Head Honcho in Charge and Queen of Prime Time Television Shonda Rhimes pulled a Kanye this weekend when she attended + accepted the “Diversity Award” at the Directors Guild of America Awards over on the West, in Los Angeles over the weekend. While accepting the award, Scandal’s executive producer: Betsy Beers stood next to (and with) Rhimes who had this to say about being awarded the “Diversity” award (ironically):
“When I heard I was getting a Diversity Award, I was really, truly, profoundly honored. I began to get calls and I was asked to comment on the award. Asked how good I felt about the award. Asked if it made me feel like I was doing the right thing. Asked if it had been a struggle making diversity happen on my cast and crews. While I’m still really and truly profoundly honored to receive this award, I was also a little pissed off. [And] so was Betsy. So over many, many, many bottles of wine we discussed this.
We’re a little pissed off because there still needs to be an award. Like, there’s such a lack of people hiring women and minorities that when someone does it on a regular basis, they are given an award… It’s not because of a lack of talent. It’s because of a lack of access. People hire who they know. If it’s been a white boys club for 70 years, that’s a lot of white boys hiring one another. And I don’t believe that that happens out of any specific racism or sexism or prejudice. People hire their friends. They hire who they know. It’s comfortable. You want to be successful, you don’t want to take any chances, you don’t want to rock the boat by hiring people of color because, well, look at us. Both Betsy and I like the world that we work in to look like the world that we live in. Different voices make for different visions. Different visions make for something original. Original is what the public is starving for.”
Ouch.
Well…not exactly.
How about: About time.
Right at the moment was just as good a time as any to express yourself while too, gracefully accepting the honor but as well, making sure you shed a little light on an issue that you feel needs to be heard (or reiterated). And what better place to do it than right smack dead in the middle where not just “everybody” is there-but the right everybody’s are watching, and listening, therefore: hearing.
Rhimes gracefully hit the guild with her opposite hand’s other punch by gracefully [in advance? Or going forward?] thanking the Director’s Guild for (quote): “[recognizing] a problem and trying to fix it…which I think is kind of badass,” (unquote).
Well, needless to say, Entertainment Weekly reported that she and Beers then left the stage to a standing ovation after Rhimes having came, accepted, and spoken [like a badass herself].
Wellllll alrighty then!
In case you didn’t know (or catch Other Side of the Fame’s write up) about Rhimes’ book (slash) personal memoir due out 2014/2015-I’d say the more we get to know little bits and pieces about the woman in charge of it all that does more doing than talking; nights like such most certainly wets our whistles in anticipation of what her book (slash) personal memoir will be like.
For other write-ups on Rhimes at Other Side of the Fame (click here).
Eye Spied Elle Magazine via Cosmopolitan
