under the Academy's radar. So even when there was a ready pool of non-white candidates from which to choose, the Academy neglected to offer up even the hopes of nomination.